Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1884-03-31
A NOTORIOUS CAREER.

MIS-. tOulQ i nOTp WIS SuoI 1 Eluay niSue
at her home iu West Twenty-frst street,
New York, By Geo. S. Walsh, visitor.
Walsh, it is said, had been drinking be-
fore calling on Mrs. Thorp. 1t is under
stood his errand was to effect reconcila-
ton between Mrs. Thorp and Thomas ID.
Adams, who had recently quarreled. Mr..
Adams's wife left him short time ago on
account of his intimacy with Mrs. Thorp.
Mrs. Thorp made d statement in which she
said "On Friday evening felt lonely and
was sitting in my parlor and remained there
until about 10 o'clock or 1890 p M, when
the bell rang and I went to the door.
George Walsh stood at the door and said
that he wanted to come in. l said all right,
come in He then entered my parlor. lie
stood in the centre of the paror and said, /
am man. and pulled his pistol out of his
pocket and shot me.
Walsh is said 10 be favorite with ladies,
and letter from fashionable up town
lady was found in his pocket. Mrs. TDorp
comes of an old and honorable Philadel-
phia family, whose name is nearly as we'll
known as that Of the Prices. the Bin
neys or the Cadwasders. When Mrs.
Laura NJ. Thorp began what has since
proved to be one of the most remarka
bio rareers Oh record she was Laura
NJ. Wood, the foster daughter of gamb-
Ter named Wood, in Philadelphia. Gould
H. Thorp, her former husband, was, long
before marrying her, divorced from Emma
G.. Reed. By the terms Of the decree of
divorce be was forbidden, under the laws of
New York, to marry again. She knew Of
this fact, and she went with him TO Phila-
dephia TO evade the effect of the prohibi-
ton. They were married there on Febru-
airy II 1875, and Immediately returned to
New York. Immediately after her union
with Mr.. Thorp she began series of move
ments which had for their purpose the ex-
traction Of money from the pockets Of
wealthy men who were willing to pay.
These movements fually resulted in the ac-
ton of her husband for divorce. This ac-
counsel D. NJ. Porter in February, 1878, af.
ter some revelations of a disgracetul charac-
ter had come to him.
In his complaint Mr.. Thorp charged his
wife with having been unduly intimate with
Lloyd Phoenix, the we'll known yachtman,
within month after her marriage to him,
and to have continued this intimacy, with
short intervals, up to January %, 1878. He
marriage vows in the Thorp mansion, but
had also gone on cruise with Phoenix in his
yacht, the Josephine. The suit hung fire for
some time, and while it was pending Mrs.
Thorp set up a magnificent establishment,
on which she squandered three legacies left
by Philadelphia relatives and aggreSating
100000. Phoenix was worth at that time
100000, and his purse was ever open to
crafty Mrs. Thorp's wildly extravagant
tastes.
After living together in New York for
several mouths, the pair went to Paris, and
began a mad whirl of gayety and fashiona-
BILE dissipation. When they had been in
the French capital few months Ph9nix
became acquainted with Fanny Lear, also
known as Mrs. Black ford, a voluptuous
beauty, who was notorious as having so COM
pletey fascinated the Russian Grand Duke
Constantine that he stole bis mothers dia-
monGs TO please her. Mrs. Blackford was q
Philadeiphian and was the daughter of a
minister. Phoenix became deeply enamor-
ed of this woman, which made Mrs. Thorp
furiousiy jealous, and she sought to quarrel
with her rival. The matter was finally
smootiied over, and the two returned 10
New York.
Phoenix then seemed to tire OF the woman,
and kept away from her so long that size
formed the acquaintance of i wealthy bank
CT na,aed Moran. To avenge herself on
Phoenix she engaged a well-known New
York journalist to write her autobiogra-
ply. The book was to be named Zee
Gill;" aud in it she freely used the name
Of an aged commodore. Phoenix and
Moran met one day and had fight,
which resulted in Phoenix being arrested on
the charge of assault with intent to kill.
Shortly after this she became acquainted
with Mr.. Beccher, of the firm of Beecher
s. Ives, liquor merchants, and then the
pistol began to figure as prominent factor
in the story. In Il fit of jealous rage she
shot at Phoenix and sliced off a piece of his
ear. Soon afterward, actuated by the same
motive she shot at Moran and destroyed
the sight Of one eye. Mr.. Beecher, who was
in love with and jealous of Phenix's atten.
ton to the beautiful Mrs. Thorp, took a
hand in the pistol practice by shooting
Phoenix.
Mrs. Thorp was then living in sumptuous
STYLE and her house was continually filled
with promine1tsociety people of New York.
Among her frequent guests was we'll
known member Of the Union Club. He was
smilten with her charms, and when he pro-
posed that they should 60 to London to-
gerher, she consented more out of pique
than anything else. Arriving in the me-
tropolis they were married. aud after spend
ing a seuson on the continent returned to
America. Soon after this Mr.. Thorp sue
ceeded in getting the divorce, although his
wife had fought it on the curious ground
that they were not legally married, he hav
ing evaded the Law in going to Philadelphia
to have the ceremony performed. Several
divorce suits were occasioned by her &C.
quaintance with men who became infatuated
with her.
REPUBLICANS AND DEMONSTRATION. j. F.