Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-10-28
vooDHU1.L AND CnAFLIN.
.,--treordInary Story of These Two
American ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Bro
,.srs and Lecturers.

understand you had noted model
80 rour heroine in your new novel, The
~ If London remarked an Ameri-
re Isdv in Europe last summer to Mr..
Henry james.
aVobody has a right to say the charae-
...fs actually drawn from life," answer
~. ,he novelist, laughing as he spoke.
,-,t,ritbstandiug this quasi-deulal it is an
sacret that the heroine referred to is
az -sIl-known American, formerly Mrs.
s1 w. q. woodruff. "The Siege OF
.5on - which was first printed in the
Egs-IB. M magazine, 10 one OF the latest or
J.r,os, works. 1t describes the 1ntrigues
90 -cbeming widow whose past reputa-
o,r ,Cill not bear investigation. A young
.r,oGiap,an falls desperately IN love with
w. h1t his mother Will not listen to his
nssl,ositiop to marry her. An old friend
I,fEs who has heard many disagreeable
,t,,.,s about the widow, hesitates about
.-iIiTo what he knows, as he has scruples
e".o,rst blasting the character ola woman.
aa7~aItv the lords mother dies and the
marriage takes place.
NJ 1tbar Mrs, Victoria &. WoOdhull arrived
,r london some twelve years ago her
-+s7ia was q by-word on this side Of the
Atlantic. Disagreeable stories had been
-oi5 about her In the contest over the Will
oTol5 commodore Vanderbilt; her name
So5 6aen mixed up with that Of Theodore
T.iron i'm the famous BeeCher trial; her
froe-Iove principles were we'll known. She
,rsnt abroad with her sister, Tennie 9.
Clsan. Both women were over 30 years
Cf noe and both were clever and hand
sooa Mrs. Woodruff was OF medium
s-sfle. 1.-the and graceful. Miss Claims
beauty was also marked; her height is
sbout'tbs same as that Of her sister; her
fgn-e rather stOuter. Mrs. Woodruff
oss some time ago married to John Bid
5elpb Martin, banker, OF Lombard street
ana HYDE Park Gate, while Miss Clafiln
was married this month to Mr.. Frederick
Cook. a very rich merchant. who has
had the title of Nisconde de MOnSer-
r3to bestowed upon him by the King of
Portugal.
The fashion in which the sisters man.
aged to make acqusintances OF the right
sort is shown by the following anecdote
told bv q well-knoWn New Yorker VINO
went to England in the spring:
81 went over on the Oregon with par
Nv o! friends,0 said he. son the way
over we saw good deal of an old lady
travelling with her daughter and niece.
one Of the girls was an Invalid, but both
were very interesting girls. They seemed
intelligent and pleasant, and before we
reached the other side the old lady pre-
scented her cards to me, as well as to my
companions, and invited US to call upon
her in London. The cards simply read,
MRS. j. b. Martini and of course l had
no idea VINO that lady was. The ladies' in
my party threw the cards away as soon
as they received them, knowing that an
ocean steamer is scarcely the place to
pick up acquaintance OF the proper
sort. /, however, thought / would call
once. for you know a man can call any
where.
81 went to the address given, and was
ushered ins1 a beautiful parlOr. The walls
were covered VITA valuable paintings,
and all around |gfe scattered gold and
silver cups asdnedals. In flew minutes
one of the ~ Ig ladies / had met ar
rived. Her naae was Miss Blood,
think. SaOrtlg after handsome woman
entered the room and advanced towards
me. Her face seemed strangely familiar,
though 1 could not place 1t for a moment.
This is my mother, Mrs. Martin, DIR.
- remarked Miss Blood. q believe 1
have met you before said Mrs. Martin,
advancing. 4 am an American. Before
was married my name was Victoria
W0odhun.'
81 WAS never more taken aback in my
life. The young lady pitied sincerely,
as she seemed so thoroughly abashed. She
retired IN a few minutes. When / left l
was invited TO return and take dinner
some day. After leaving Mrs. Martins
house ! went to see a lady who occupies
a ligh social position in the American
colony and related my adventure. She
was much interested and begged me to
return al some time and take the dinner
% which I was invited telling me that
everybody was eager to hear all about the
family affairs, though no lady cared to
venture into the house,"
The gentleman who married Mrs. Wood
hull was regarded as one of the most eli
gble matches in England. He is young,
very rich, a member of good family and
nney educated. He is quite an athlete,
and during his Oxford career he won the
many cups and medals that adOrn his
house. The banking firm OF Martin a.
Aarlln, Of which he Is member. is the
oldest and most respected in England,
WIN the single exception Of the Coutts
urn with which IL shares the honors. All
tne other bankers used to mix mercantile
speculation with their banking business.
ana we're consequently looked upon as
oeiOnglng TO rather a lower social scale
IMAM the Martins and Couttses. When
young Martin made up his mind to marry
MIs' woodruff there was a social storm
ID London. The young mans mother said
emphatcally that he would never be al
lowed TO marry the woman as long as she
nYeo' so Mr.. Martin, like a dutitul son,
salu nothing more of the engagement until
1 ~ mQthors death, after which he made
MT LIS woodruff his wife.
>, Inc gentleman whom Miss Tennie Olaf
40 mas lust married is a wholesale dealer
~ Ihdla shawls, whose place OF business
a. IN ~. PauPs churchyard. His resi-
Heuce is the Doughty House, Richmond,
oeautliul mansion on a height overlook
.ls me Thames. He also owns the estate
.ual once belonged TO BeckfOrd, at Gin
Ia' opposite Lisbon, in Portugal, which
q. s salu 10 be the most picturesque and de-
05 n. country seat In Europe.
me careers Of the two sisters have been
= Singular as those OF any heroines OF ro-
~ 11eeuee. They were women ofrare ability,
~ - 1le lrmest courage aud OF advanced
-uoas' The elder was born in the year
mnen queen Victoria was crowned, 1888,
~ y. vas immediately made namesake
" lue English sovereign. The father of
tis cnlld was poor settler IN Ohio, who
,s't'llssell had peculiar IDEAS, and who died
~ .is ms daughters were still young.
~ 15nle Claliin was named after the State
~ lenhessee. Her nickname, Tennie,
uu9a,opted as her signature and the other
''A'ie see) she used as an initial. From
r.o.l early childhood the Clafin girls
49, sWritualists. They have ALWAYS
i,1illeu TO have been helped In their stud.
" nen young by spirits.
NJ 9ItNlld was married, while mere
NJ ny il her teens. 90 a DIR. Woodruff, a