Arizona weekly citizen., 1885-02-21
BOOTS ROMANCE.
A Mental Wreck from Unrequited Love
 for Jenny Lind.

Tor jenny Isintl-
 lPoughkeepse NewsPres
 To see Boots Van Steenburg. as he is called, with unkempt hair flying in the wind and his unshaven face dccked. in a suit of red. white and blue. with long streamers of all cOlOrs attached Co his clothing. and a weather beaten straw hat deckcd with ribbons, and asking penny of each one he meets. as he wanders from place to place in che Hudson valley, one would not think that a tender passion ever thrilled hIs rough breast. maiden glance had ever opened his sigh-vaiye,. or drew forth one impassiOned utterance of love. And yet it was no less a parsonage than the nightingale of song. Jenny Lind. who for q while listened tO the man avOwals of undying affection only to tell him in the end that he loved in vain. and made him a mental wreck. his life dreary waste.
 X gentleman who knows of the incident related the following tO a reporter: Boots, as he is called. was an attractive young man. the idolized son Of lstcr county parents. who never siintcd him with money. He chanCed to be in New York when Jenny Lind created furOre in the musical world and went Co hear her. lie was smitten with her charms. sought an introduction. fell madly in love. and night after night sat in front of the footlights 10 applaud the sOngstresS. He poured costly presents into her lap. and the story goes that so. OOO would not cover the cost of them There is no doubt that his suit was encouraged; but she discarded him lie followed the song stress frOm place to place in a vain en- deavOr Co renew his suit, until his reason was partially destroyed
 since then he has lived the life of wild man in the woods near Kingston. Oc- casiOnally making a trip up the Hudson 10 collect funds to start a bank His col lectiOns in all these years have been large. but what ne has dCne with the money no body knows Cr can ascertain. Some years ago l called at his place and found an old diary and in it were words some thing likes these: Jenny may not be beautiful, but 4 love 10 look upon her face. and when she appeared upon the 6 age l stood until the great storm of ap- plause had subsided l was jealous. he cause she seemed Co desire ever, one Co have the pleasure of SC ing her But then suppose she thought the people had paid 10 zee her. and didn't want anyone tO be cheated. Her turning her head first tO the left and then tO the right was but the arueSs manifestation Of simple and beau tiful character. On another leaf of the diary were these words: And that song bird sang of summer coming night Was it truey' Beneath these words were: - Diamond ornaments and point-lace fan competed her royal costume
 Boots has always been perfectly harmless. and the boys in Kingston ald other places never jC-f him as he makes his rounds. This queer mortal visits the city twice year O. deliver pat.iH'iC speeches and collect money. His usual speaking place are the court house steps and the opera house stepping block His stereotypcd eech. fami far Co many. gOes something like this ~Three cheers ! for George Washington and he great 1 American eagle. ami the goose hangs | high,@ He invariably closes his speech l with a song so disconnected that the l TOrds cannot be caught