The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-12-10
: - - ---
JIMMIE.
yaps. L. Rue's tetty Cracker Girl and Her Re-
fnarkable Career.
from the Atlantic Constitution.

army dashed into Blankville, at the
head OF a party of raiders, one fine
summer morning, his first impulse was
10 swear and his second was to laugh.
Being a versatile young fellow OF in
Unite resources he did both The
tired troopers saw at a glance that
there was nothing in this little north
Georgia mountain village. OF the
forty or fifty houses struggling around
the public square, not more than a
dozen were occupied. The majority
OF the inhabitants had fled to the
mountains.
"You, jimmie! You, Jinnie!" shouted
an old woman who had her head poked
out of her cabin window.
Capt. La Rue languidly turned his
head, and then look OF keen interest
flashed from his bold black eyes. "Jin-
ME is worth looking at" said the
young officer, after a critical survey of
the young figure swinging on the gate
jimmie had never seen any federal
before. and in her anxiety
to get a good view she unconsciousiy
perched herself upon the gate in a po-
sition which showed off to the best
advantage.
Look at that pretty cracker GIRL"
said q big fellow as herattled his sabre
to attract Jinnie's attention.
The girl was evidently not more
than sixteen. Divinely tall and di.
vinely fair, her lissome figure revealed
every line and curve OF its graceful
contour through the soft, clinging
drapery in which she was attired, and
which seemed to be q part OF her.
unde, her rustic hat was a perfect
face. Her complexion VIZ dazzling
and contrasted well with the scarlet
thread running through her lips, and
with her shy eyes OF blush gray Her
hair was 81 glory in itself. 1t rolled
down her shoulders like flood ofmolt-
en- gold.
"such girl" muttpred Capt. La
Rue, "has no business here Ii / am
notvery much mistaken there Is troub-
lie in store for her."
The raiders searched the house and
stole everything worth carrying off.
They burned theunoccupiedd dwellings,
and spent the day Ill making the vii
layers miserable. The captain did not
find the time hanging very heavily on
his hands. He made his headquarters
at the house occupied by jimmie and
her mother, and his appearance was
so warlike that the old woman busted
herself in the kitchen, leaving her
daughter to keep the self-invited guest
under surveillance. 1t was long after
before the troopers rode out
OF town on their way back to the main
body of the army. How it came
about was never fully explained, but
the captains spirited charger carried
a double burden, and one OF the riders
looked wondrously like Jimmie!
Among the Americans who did val
liant servicein Maximilian's army, att
er our war was over, was Capt. La
Rue. The captain had a wife who
was the toast OF all Mexico, from the
capital city to the Rio Grande. In
the American colony there werestrange
rumors about this beautiful woman.
1t was said that she looked like an
angel and acted like u shede There
We're queer stones, too, about her
early life. 1t was whispered that La
hue picked her up with a lot of other
plunder III u mountain town in Geor-
sla, just for a lark, but it turned out
a serious business. 1t seems that the
girl took it into her head to fall in
love with him, ann she made life
burden to him until he married her
and took her to Mexico.
La Rue was killed along with Prince
Salm-Salm, and when the princes wild
ow sailed for Europe, Mrs. La Rue
went with her. Almost anything can
be done with a girl, provided she ia
caught young. A year or two more
i'll that bleak and poverty-stricken
mountain hamlet would have turned
jimmie into q commonplace young
woman. AS it was she was thrown
into a strange circle just at the time
when she was feverishly eager to imi
tate those who were above her in the
social scale. She stripped off the pro.
vincial husk that enveloped her. She
studied men, women, costumes, man.
ners, newspapers, theaters, everything
that could throw light upon the great
mystery called society. For such
woman to learn to talk wellin French
and Spanish, as well as in her own
tongue, was o small matter With
her beauty and the subtle witchery oil
her magnetism, what wonder is it
that Eugene La Rue was soon anathe-
matized by all the prudes in Parlsi
1t was some time in 1870 that a
certain claim became the talk of hotel
circles in Washington. The claimant,
charming woman, swore that she
was q unionist, and that Sherman's
raiders had destroyed something over
q hundred thousand dollars worth OF
her property in north Georgia. She
was backed up by a few decayed Fed
aral veterans, who advocated her
cause. She had quite an array OF re-
eeipts and aftidavits, but the case look
I'd doubtful from the first. Finally
rom her native town during the wax
there was startling expose. 1t was
shown that she was almost pauper
lad never lost any property, and had
sloped with cavalry officer named
La Rue.
The adventures left Washington
liter this exposure, but in few years
she was back there again in the role
of lobbyist. Her costumes were gor
'eous, her equipage resplendent and
Ter little wine suppers were voted de-
lghtfully dangerous. In the long run,
aowever, the lobbying business failed.
Wen were afraid to have dealings with
he La Rue woman, and she disap-
,eared.
Such career always tends down
ward. A few years ago Mrs. La Rue
married a rich old man. He died in
| short. time and she lost his fortune
n Wall street. Then thegreedy, grasp
ng adventures struck out bllndly !r
very direction. She was wanted IN
me city for swindling and in another
or matchmaking. Society everywhere
eagued itself against her.
A few days ago Philadelphia court
brew out suit brought by this won
N against ~ weak old man who
Lad nlaced himself in her power.