Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1886-08-16
rILpEN,s LOVE STORY.

Sage OF Grey was no
vealed by His VILLA Southern
Beauty.
Away down near the end Of the legal
cies In Mr.. Tilden's will Is one Of the
interest on 500 coo to Miss Celeste
Staufter of New Orleans. There are .
good many society people In New York
who know Miss Stauffer, but few know
or can understand why Mr.. Tilden
should rememb Der her In his will. The
story 10 a romantic one, and tells Of the
love of the aged statesman for young,
hand some and bril- liant woman. AM
intimate friend Of the Stauffer family
who is now in New York expresses
himself Is confident that Mr.. T.lden at
one time seriously contemplated matri- |
mony and was suitor for Miss Stanf
fer's hand.
1t was soon after the explosion of the
story that the Sage Of Greystone ives
engaged to be married TO Miss Nellie
Hszeltine Of st. Louis, that he met the |
charming young lady from New Or-|
leans. Miss Hazeltins was blonde,
with rich red golden hair. Miss
S'auffer Ia between q brunette and al
blone of that type styled in New Or.
leans chataigne. Miss Hazeltine, who
reigned as the belle OF 6t. Louis until
she married young Mr.. Parramore, 10
now dead. Miss Stauffer is with her
family in Europe.
The New York Star says: SIN 1880 or
1881 Mr.. Tilden met Miss Mary Celeste
8 auffsr and Immediately fell in love-
with her. Mr.. Isaac Stauffer, her
father, 10 the senior partner of the firm
of Stsuffer, Macready & Co., the largest
| hard ware establishment in New Or
| I nd ri in fha Gnnth Hal
comes of an old Pennsylvania Dutch
family, and still owns q farm near
York, Pa His eldest daughter, Alice,
m arried Henry Preston, of the -four
| firn OF Howard & Preston, also Of New
Orleans Miss Celeste Ia the youngest
of four children, two Of whom are sons.
Every summer the family leave New
Orleans for q trip East or 10 Europe,
AID they are usually the first of that
hsgira Of Southern society which anr u
ally seeks comfort and social inter-
C Jufse away from the baking brick
pave ments of the Crescent City. Most
o. the time they spend at Richfield
Springs, occasionally visiting Saratoga
or Long Branch. Last summer they
spent short time at Lenox, Mass. For
three years they lifted at Gre, stone,
on Mr.. Tilden's invitation. In the
summer of 1882 the Stauffers remained
at Long Branch fer o time, occupying
one Of the cottages attached to the West
End Hotel.
mo better illustration of the inhu-
tnce that the Southern beauty exeited
over Mr.. Tilden can be given than an
episode which occurred during her visit
q Grey,t tone three years ago. 1nci1en-
tally, perhaps, she related to Mr.. Tilden
the melancholy history Of one of her
schoolmates, whose father lost his for
tune by the war, and with 1t vanished
, the social prestige of his daughter. The
livelihood In the limited sphere Of oc.
, cupation affordt d In New Orleans to re-
| spectacle young women. For q time
she succeeded, and then her health
broke down and she suffered poverty
!, rather than seek assistance from hei
wealthy friends Of the past. Mr.. Tilder
: | was interested In the character of Mis-
, I Stauffer's early classmate, and at nj
solicitation from that lady sent to thu
3 heroic maiden q certified check fol
! SO. 600.
r, every week from Mr.. Tilden a lopl
J letter. Considering TINT they wer
not under promise of marriage. thi
correspondence, whatever its them
might have been, was sufficiently re
a markable without Mr.. Tilden's maxim
It almost historical by the eceentricit
! Of Its delivery. He would net trost tn
+ postal service. Nor would he condo
u scend to hire an ordinary messenger
l. On the stipulated days gentleman
social standing such as permitted tn
!. confidence Of the aged statesman receiy
C cd from his own hands the missivt
r with the INDUCTION to surrender 1t onl
. . to the fair copsignee personally. a
I the cottage of the Staufers this arlstt
a cratic Mercury WAS received with tbs
s fo:mality his courtly bearing SCENE
y to demand, and ushered into the recel
n t!on roc m. If Miss Staufier WAS not 8
"a he me, he would call again when 81
Il was Notinfrtquent!y,o on returning
5, Gramercy Park or Greystone, he car
. ried to the Democratic sage a mysteri
!, Qua reply TO his letter of friendship.
4 miss Staufier's character Is that
l. an ambitious, highly intellectual VI
n man, who saw in q marriage with Nj
8 Tildep all the possibilities of being IL
~ ~ first lady in the land. Her frequent Ell
r. Joy ment of the Inequalities OF Gre,
" stone was not SO much triumph fo
" her alone, as Mr.. Tilden loved to hay
!, the sombre chateau beauti6ed with tt
"a presence of young womanhood. H,
u manners, CONVEX sation and insoucial
It, grace and airs, acquired from the NJ
g. tive Creoles of New Orleans, fascinatt
ths Old man. She seemed to be yer
fond of Mr.. Tilden, and anticipated b
every wish, even in the most trivial al
I'd tentions at the table or In the presen'
of q social gathering. Her glorio'
b ply sique display cd on horseback wi
the object of Mr.. Tilden's undisRuist
admiration. She is an intrepid and o.
3. complished equestrienne Miss Stauffsr
greatestl art for the eDchantment
3. men, both young and old, lay in b
3. cor versational powers. She could to
with wonderful understanding upt
2. any subject, from the smallest OF sma
IL talk to the most recent theories
philosophy and science.
at 10 gossip in New Orleans th
"a Miss Stauffer discarded the best mat
- in all the South to hazard a maria
a. with Mr.. Tilden. Young Krnttsnitc
In: the nephew Of Judah T. Benjami
to-day the pride Of the Louisiana b
al and o bachelor. His devotion to t
heiress of Isaac Stauffer's millions "
q not inspired by mercenary motives,
his wealth, both from inheritance and
lucrative practice, is ample.
"'Don't you think there Is II
'm chord in my life somewhere? she lauG
u, ingly asked him one night on the pisz
ay of her fathers house. 1t was moo
IL LIGHT. and Mr.. Kruttsnitoh made q
ng ioinder, fitting the occasion. We'll, y
ne are very kind she said, but am goi
cd to the North to find it, and the ne
'k, Aay oh q loft for Grava atom q,