Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1888-02-07
lallg press aua 9akotaiaa
MRS. WiIHsRBEE,s MA.

MRS. WiTHt RBEE'S MA.
Bits of Family History ConcerDing the
Central Figure of the Lnts BIS
marck Sensation.
Chicago, Feb. Mrs. Witbelbee.
whose escapade at Bismarck, ID. r.:
with Judge Maekey, of Washington,
was the cause OF such o sensation @ few
weeks ago, has been quoted in q New
York speeiBl al suylDR that b never
looked upon her mothers face, and that
her mother bad connived with Mr.
| Withefbee to secnre q divorce, and
other such stories. A reporter visited
Mrs. George s, Butterfield. the mother of
Mira, Withetbee, at her residence, No.
1922 Wabash avenue, last evening. Mrs.
! Butterfisid is "a we'll preserved woman of
little more than 40 Years of age. Her
hair is auburn, and her blue eyes have
the brightness of youth. She is as
vivacious as q girl.
II want you to understand" Mrs.
Butterfield exclaimed, "thst my daugh-
ter discisimed me % her mother, that
she has said that she never looked upon
my face, and that she has seen me and
my crippled son-the ouly relation she
has under the sun-suffer for necessaries
when she had 40 whim which was not
satisfied. In her persecution of me my
daughter has even zone SO far as to
charge that her birth was illegitimate.
l think she ID insane. / cannot account
for her conduct in any other way that
would be SO charitable. She wat spoiled
when she was D mere child aud turned
against me. l attribute it all to the
people who heard her sing when sha was
a little girl. "a. Lee Borden in his efforts
to make her his child and protege took
her to Judge Raustead. of Eigin, aud
asked him to prepare the paper that
were necessary for the adoption. The
Judge had done this duty when Marie
passed from my custody, and he told
Borden nothing could be done; tibet
the girl was then too old to be adopted.
That made Borden angry, and with an
oath be declared he would give her all
the money she wanted, and hat no one
could take it from her. He gave her
SIC. 900 and sent her abroad to school,
How came you to adopt y"ur child
to the Dunl8p's, Mrs. Batterield 2" In
CURED the reporter.
Because OF the abuse my mother
heaped upon me," h replied. when
my babe was s months old I hadn't q
crust OF bread nor where to sleep. My
mother had dlsowned me, and while she
was rich l suffered"
"Do You care to tell why your mother
disowned youS'
because she was q Catholic anG
would not be %reconciled to my matrirgt
to @ protestsnt-the father of my Marie.'
"Then you were married to her father
and her birth was proper 2"
Yes; We we're married at Goshen
Ind, September 10, 1861, by e. q. Cham
berlain. My maiden name was Mar,
Il. Hads; my husbands lame was Jonr
MCCARTHY. Having no way OF sustaining
my child l gave it into the care OF thu
Dunlaps and then came to chicago
whereI obtained employ ment OF State
and Quincy streets, where actors stop
sd. tHaEhsy ttot,kk me init th5 psFioTE On
evening and l sang a song. John Wilke
Booth was present, and when b,
heard me sing he set about to pu
me on the stage. began my PRO
fessional life three days later. Fo
seven years l was a popular singer
known at first as Leona Lewis an,
afterwards Leona Queen. Ii was I VIII
closed Milwaukee operashouse for ma,
salary IN 1868 or "a, the money to NEE
my claim being provided by the editc
of the Milwaukee Seminal. When m
voice broke down / quit the stage an,
a married MI. Buttertield, with whom
have since resided. Justice Burret
%oficiated. 1t was at Elgin, Novembe
IL, 1867.
he was q painter and [ was poor.
had given all the money I had saved t
the Dnnieps or to Marie in presents
and they seemed SO fond of her tina
when she was Z years old we let ther
: make her their child Then the treuhl
between my child and / began. Mr.
Dunlap was jealous OF mt and tried {
poison Marie against her father-m,
husband. Gifts | made to Marie
found the Dunlaps used, especial,
. jewelry, and when I complained opel
hostilities began.
"Now. my daughter charges that
am trying to separate her and her bus
band. 1t is false. I think he is o GOO
man, and would like for her to remail
his wife. She is running about til
country claiming kinship with othe
people lin her journeys with Judg
MRckey Mrs. Witherbee claims TO be hi
niece when she knows the only rela
sions she has in the world are me an
my one-armed boy--that helpless chill
a who Is to-day known for that same loy
for music which has destroyed Marie.
"How do You account for Marie no
declaring that you were not pEoperl
married to John MCCARTHY &.
~ cannot account for it. In tina
pension matter ] have suffered a grea
deal. After / had my case made OF
and fled ct Washington I received o le
a ter bearing the entry, which referred {
' Marie and me: Bounty and claiI
allowed; widows claim thrown out O
0 account OF improper person." / don
know who got that bounty. new.