The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-01-03
THE BLUE BLOOD is FAozEN.
philadelphia Society Excited Over
News of Marriage.
From the .Ve,c York World

ueUerHllned euorts TO keep 1t quiet, the mar
rage of Mrs. Fl. w. Beckley, the favorite
daughter of the late Thomas A. Scott, mil
honaire and railroad magnate, has become
known. and society, the bluest of blue
flooded society, is aghast. Mrs. Beclxiey
has married one Joseph E. Thropp, has ter
rlbly shocked her stepmother and has set
fashionable Philadelphia by the ears. Mrs.
Beckley is the daughter OF Thomas A.
Scott by his first wife. The one other issue
OF that marriage was James
Patton Scott whose lovely wife
died recently In Paris. Mrs.
Beckley was Miss Minnie Scott, a charmin {
girl and leader among the younger por-
tlon of the Walnu street set She was cul-
tured, agreeable and very general favorite
wherever she Went. Her education was
begun and finished some years ago in an Ill
tra-tashionable school in the suburbs, kept by
a, Miss Thropp, an English lady, who taught
the higher branches Joseph +. Thropp,
a brother Of Miss Thropp, was at that time
employed about the school III the CAPACITY
of general factotum. He was verging on
forty man of or mary parts and seemed
well lifted and well satisfied with his place.
Between Miss Scott and Thropp there
sprang up an attachment At that
time Miss SCOTS father had become
widower, and had married
second time under rather romantic crcum-
stances. His second wife was a Mss Riddle,
OF Plttsburg, woman of culture and re-
tinement, and with a marked clearness and
force of intellect. Several children were
the result of this second union. In 1878,
when banks began to topple all over the
country and the Northern Pacific railroad
met with such terrible disaster, and Jay
Cooke, the fiscal agent of the road, went
down in the crash, Thomas A. Scott was
bankrupt, with liabilities exceeding his
assets by $1,000, 600, He died in 1882 leavs
ing fortune which competent judges esti-
mated at S26, 000 90.
The second Mrs. Scott did not forget her
duty as a wife Solicitors as she was for the
welfare and happiness of her own childeen,
sic was equally anxious for the welfare of
her husbands children by his former wife.
She was aware of the unhappy infatuation
of Minnie Scott, and by indomtable parse-
verance and force of WILL succeeded in
marrying her to Mr. Beckley, then great
society man, and considered most deSir-
able catch. Mr.. Becllley was wealthy. He
moved in the very best circles. His compa-
ny was always sought after at all fashion
able events. He was hon at the exclusive
assemblies, and altogether he was considered
as occupying very high perch on the social
ladder. Mr.. Beckley, however, was of
convivi9l turn This was at first. Conviv-
iality soon turned to something worse, and
he became a very miserable creature. His
married life was an unhappy one and his
bride endured a wretched existence until
death took MIN off Two children were the
issue of this marriage.
Several years before this Thropp, who
had for the time being lost sight of pretty
Miss Scott, married. He had secured
position in the Conshohocken Iron Works.
the President of which is J. B. Moorhead.
one of the most prominent men in the iron
industry in the State of Pennsylvania. He
left his sisters school to begin sorting iron
at Conshohockeu. He was very successful.
By patient, plodding work lie managed to
lift himself little higher and get more
responsible berth. He became acquainted
with Mr.. Moorhead's daughter, and Mr.
MoOrhead's daughter fell in love with him
and married him Five children were the
issue of this marriage, all of whom are
living. immediately after the miserable
husband of Mrs. Beckley had died the de-
meanor of Thropp toward his wife changed
He neglected her utterly Before that time
he had been dutiful and. presumably, a
loving husband. He subjected her to il-treat-
ment continually. He had no money to
support the young wife in the manner
i'll which she had been accustomed to live,
and Mr.. Moorhead supplied the means
whereby they existed The young wites
life with Thropp became so unbearable that
she was obliged, in sheer self-defense to
take her children aud go to her fathers
home. While there she instituted proceed
ings in divorce, alleging cruel and barba-
rous treatment as the ground for separa-
ton. Thropp employed Richard p. White
as counsel and threatened TO create a scan
dial unless the suit was withdrawn and a
more amicable arrangement decided upon.
In the face OF this threat, Mrs. Thropp with
drew her suit, but remained apart from her
husband, who, by agreement, began action
for divorce, alleging deSertion as the cause
The case was heard before an examiner and
the court granted the decree.
Then the strange infatuation of years
ago, between the society bud and the man
of all work, began to show itself more
openly Thropp at once began 20 nav as
siduous attention to Mrs. Beckley. He pro-
posed that they should marry, and the pro-
posal was accepted. Application was made
to Rev. DR.. Mcconnell, rector of St
Stephens Episcopal church, one of the
most fashionable churches of that denom-
mony, but DR.. Mcconnell refused. DIR.
Mcconnell, however, gave the couple a
letter of introduction to Rev. DR.. McIn-
tosh, pastor of the Second Presbyterian
church, another fashionable church, and
the ceremony would in all probability
have been performed there had not
Rev. Dr. Dick, a prominent divine,
who knew all about Thropp, learned OF
what was going on. He Immediately wrote
a letter to DR.. Mcintosh and explained the
case fully DR. McIntoSh peremptorily re-
fused to make Thropp and Mrs Beckley man
and wife. Nothing daunted by these re-
fusals. the couple sought the parsonage of
Rev. Henry G.. McCook and asked him to do
what the others had refused to do. Dr. Nc
Cook is a brother of Gen. Arson McCook,
grim Calvinist, and has strict ideasof doing
things decently and in order. He declined
to solemnize the marriage. After few
hours interval a clergyman, Rev. y. l..
Agnew, of the Bethlehem Presbyterian
church. who knew nothing of the strange
romance, was prevailed upon to tie the knot,
and he did so privately.
Mrs. Scott is terribly upset. She has just
finished the construction of a very magniti-
cent and oddly constructed house on Rltten-
house square, and had contemplated taking
a prominent part once more in the fashion
ment of five years James =. Scott, too,
feels lleenly the step taken by his sister, and
the whole town is agog. When Thomas A.
Scott died he left his daughter Minnie
81 900, and S250,000 in trust for herself
and children.
AMONG the many peculiar marriages in Cam
den, \. J., the latest is that brought 10 light be-
fore Recorder Brader on THURSDAY in the SUIT
against John Walters by his wife for non-sup-
mort Some time ago and prior 10 his marriage
Walters began calling on Miss Emma Smith, the
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