Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-11-21
AMERICAN ADvENTUREssEs.


every hand. Intelligent farming is Dig
nifed living"
AMERICAN ADvENTURESsES
Beautiful Women Whose Careers Have
Been a Scandal in Europe.
Women sprung from families where
every member in their own and the pre-
ceding generation have been far above re-
proach have spurned all the traditions of
their race and have trodden the paths of
evil with answering feet, says Paris let
ter In the Philadelphia Press.
Take for instance the case of the all
notorious Mrs. Blackford, whose career
added more than one chapter to the annals
of European scandal. She was born of a
highly respectable family of Pennsylvania,
her father having been a Presbyterian
clergyman of high standing. She was re-
lated to several prominent and celebrated
persOnages of her native state. She was
possessed of exquisite beauty and almost
irresistible fascination. One of the lead
ing lawyers of Philadelphia who had
charge of her affairs after the death of her
husband, related to the writer the follow
ing story, which depicts this woman, and
others of her class, better than whole
pages of analysis and description could
do:
After the settling up of the deceased Mr..
Blackford s estate only d few thousand dol
lars remained for his widow and her little
girl, Now, Mrs. Blackboard, - quoth her
legal adviser, you are a young and very
beautiful woman. Go to Washington and
engage a handsome suite of rooms and en-
terrain elegantly. There are so many
wealthy men attracted to Washington dur
ing the session of congress that you will
have no difficulty In winning rich hus-
band. In language too coarse and too
vile to admit OF transcription here his love-
ly client announced her determination of
devoting herself to a life of wickedness
She came to Europe and she fulfilled her
intent
In this most famous of her infamous
class there was no trace of the false senti-
mentality that lures honest women to weep
over the woes of LA Dame aux Camelias. :"
She knew neither shame nor repentance
nor even the holy instinct that often fingers
In the hearts Of women otherwise wholly
depraved, namely, that of maternal love-
There was no reason whatever for her en-
trance upon the path that leadeth unto per-
dition. In contemplating the career and
the character of such a creature one is
tempted to believe in the old legends of in
fants changed in their cradles by the fair
les who took away the human child and
left an unnatural imp in its stead.
Another instance well known to Ameri-
can residents in Europe, is that of beauti-
full Woman who came thither from the
United States ostensibly to study music.
She was past the age of girlhood. She
sc +,l,l L. e.
She was In command of an income sufficient
for all her wants, and she was placed I'M
der the chaperonage of a well-known
American family living In the city in
which she was to pursue her studies.
temptation, she hurled herself headlong
into the ranks of the demi-monde. Her
career made more than one European city
ford she scorned hypocrisy, and openly
announced her intention of living as she
liked and doing what she pleased Her
still brilliant but no largely artificial beauty
occasionally attracts the glance of her for
mer friends. They knew their fair country
woman in the days of her modest and I'M
assuming manners and mode of existence
in past years. Now, like Dante in his pill
grimage through the Inferno, they can
but look on her and then pass on. She
has no need of help OF pity. She leads
very gay life, dresses superbly, and boasts
openly of the Injuries and influence that
she enjoys.
Mrs. Blackford died of drink when she
was a little over 40. The notorious Mrs.
Beecher, who fed from the United States
after trying to shoot former lover, did
indeed achieve marriage with a titled
European. But she was since mysteriously
disappeared and no one knows what has
become of her.
The beautiful and gifted young American
prlma donna, who went some years ago to
sing In Russia and who became the mis-
tress of the heir to an aristocratic family,
returned to Paris and died here of typhoid
fever soon after the birth of her infant A
terrible and tragic incident marked the
catastrophe of her brief, erring life. The
physician called in to attend her telegraph
ed, to her mother in America as soon as
the case assumed a hopeless form. The
poor old lady reached Paris only few
hours after her unhappy child had expired.
She knew nothing of her wrong-doing and
believed her to be still the fair, innocent
girl that had left her some few years be-
fore The nurse. thinking that the young
mother had been a married woman,
brought as consolation the little infant
to the aged woman. The wretched and
bereaved parent realized the situation at
glance and fell fainting to the floor.
The late Nine. Musare was one of the
few American women In Europe that
closed a life of wrong-doing in splendor and
luxury Up to the last the gorgeousness
of her hotel, and her dresses, and Jewels,
were the talk of Paris The sale of the
latter attracted crowds to the Hotel Drouot
for week. The whole of the two prin-
cipal rooms in that great auction mart was
lined with showcases, where sparkled this
dazzling collection, fortune in itself. be-
ginning with the Empress Eugene 5
bridal necklace of large pearls and going
down to hand-mirror and glove-buttoners
set with gems. But she was neither we'll
born nor well-bred. She began life as a
dish-washer and stair-scrubber at hotel
In Boston She closed it In madhouse,
her once lovely face distorted by a stroke
of facial paralysis which had caused the
permanent closing of one of her eyes sew
eral years before. Yet, inasmuch as she
died neither poor nor forsaken, her end
may be considered as more fortunate than
most of those of her countrywomen who
have ocnuDiai q similar nosition