Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1889-02-20
THE REAL BELLE BOYD.
A FAMOUS CONFEDERATE SPY.
THE STORY GA RtMARKBLE CAREER.

THE PLACE OF HER BIRTH-EDUCATED N
| BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD In Federal
Pts ms TWICE SENTENCED TO BE SHOT
Belle Starr, the notorious female OUTLAY
ecently killed in the Iudian Territory, wa
'onfounded by severa! Northern and West
IN papers with Belle Boyd, the famou
Confederate spy. The real Belle Boyd i
till living, and making her home at Greens
,urg, Pa. The following is her story, a.
furnished to correspondent of the Ne
York World, which paper had mixed he'
ip with the Starr woman:
She was born in Msrtinsburg, Berket.
.nunty, now West Virginia, on the 9Th da
{ May, l849. Her mother was Mary Glenn
Boyd, a daughter of Capt. James Glenn,
.rmy officer. Her father was Bepjamu
Read Boyd. of M.rtinsburg. 81 am tina
Belle Beyd,' said she. Il was educated a.
he Mt. Washington Female College, Bait
uore coanty, Md. I had just left schoo
Then war was declared, and entered hear.
md soul into the cause of the Suutb. o.
ny exploits and services to the Co. federa'e
army the country is familiar. During nv
career as the rebel spy was eleven months
: prisoner in the old Capitol aud Carol
prisons at Washington, and twice sentenced
to be shot.
"In May, 1864, ran the blockade with
important dispatches, was captured and
finally banished by President Lincoln.
sailed for England on the 25th day of An
gust, 1854; was married at St. James
Church, Piccadilly. to Lielt. Sam Wylde
Harding, of the United States navy. He
was the son of Capt. Harding, Of Brooklyn.
N. Y. made my debut as an actress al
the THEATRE Royal, Manchester. England
under Walter Montgomery, in May, 1866.
CATER the general amnesty was proclaim
ed by President johnson / returned 10
America and made my first appearance
here, under the management of John P.
Smith. ct Ben De Bars Theatre. St. LOUIS
After starring under his management To-
snme time joined the stock company Of
Bates &C. Miles, at Cincinnati, O., under the
name of Nina Benjamin. Going from there
% Galveston, Texas, for the Greenwal,
Brothers, closed at Houston, as Col Tom
Ochltree will remember. went to Austin.
Texas. with himself, Maj. Malone and Mr..
Derossitte to help put hill through the
celebrated Black-and- Tan Legislature. ]
then went az stock star to Bidwell's Acad,
envy of Music, New Orleans. There, %
che 18th day of March, 1889. / was married
70 Col. johnson Swainston Hammond, by
Rev. DIR. Lescook, of Christ Church, and
left the stage.
MY health was failing and I went with
my husband to California Just previous
to the birth of my little son my mind gave
way aud my child was born in the asylum
for the insane at Stockton, Cal NY boy
was buried there. 1 was Brought to Mount
Hope, near Baltimore, and placed under the
care of Dr.. Stokes. There 1 made rapid
recovery aud was soon discharged.
"W lille i'll I was reported dead. One or
two women endeRvored to personate me-,
hut we're never TO any degree successful.
though causing me much annoyance. Col.
Hammond having accepted position with
Wright, ellis s. Bros, of New York, we
lived for several years in Utica. Here my
da shter Byrdie, now fourteen, was born.
II 1875 we went to ST. Louis, Col. Ham nnd
being with Bennett, Schenck s. Earl. We
returned to Baltimore in 1877, whSre my
daughter Belle was born. We moved to
Phi;adelphia in 1878. My little son Eddie
was born there. We went to Chicago in
1882 and to Dallas, Tex, in Octubar. 1888
CAT Waxahachie a. d Corscsna. Tex IS, a
woman who for some mouths had repre-.
scented herself as Belle Boyd, and was
known in private life as Mrs Murphy, Gre
fer to Col. Clarity, banker, Corsicana,) on
my arrival left the State and went, it is re.
ported. to Cedar Keys, Fla. In Texas
had much trouble. There are private sor.
rows which the world should not demand
Sufficient 10 say that, III November, 1884,
in Dallas l obtained an absolute divorce
from Col. Hammond. and the court gave
me our three children
Son the 9 b of January, 1885, was mar
ried To MAJ. R High. the actor, and a son
of the late Rev. N. r. High, of Toledo.
With Mr.. High l vent on the road, giving
dramatic recitations IN costume. In Feb
ruary, 1896. at the Peoples Theatre, To
ledo, OHIO, uuder the patronage of promi-
nent q A. r. people, gave the first re.
cital If my life as a rebel spy, and scored
an unqualified success. Since then have
lectnred with the G A r throughout tho
Northwest. During this time have lived
i'll Detroit, Mich Davenport, Ia and Par.
kersburg, ". Va.
"My first lecture in the South was given
in the Academy of Music, Norfolk, on the
18tb day of May last, for the beuetit OF tue
Pickett Buchanan Camp of Confederate
Veterans. have in my possession letter,
wirh the ficisl seal of the camp attached,
fully Identifying me, and l now refer 70
them. / made last summer tour of Vr-
ginia ard he Luray and Shenandoah Val
leys, and arrived IN Huntington, W. Va,
last August, TO attend lhe democratic cuu
Ventiou. | came iGto Pana>yi gauia last
November, after the election, and have
been and am now occurring with G A. r.
posts, under the management Of my hus-
band make my headquarters at Green's
burg, Pa.
''On these facts, l stand and subscribe
myself Belle Boyd Hammond High Belle
Boyd, the rebel spy You viii notice do
not speak of my eldest daughter, Grace, BY
Lieut.. Harding, as she is dead to the fami-
iy."
BELLE sTARE's ROMANCE.
A Chetopa (Kan.) dispatch says: "It ap-
pears after all that Cole Younger was not