Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-10-17
BLANCH'S SAD STORY,
rae POOR oRoANisr WITH WHOM
sAs ELopep DIES M A HOSPITAL.
as>,.ss the Wishes Of EAri GAiashorough
the Tssssssd Gsr' Accepted
Poverty and Exile.
Nov YORK Herald,

~.
borough, one Of England's proudcst
peers, 70 forsake her eminent social sta
ton, a luxuriant home in Rutiandshirc,
loving relatives and warm friends to
elopc with Thomas p. Murphy. the pen
piless oryanist OF her fathers chapel.
She died in a foreign land. and the
husband. for whom she sacrificed every
thing, brea,hed his last in Boston hos
pital last Sunday.
Murphy was BON in London, OF Irish
parents, and was leit an orphan at ea
early age. He WA cared for by
Catholic clergymen, through whom he
became the protege OF wealthy Catho-
Tic dowager in London. She sent him
10 Jeipsic 70 begin ut the root OF his
art. and later had him schooled in the
famous conservatory of music In Bias
sels.
HOW MURPHY BEGAN.
There he was graduated with honor.
Sir Arthur Sullivan being one OF bus
classmates and Rossini one OF the ex-
aiming committee.
The Dowager and Murphys old
friends. the priests, had him appointed
organist at the Church of brompton
Ora.orv. tho most influential place Of
Catholic worship in London. The or
can was built for the coronation OF
George III. and was old-:ashloned, aud
Murphy soon found that he was not
strong enough TO perform upon Il. as
il was running his health he resolved TO
resign.
: AT that time the Brompton Fathers re-
ccived three applications for orgsnists.
One came from the Earl of kenmsre,
the second from the Bishop OF Ardargh,
and the third from Lord Gsinsborough.
Murphy was given his choice, and Sc
iected the position in England for the
reason that il was nearer home. lie
was then about twenty years old, short
in stature, slender. blue-eyed, and with
poll OF curling blonde hair HIS IN
felleciual attachments were not hume
rous. his whole time having been devoted
10 the study of music.
Lady Blanche was the daughter OF
Lord Gainsborough and the Duchess OF
Fife and was the seventeenth grand
daughter of the Earl of Enrol. She was
n highly cultivated woman. fne I'm
ou;st. and a skilled musician. When
Young Murphy came to her father
estate lHuxam Hall, Rutlandshire, she
was twenty-four years old. Her figure
was petite, her eyes were blue, and her
hair golden
MANY noblemen had paid court TO her,
tnt she was fancy free. She had led the
chapel-choir, composed of tenants on her
fathers estate. Rehearsals gave the
musician and his employers fair daugh-
ter ample opportunities for tiirtations
that ended in love-makiGg. They con-
cealed their affection for months, until
her father learned the true state OF affairs
and intimated to Murphy that hls re-
sienation would be acceptable.
Murphy wanted TO explain, but was
politely ushered to the family carriage
and driven TO the nearest reilway-station,
2 and went TO London. Before long the
lovers began conducting clandessine
correspondence that finally resulted IN
the making O! n rendezvous III London.
LEFT HOME IN A HoUsEMAID's FRocK.
l., September, on the Earl Of Gains
borough's estate, the annual harvest fes-
tiyal was celebrated with wine and was
sail and he sat at the table for hours
with his tenants and neighbors. Lady
Blanche had shrewdly fixed on this time
of festivity to fly to her sweetheart IN
London.
She left her home attired in house
maids frock and cloak, walked three
miles across the fields to the railway sta
ton. and few hours later joined Mr-
ply in London.
Lady Blanche's disappearance was dis
covered. but her fathers loyalty to Gus
tom kept him at the head of the banquet
table until midnight, when he sent teie-
grams fying from Wexham to the Lon
don detectives.
The lovers were found on the eve OF
their marriage. and the Earl offered the
organist a handsome annuity If he would
leave her Ladyship and 60 to the Con
tinent.
This offer Murphy declined, and his
wife told her father that if her affianced
had consented she would have entered
convent.
They we're then married by Catholic
priest Of Westminster diocese. Lady
Ranches father held in trust for hi
daughter several thousand pounds, be
uueathed TO her by an aunt, but she wa
too proud to ask for 1t.
London newspapers were filled witt
serious and semi-humorous stories of tn
elopement, and TO escape this humilia
ton husband and wife sailed in tn
steerage of the ship Plymouth Rock +
New York. The captain of the vessel
generous Yankee, insisted on bringing
them over in the cabin without extr
cost
They reached the city penniless an
for several weeks were on the verge {
starvation. Then through the intiuenc
of some Catholic clergymen Murphy wa
made organst at ST James church, an
later secured O better position at tn
Church of the Holy lnnocents-
Over the signature of Lady Blanch
Murphy the wife wrote innumerable ste
ries sketches. and serious articles 10
Mppincoh's Magazine, the GALAXY, an
the Catholic World and Tablet dc
husbands income was increased throug
the generosity of Boss" Tweed, VIII
made him a twenty. fifth building-ir
spector or something Of that kind, fo
which he drew salary without work.
Tweed aud his associates fell and wit
them went Murphy, who became organ
list OF q church in Yorkville. Lady Mul
ply in her hours of direst need woul
not ask the Earl for money in the hop
that he would forgive her husband an
herself.
THE BoSD-BRoKER
Agents Of Barring Brothers, in this cit,
frequently notified her to draw on h,
father through them. Poverty and sicl
ness finally broke her spirit, and fi'
years after her marriage she acceptt
several thousand dollars, with which 81
bought a farm near North Conwa
n. ii.
They settled there and discovert
that the pastor OF the church in whiS
Murphy was to be organist was NJ
Noel, relative Of her family. ID
Inva for has l,,.lapI and father nav,