The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1890-06-06
WOODRUFF AND CLAFTLIH.

Some Interesting Anecdotss OF the Famous
Sisters-victoria's H~eart-Tonnis and the
Commodore.
The arrival OF the Woodruff Cla6in sis
ters in New York, accompanied BY their
English husbands, Mr.. John Biddulph
Martin and Sir Frederick Cooke, has
thrown . good many people into their -an-
ecdotage." Th.ss women, who left . very
queer reputation behind them and have re-
tuin'd with a notably good n from the
land Of their adoption, have awakened
many "reminiscences, IN the minds OF
those who observed them twenty years
ago when they were such conspicuous fg-
uree in the public view.
for some time from DR.. Woodruff, the
husband vhom she had been forced to
marry when barely Is years old. He had
filled up the measure of his sins against
his young wife by locking her into an
empty house in Broad street, where for
twenty four hours she lay helpless and
alone With a newborn child beside her,
While he was off on q ten-days debauch.
He staggered home at the end of That time
and would have. then found his wife and
baby dead but for the kindness of strangers
in the adjoining house, who. hearing a
faint, continual rapping on the wall
between, penetrated to the closed house
by way of the cellar gratil G and rescued
the sick women.
The younger sister, Tennie G.. Clafin,
was a pretty girl who knew enough to
take care OF herself" according to a hoary
broker, who was doubtless in . position to
know. She was an artist of cons ;delnble
ability, and In those days painted q por-
trait Of Commodore Vanderbilt, which was
by the way q very good likeness. The sit
ting took place at the old gentleman's
house. he was exceedingly fond of the
bright, pretty little artist, with her short,
curly crop Of hair, her piquante face and
chirpy, CHEEKY ways and would often say:
Come here, you little sparrow, and
perch on my finger" Then when she ran
to him, the tall old mar would catch her
up and giving her q kiss send her back to
her easel. The c~ommodore's wife was
Clafin, of whom she invariably said,
There is no harm in the child, of that I
am sure!"
By and by, when the sisters were edit
ing their paper, with the assistance Of
Colonel Blood, they took a house on o
street somewhere in the thirties. Next
door lived two elderly ladies, relatives Of
the late DR.. Morgan, of St. Thomas's
church. They were the quientessence of
high-bred responsibility and conserva-
tism, and when they learned who were
about to become their neighbors despai,
settled darby upon their household. Thei,
impulse was to sell out and move. AS
time went on, however, they found moth
ing to complain of, and were in no way
disturbed. In the warm, late spring days,
looking through their bowed shutters into
the Woodruff back yard, they espied 6
hammock swung across the little grass
plot, to which, day after day, whenever
the weather was fine, a miserable palsied
man was tenderly led by Victoria Wood.
hull, then a tall, stately young woman.
She would prop him with pillows, cove,
him with rugs, read aloud to him, and
even feed him, as he was too feeble to per.
form that Office for himself.
The good ladies next door found their
curiosity presently unbearable, so they in
structed theiS s%ervaLt, during an area-door
seanco with the next door, to find out who
the man was. In this way they learned
that the invalid was DR.. Woodruff. One
rainy night Mrs. Woodruff had come in
from down town drenched. The kitchen
and she went to the range to warm herself.
While there the basement bell rang
and o wretched, trembling man
begged for food. An impulse of
pity led her to 60 forward to the poor
Creature, in whom she at ohce recognized
her husband. His troubles were at an end
from that instant. The injured wife put
away the memory Of her wrongs, nursed
him as long as lie lived, and gave him a
good send of" when be was dead.
Ever after IN speaking of their neighbor
these worthy DANES said:
1--WE can never believe anything bad Of
that woman after the saint-like way sh'
nursed that dreadful sinner of q husban,
of ner's."-Neu York World.