The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1890-04-19
BELLE Y CAREER
Tho Adventurous Life of a Highly
Educated Young Woman.
Thrilling incidents which Have Made Her
Name Famous In southern History
Her matrimonial Experience
Dime-SovcI Itomanticism.

Her matrimonial Experience
Dime-SoveI IRomanticism.
The reported killing of "Belle Boyd,
the famous Confederate spy, In tho
Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory, some
time since, recalls to tho mind of every
S~outhcrncr the daring deeds and thrill
ing incidents which made the woman
renowned, says the savannah (Ga.)
Ncws.
Daniel Il. Kahnweiler, lato of Kahn
weiler Brothers, cotton merchants of
Wilmington, N. G., related many Incl
donts occurring in Wilmington, whore
Belle Boyd made her headquarters for
q considerable timO. Mr.. K~ahnweiler
was personally acquainted with the
famous woman. She was born In Mar
tinsburg, w. Va, I'm 1916, and lived
there until 1861. Her father was a
merchant; her mother a handsome
woman Of good family.
The girls associations wore excel
lont. Sho was not a pretty woman, but
sho attracted by her dashing and fear
loss manner. She rode In mems clothes
az often AZ she did in her W dress.
As Martinsburg, Va, the place OF her
birth, was most OF the time within tho
Union lines, Belle Royd's secret serv-
ice proved invaluable to tho Southern
commanders. Her first work as a spy
was during a visit to the neighboring
town of Winchester after war was de-
clared. The dashing horsewoman
heard of Federal movements which
threatened her 'beloved South" as she
Familiarity called 1t, and she calamity
rodo by night to Stonewall Jackson's
headquarters and told him what sho
knew. From that timo she was attached
to Jackson's brigade. II rode across
tho battlefield of Port Royal and carried
jackson dispatches which sent him in
pursuit of Banks. Sho had already be-
como tho pet and pride Of tho army.
One time when the late Jefferson
Davis wanted some worthy person to
carry sOmo important document to
Great Britain, the young woman ap-
piled at tho Confederate Presidents
headquarters and volunteered her sery-
ices. 1t Is said that the President hes-
tated, doubling her ability, until she
produced letters of recommendation
from Stonewall Jackson. President
Davis then armed her with the docu-
| IlenJ, 10 utllNtE III Ill nlLdTuS-
Tho young woman wcnt to Whining
ton to start on the voyage. Tho steamer
Greyhound was to leave In u few days
for Nassau, and she secured passage on
1t. Tho steamer carried no p~assongers,
but tho spy succeeded In getting aboard
and went out to sea with the crew,
leaving Wilmington harbor on tho night
OF May o, 1864. The vessel ran
smoothly, with good winds and
wenther, until late tho following day,
when an Incident happened To the On
CINE. The vessel sprang a leak and be-
gan TO fill. The captain ordered the
freight upon deck to DO heaved over
board. 1t consisted OF thirty bags Of
gold and l,200 bales of cotton belonging
to Kahnweiler Bros, consigned to q Mas
snu firm. When tho money was brought
on deck every body filled his pockets
full and the balance was thrown into
tho sea. Before the vessel was emptied
of It's freight the steamer Massachu-
sets ran tho Greyhound down and took
the cotton and imprisoned the crow.
President Lincoln ordered all OF the
prisoners court-martialcd and shot, but
aftcrward, through the influence of
Lieutenant Harding, committed. the
punishment OF Belle Boyd to banIsb-
ment. She soon after crossed To Lon
don and created a great sensation when
she married her captor, Lieutenant
Harding, who followed her over. They
were married August 25, 1854. The
Lieutenant lived only u few months,
and after n brief experience on tho stage
In England Belle Boyd returned to
America or tho steamship Africa. and,
tho war over, she settled In private life.
Mr.. K~ahnweiler said that Belle
Boyd's one ambition aftor hor severe
blow OF being taken by tho enemy In
the capture OF the Greyhound was to go
on the stage. She did 30, but her sue
CESS did not afford enough encourage
ment for her TO continue On actress and
she gave IL up. After her first husbands
death she married 4 Philadelphian and
for q long time lived In the Quaker
City. Later sho vent To Texas, where
she again married. She lived for o
short timo in Detroit, whero her third
husband died. She then married sue
cossively Cole Younger, Sam Starr and
Jim Starr, tho latter two of whom arc
cousins and full blood Choctaw Indians.
Belle Boyd had two children. The
oldest, u beautiful daughter, with much
OF her mothers disposition and more
beautiful, attracted attention through
out tho entire Western country. Her
name Is Poarl Younger.
Several years ago Belle Boyd shot at
and wounded n man whom she charged
with improper relations with her daugh-
tor. Belle was with her husband, Sam
Starr. on their return from Fort Smith,
Ark, when an enemy named West
killed hor husband, shooting him from
the roadside. Soon afterward Belle
married Jim Starr, II cousin of her for
NOR husband. Starr was In Fort Scott
when he heard that Belle had been shot
from the roadside and killed, and he got
aquart of whisky and left, swearing that
no would kill his wifo's slayer. Tho re-
port Of the killing turncd out to be
g~roundlcss, however, and tho Confeder-
alto spy was unframed when her Indian
husband reached home. Another
of n daring character named
Belle was killed In tho ncighborhood,
and tho two names were COMPOUNDED.
A gentleman who returned TO SaVan-
nah from the Territory not long ago said
that Belle Boyd still lives. She has re-
formed considerably, and is now a moth
erly IN with silver hair, ~peaceable
and good.