The Washington critic., 1890-05-20
A DEVOTED WIRE.
a Fam BUS woman and Her Kindness
to Brutal Husband.

to Brutal Husband.
From Ms Ne,o Yo,k World.
The arrival of the Woodruff. Claniu
sisters in New York, accompanied by
their English husbands, Mr. John Bid
dulph Martin and Sir Frederick Cooke,
has thrown good many people into
their "anecdotage." These women,
who left very queer reputation behind |
them and have returned with notably |
good one from the land of their adop' |
ton, have awakened many reminis-
cences in the minds of those who OBJ
served them twenty years ago, when
they were such conspicuous figures in
the public view.
The elder sister had then been sepa-
rated for some time from Dr. Wood
hull, the husband whom she had been
forced to marry when barely 10 years
old. He had filled up the measure of
| his sins against his young wife by lock.
ing her into an empty house In Broad
street, where for twenty.four hours she
! lay helpless and alone with new born
child beside her, while he was off on a
! ten days debauch. He staggered homo
at the end of that time and would have
| then found his wife and baby dead but
| lOi lbC hlHhuCoo VI III thO
Joining house, who. hearing a faint,
continual rapping on the wall between,
penetrated to the closed house by way
of the cellar grating and rescued the
sick woman.
The younger sister, Tennie G. Claflin,
was pretty girl who "knew enough to
take care of herself, F" according to n
hoary broker, who was doubtless in q
position to know. She was an artist of
considerable ability, and in those days
painted portrait of Commodore Van
derbilt, which was, by the way, a very
good likeness. The sitting took place
at the old gentleman 5 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 man would
catch her up and giving her kiss, send
her back TO her easel. The Commo
dore's wife was often present and she
also liked Miss Claflin, of whom she
invariably said: There is no harm in
the child, of that am surep'
BY and by, when the sisters were
editing their paper, with the assistance
of Colonel Blood, they took a house on
street somewhere in the thirties. Next
door lived two elderly ladies, relatives
Of the late DR.. Morgan of st. Thomas
, Church. They were the .quintescence
, of high bred respectability and con-
servatism, and when they learned who
, were about to become their neighbors
, despair settled darkly upon their house
! hold. Their impulse was to sell out and
, move
, As time went on, however, they
found nothing 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 hammock swung
: across the little grass plot, to which,
| day after day, whenever the weather
: was fine, miserable, palsied man was
tenderly led by Victoria Woodruff,
! then tall stately young woman. She
would prop him with pillows, cover
! him with rugs, read aloud to him and
even feed him, as he was too feeble to
perform that Office for himself.
The good ladies next door found their
r curiosity presently unbearable, and they
instructed the servant, during an area
= door seaDce with the next door servant,
$ TO find out who the man was In this
way they learned that the invalid was
5 DIR. Woodruff. One rainy night Mrs.
Woodruff had come in from down town
drenched The kitchen fire was the
4 only one alight in the house, and she
went to the range to warm herself.
; While there the basement bell rang,
| and wretched trembling man begged
for food. An impulse of pity led her to
/ go forward to the poor creature, In
: whom she at once recognized her hus-
| band. His troubles were at an end from
5 that instant. The injured wife put away
the memory of her wrongs, nursed him
. as long as he lived, and gave him good
''send off, when he was dead.
9 Ever after in speaking of their neigh
A Dor, these worthy DANES said:
9 eve can never believe anything bad
: of that woman after the saint like way
5 she nursed that dreadful sinner of q
/ husband of hers"