St. Paul daily globe., 1891-02-08

OdSCo Ou q
Proper Desire to Please
his wife, he lived in Princes gate,
signed his checks there, and shook In
person the bands of all the lords. dukes
and princes as fast as they were col
lected. Both of these American fam
lilies were fairly SucceSsful.as American
families 60. Mrs. Mackay was by far the
better known of the two competing Ia
dies. Her name all over Great Britain and
the continent is synonym for cash Rn
vast quantities, and her entertainments
have long been famed. But Mrs. Bon.
ynge was crawling up the social ladder
rapidly. Here began fight which, be-
vond any question. eliminated in the
recent good old-fashioned Shlndy in
the Nevada bank in San Francisco. The
fighting in London and in America! has
been carried on until Yesterday Dy
means of anonymous publications. Half
of these were injurious to the Boh-
ynges and half to the MackayS. tI1ie
Bonynges attributed the attacks on
them to the Mackays. and the Mackays
believed that the Bonynges were, be-
hind the attacks On them. although
neither family openly accused the
other. u
The fight started in full blast when,
On his arrival in London, Mr.. Phelps,
who, as American minister, could lend
sort of official guarantee to
American Social Aspirants,
took up the Bonynges and made much
Of them. while neglecting the Mackays.
This state of affairs was attributed to
the shrewdneSs of Mr.. Bonynge, who.
as numerous anonymous publications
have declared, lost no time in becoming
bosom friend and financial adviser of
Mr.. Phelps SOD, an active young man
who held the position OF second secre-
tary of the legation. The anonymous
publications concerning the Mackay
family consisted mainly OF alleged ac-
counts of Mrs. Mackay'S early life, most
of which was known by all her friends
and early associates to be absolutely
false. but which annoyed Mrs. Mackay
very much, and very naturally. These
stories described Mrs. Mackay as hay-
ing been a washerwOman, etc. The
attacks on the Bonynges assumed a
more specific and ugly form. They
dealt with the circumstances surround
ing the marriage of Mr.. and Mrs.
Bonynge, and with the history OF MIR.
Daniels, Mrs. Bonymge's first husband.
and the father of her girls. who nave
now taken Mr.. BOnynge's name.
There is no Proof
That Mrs Mackay ever suffered di-
rectly by the attacks made upon her
early life, but the Bonynges were not SO
fortunate. Miss Virginia Bonynges
was engaged, according to common re-
port. to he married to Lord 'Canteiupe,
son and heir of Earl Delaware. One
fine morning the London mail carriers
delivered to every body in London So
ciety a marked copy OF New York Town
Topics. The article marked dealt with
the history of the Bonynges, and alleged
that Miss Bonynges was the daughter of
a convict, during whose Imprisonment
Miss Bonynges' mother had married
her present husband, etc. Upon re
ceiving his copy, the panic stricken
Earl Delaware, in true British fashion,
started his heir, Lord Cantelupe. off on
a voyage around the world. When he
came back he married some other girl,
since which time lie has been drowned
in his yacht at sea. He showed good
pluck while drowning, as all the cables
told, but his conduct in going around the
world on reading an anonymous attack
Oh girl he prOfeSSed to he fond OF, i'll
clines folks to say that his drowning
served him right.
Was RumOred at London 90
at the time of the publication in the
Town Topics that its author was Thomas
Ochlltree, a man from Texas. who does
not need describing. This rumor spread
fact that MIR. Ochiitree had been invited
to visit the MackayS in France. but lie
was unfounded. 1t was not Col. Ochib
tree who secured the publication, but
another man, much younger, who is now
in New York. After the Lord Canta-.
Iupe episode the anonymous attacks oh
the Bonynges and Mackays multiplied
Each family was believed to keep sort
of press. agent in New York toconduet,
operations Each had offered liberal re-
wards for the detection of the authors OF
the writings, but until yesterday there
had been no, hope OF a clearing up OF
the situation.
There was published within the year
last past a book having tfor title. Mrs.
Jonathan Abroad" The work pur-
ported to give an account of the Ameri-
can colony in London, who figure more
or less conspicuously in society, and is
in reality but a colorless, incomplete
catalogue until it comes to the BOaynge
family. While to most of the person.
ages mentioned the author deYotes but
a brief paragraph, or perhaps page Or
two to the Bonynge he
Deyotes TAirty-six Pages.
Commencing with an air of fairness,
he develops before he gets through with
his account Of the Bonynge family what
amounts to all attack Of remarkable bit
terneSS.
The total cost of the entire book must
have been insignificant compared to the
expense that was incurred in ranSack-
ing California archives in search of
Bonyngean lore. Bonynge's marriage
certificate and all the Court papers in
connection with the trial, Imprisonment
and pardon of Daniels. Mrs. BOnynge's
first husband, are reproduced i'll fac
smile The researches which the book
reveals could hardly have been made by
an agent. There is every indication
that the author himself went over the
ground personally from Missouri, the
former home of Mrs. Bonynge, to Cali
fornia. The rest of the book is careless
and inaccurate, mere paste and scissors
work. That part devoted to the Bon
ynges shows the most careful investi-
cation, conducted regardless of ex-
pense.
Br. Bonynge does not hesitate to at
tribute the book directly to the MackayS.
Speaking of it during visit to New
York some two months ago, he said it
was quite decent compared to some of
the attack the Mackays had made on
him while here. and subsequent TO the
conversation in which he made the
statement he received letter from his
wife which informed him in effect that
Mrs. Jonathan Abroad has arrived iu
London by the ton, and was being dis
tributed gratultously among all their
acquaintances. But" said he. gleefully.
some time later, 1--WE don't seem to be
much hurt by their scurrility. My wife
writes that on the day before her letter
was dated she had two members of roy
atty at our dinner table,"
The Ancestral Seat.
There are a great many interesting
things in the s'Mrs. Jonathan Abroad, !"
but they are not so entertaining as the
remarks which Mr.. Bonynge made
about that publication some two months
ago when in this city. He denied the
several statements, and said: 81 shall
not stop with mere libel suits; l shall
put them in the penitentiary.' as
D. .tI l,n In al -