Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-03-03
He RattIes it's Dry Bones for
the Public Ear.
THE STORY OF THE MARRIAGE
The Secretary Resents the
Attacks on His Wife.
He Makes Full Statement of the Cir
cumstanccs Connected with His SONS
Marriage, and Denies the Charges Made
Against His wife by Young Mrs. Blaine.


ment in which he makes some sensa-
tional disclosures in the marriage and
divorce of his son, James G.. Blaine, Jr.
The Secretary of State entitled his
communication "a personal statement"
His object in writing 1t Is to strike
back at Judge Thomas of Deadwood,
South Dakota, who, in granting a
divorce TO Mary Ncvins Blaine few
days ago, took occasion to say that Mrs.
James G. Blaine, the elder, was the
cause of all the young couples unhap-
piness.
AS it was supposed that the Blaine
divorce difficulty was over and that the
unpleasant thing would be left to re-
main In silence, this tearing open of an
old wound by Secretary Blaine himself
will cause unbounded comment.
GoADED TO A REPLY.
Secretary Blaine's statement would fill
several columns of this newspaper. At
the outset he says:
"Since the separation of my son and
wife, three and half years ago, my
family have silently borne every mis-
representation, every slanderous attack,
every newspaper interview, which il has
IitaoNh tliI iipW dtfOlCcu WIG VI lUSDlTg.
The one person aimed at has been Mrs.
Blaine; and we have perhaps been at
fault In allowing horror of the public
discussion of private matters, combined
with regard for the future of my
grandson, to permit so much calumny to
go unanswered. The last outrage of the
kind, embodied in the decision of the
judge at Deadwood, Dakota, assumes an
official character which makes it impos-
sible to remain longer silent"
BLAINE's LETTER TO DUoEY.
Then to show how surprised the
Blaine family was, by the marriage of
young James, he quotes letter written
by himself to Rev. Thomas I. Ducey,
the New York minister who married
the young couple, September 4th, 1886.
This letter was dated, "Augusta, Maine.
18th September, 1886" The secretary
bitterly censured Rev. Ducey for marry
ing his son and Miss Nevins, as James,
Jr., was not then IS years old. In the
letter Blaine accuses Rev. Ducey of
knowing that the boy was under age,
for the young man told him so. This
interesting criticism of Rev. Ducey says
that Secretary Blaine sent his son
Walker to New York, as soon as tile
marriage was made public, in order to
have it annulled, If possible.
QUICK CoURTsHIp.
The Ducey letter written by Blaine
Informed the preacher that the then
groom had only known Miss Nevins 10
days, and had never heard Of her before
that time. He intimates very pointedly
that Miss Nevins, who was taken TO Au-
gusta by her father, was brought there
for the sole purpose of catching his
youngest son.
Rev. Ducey had told Walker Blaine
that he knew if he Ind not married the
young couple some other preacher would
have. Answering that, Secretary Blaine
used this pointed expression:
This is common defence of evil
doing, and is unworthy of priest and
a man. You might as we'll Justify your
murder of man by chloroform on the
ground that otherwise some one else
would murder him with dagger"
THINKS MISS NEvINs PROPOSED.
After quoting his own letter, Secre-
tary Blaine continues thus:
"When / wrote this letter | believed
that Miss Neyins had no other response
bility IN the marriage than to the con-
senting to my sons appeal, and was
blameworthy for this alone. Since then
am prepared to say that the marriage
was arranged by her far more than by
my son; that she did everything to pro-
mote it.
"Withln ten days after her arrival in
Augusta, within one week from the day
she first met my son, she was adiuring
him thus for several successive DAYS :
Write nothing until / see you. Let
me know ut once about the law (of
marriage.) ] can't wait to hear. It
makes me i'll. Can you come to me a
moment. | am alone. Do not send up
your card
Did you see the laws? Do not keep
up the suspense
ANXIOUS ABOUT THE LAWS.
Don't ask any questions that may
lead people 70 suspect anything. Re-
member that we are in the
mouths of every man, woman and
child in Augusta. Every word YOU
speak is repeated and misconstrued
Every look Of yours, every flush of your
face is talked of. Look into the laws
only tomorrow and perhaps one ques-
ton at the bank
'"You do not know how vile the world
is. DO look up the laws. Let the rest
keep
"'Did you look into the laws of
Massachusetts and New York? | am
sure not, Answer this tonight"
Secretary Blaine gives many other
similar quotations from the girls letters.
OFFERED THEM A HOME.
Mr.. Blaine goes Immediately into the
history of the case and gives many
dates. He says he and his wife offered
to take their son and his bride to their
own home in Augusta. Especially does
the secretary try to prove that his own
wife was not responsible for the separa-
ton of her son and his wife, as the Da-
kota Judge alleged.
He declares that the elder Mrs. Blaine
had not seen her daughtcr-in-law for
eight months after the marriage.
Mr.. Blaine writes thus of the situation
as it was in August, 1888:
WOULDN'T ACCEPT A HOME.
"Within two or three days learned
the details of the dismal failure of their
New York life, and after full consulta-
ton with Mrs. Blaine and with her free
approval, l proposed that they should
come to live at Augusta and occupy our
old home.
81 had summer house at Bar Harbor
and, as | intended to spend all my
winters in Washington, this house
would be vacant if they did not occupy
it The house being large, | proposed
to pay for fuel and light and the wages
of a man servant; and l would furnish
them with horse and carriage. / also
assured them, in addition the sum of
$1,000 a year until my son should be