The morning news., 1892-02-22
BLAINE DIVORCE CASE.
TIE STORY OF THE CoURTsHIP
AND MARRIAGE.


Tine Of Her Visit to the Blaine Man
sion in Augusta, Me.-Her Mother-in-
Law aud Mrs. Croppinger Destroyed
the Last Hope of reconciliation With
Her Husband.
Tue MORNING NEWS dispatches yester-
day contained an account Of the granting of
a divorce at Deadwood, S. D., to Mrs.
James G. Blaine, Jr. The following is
from the New York Sun is her story Of her
courtship and marriage:
The courtship was a short one. They
met In Augusta. Me-, and few weeks later
became engaged. The agreement was that
they we're not to be married for four years,
or until Miss Nevins had fulfilled her
theatrical contract with Mime. Modjeska
and Daniel Frohman and Mr.. Blaine had
completed his collegiate course. The
young man changed his mind,
however, concluded he dids not
want Miss Nevius 10 appear on
the stage, and persuaded her TO a hasty and
secret marriage. The difficulty that she
was a Catholic and he a Protestant was
overcome by a dispensatioQ from Arch
bishop Corrigan, and the marriage took
place IN the vestibule Of st. Leo's church,
New York, the Rev. Father Drury Off
clating. The young couple started the
same afternoon for Boston, arriving there
next morning. Young Blaine left his bride
and went TO Augusta to inform his parents
of his marriage. Mrs Blaine returned to
New York A few days later she received
letter from her husband stating that his
parents objected strenuously TO the
match and intimating that he would
have to give her up The letter prostrated
her and she was i'll till the receipt of a second
letter, apoloZiZiDg for the first. and stating
that since his father had become acquainted
with all the circu instances of their trip to
Boston he advised his son to return to his
bride. The husband followed the letter in
a day or two and the couple went to live at
the New York hotel on Nineteenth street,
New York, and afterwarc in Pittsburg,
where young Blaine was reporter for a
daily paper. There was little more than
year of bliss, their crowning happiness
being the birth of son fifteen months after
the marriage.
In August, 1888, Mrs. Blaine accompanied
her husband on visit to his parents in Au-
Rusta, Me-, and from this time her troubles
dated. Arriving in Augusta she found that
the children of Mrs Coppinger, then visit
ing the Blaines, were down with whooping
cough, and it was necessary for her to
send her maid and babe to a hotel, while
herself and husband went to the parental
mansion. This was the first of a succession
OF disagreeable incidents A state campaign
was ln progress in Maine and her husband
constantly accompanied his father to vari-
GUS places, where the senior Blaine was
making speeches. Whenever he was
absent the mother-in-laW made 1t par
ticularly hard for her. At length she
told her husband, as he was about leaving
on Friday, that if he did not return the
next day she would be absent when he did
come back. The baby was then i'll, and that
night came near dying. She was anxious
to communicate with her husband, but was
unable because her mother-in-law refused
TO tell his address, and when she learned this
later the telegraph operator refused to send
the message until it was paid for, and she
had no money. Her physician advised that
for the baby's health she return to New
York Immediately aud she did so, not
wlthstanding her mother-in-law said:
IF you go never want to see you again.
| will make you rue 1t the longest day you
live" She concluded by saying: "Pll keep
my son with me. In one-half hour, if I
choose, can take the young man from
you" The young wife replied: "If he is
that weak he is not worth my love-" That
night Mrs. Blaine left for New York leav-
ing most affectionate note for her hus-
band, telling him she left Augusta, not
him; that whenever he returned her arms
would be open TO receive him. He never
AObuihcu. AlL6T Sub udu T6dC0eu NEW
York she was taken i'll. Debts began to
press. The landlord of the Fifty-first street
house, in which they had kept house,
wanted his rent, and tradesmen were clam
orous for their pay. Finally Mrs. Blaine
not even receiving reply to the numerous
letters in which she entreated him to come
to her, and he failing to contribute at oil
to support, everything IN the house was
sold and she returned to her parents at the
New York hotel. Meanwhile friends had
assisted her, among them Mrs. Kendall,
Mrs. Ogden Doremus aud Mrs Charles
Avery Doremus. Shortly after returning
to the New York hotel she fell i'll.
sJAfter months OF waiting in expectation
of her husbands return-months during
which, though she frequently implored him
TO come back, she had heard not word
from him-acting under the advice of Gen.
McMahon and Gen. Roger a. Pryor she
went once more to Augusta. This visit was
induced by letter from James G.. Blaine.
Sr., to Col. Ingersoll, in which Mr.. Blaine
conveyed the idea that he thought the wife
had deserted her husband. Accompanied
by her mother she went to Augusta, ami
in driving from the depot to the family
home saw her husband standing in front
of the hotel When she reached the
front he entered the back, aud was at once
pounced on by his mother, who led him to
an upstairs bedroom and locked him in,
refusing TO allow ner 10 see, speak to or
confer with him by messenger Sub
sequently, this mOther-ln-law smuggled
him out Of the house and to the railroad
station at Gardner, where it was proposed
he should take the train for Portland and
sail for Europe. Mrs. Blaine learned of this,
and left by the same train. At Gardner
however, Mrs. Coppinger intercepted her
brother, and destroyed the last chance for
reconciliation between husband and wife.
ftAr this Hbn anaiO trrrr latt -
her husband, registering one to make sure
that he got it. The return card showed it was
receipted for by Walker Blaine. She never
heard from her husband. She was in re
straits financially, and, applying to Daniel
| Frohman, she made a contract with him by
| which she was to go on the stage under his
management and receive $3.50 or $500
per week, she did not remember
which, and 45 per cent. of the net
receipts for her services while pre-
| pairing for her debut. she was also
TO receive a stated amount for
expenses She worked five months prepar-
ing for the stage, when she was taken ill
with infammatory rheumatism, which con-
| fined her TO her bed for ten months, and
left her a cripple for life During all those
months Of illness there was not a word of
| sympathy from the husband or from one
member of his family
The witness testified there had been
! opened TO her a way to earn a livelihood
! with her pen; that she could find a good
market for all her writings. and that one
| enterprisinC magazine had alraadv ofTarad