The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-08-12

new,graye has been dug in the hand
some Ely plot in Woodlands cemetery,
and on.tho broad side Of the old tomb
stone which stands there viii 500 be
recorded the fact that Caroline a.,
widow Of the late Ezra Stiles Ely, eighty
years Of age, has departed this life.
This announcement will recall to many
people in this city. whose memory
reaches back twenty years or more, the
sensational life Of thewidow's daughter.
Harriet Ely, whose career in American
and European cities a quarter Of a ZEN
tury ago was almost the talk OF the
world, who riyaled Margaret Gauthier
the Camille OF Dumas-who wa q
compeer of Cora Pearl and whose do
ings abroad at one time threatened in
ternational difficulties.
The death OF her neither comes near
to ending the family, once n OF the
most prominent in this city. The ca
reer ofsthe daughter, more than any
thing else, was responsible for the
change in its social condition, for its
members withdrew from society, and
Hattie Ely's father, n one OF the
most famous preachers in Philadelphia,
surrendered his position in the pulpit
when she began her rapid life. Her
lite.story reads like q romance. 1t is
the tale ola beautiful Philadelphia girl
Of excellent parentage, who went TO
Europe when she was twenty years old,
and reigned as belle Of the demi.mon.
dame otLondon, Paris and st. Peters.
burg, with many lovers OF royal blood
and almost countless lovers OF wealth
and high social position.
Hatty Ely was born in this city in
1916. She was educated carefully In q
Society of Friends school, was sur
rounded by the best Of home influences,
and when she reached the age Of IS had
developed into q beautiful young wo-
man, fascinating TO o marvellous degree.
Then her father was pastor of the First
Presbyterian Church OF the Northern
Liberties, at Fifth and Buttonwood
streets, and all her friends moved in
good society. In appearance she was of
medium height, with a slight, but per-
fectly moulded figure, olive complexion
and dark hair and eyes. She wa q
brilliant conversationalist, and after
wards, when the world began to talk
about her, 1t was said that this accom-
plishment, more than her great per-
sonal beauty, aided her in her conquests.
THE FIRST MIssrEp.
NewseSof her doings were only whis-
psred about at first. 1t was said she
was seen with men after dark; that
dainty sauppers, enliyened by the spar
kle Of wine, were spread for her; that
she was known in a class that had no
right to know a clereyman's daughter,
and that these things, reaching her
parents ears, brought to her stern lee
lures, to which she paid no heed. Not
long afterwards she was seen on Chest
nut street in daylight with women
whose names were familiar ones to the
police, and the wine suppers were
spread oftener and more layishly.
Young and old men about town, who
had money to spend, so gosaips said,
spent it with o free hand on her.
II ended as those things usually end.
She left home n summer day in 1865,
and went with q former schoolmate by
the name of Mary Hunter to Parkers-
burg, w, Va. She left q note saying
that she wouldn't come back, and that
il was needless to worry about her. She
had caught a taste OF free life, and she
concluded to drain the cup. The tears
her parents shed over her words did not
reclaim her. and her broken.hearted
father left the church, and the family
retired to d small house on North
Eighth street in which the mother
dieda few days ago. The father died
Thus began Hatty Ely's public ca
reer. In about q year she once more
appeared in Philadelphia and a young
man accompanied her. His name was
Joseph B%lackford, son ola Parkersburg
hardware dealer, and the couple said
they were married. Afterwards the
woman was known as Hatty Blackford.
They moved into rooms on SAMSON
street and lived there for a couple of
months, along with a very fast set, n
of which was the Hunter girl. Atthe
end OF this time Blackford went back to
Parkersburg with his pockets turned
inside ont, and he never reappeared to
ask for q divorce.
The girl became more beautiful as
she grew older and became more reck-
less. She spent lots Of money, the
origin Of which she cared little about,
but she increased her standing In her
class. Wealthy men, lawyers and BUSH
ness men, met her, became infatuated
with her, and she became the o g of
many men in town. She rode and
walked and diued and was housed like
queen, and people pointed her out on
the street with something akin to awe
Is athat Hatty Blackboard" Women
envied her gowns and men envied
other men who enjoyed her acquaint-
ance,
SHE MEETS LLOYD PHOENIX.
She reigned here tor two years in this
way. and then she met Lloyd Phoenix,
Of New York, the great man-about-town
OF his day, rich and reckless, and with
nm y tor q pretty face and shapely
form. Tie two shook hands across q
bottle Of wine oneevening, and less than
alweek later they sailed for Europe to-
gether. A jealous young Philadelphia
lawyer, Leaning by name, chased them
to London with q pistol in his pocket
and then came back home.
The couple lived in London quietly
for awhile. Then Phoenix came back
TO New York and the woman began to
attract the attention OF the phlegmatic
Enelishmen. She succeeded so well in
this that her name appeared m print
on both sides Of the Atlantic and her
escapades with titled foreigners in.
creased her notoriety. She began to
know everyone, and q 9 her circle OF