The Portland daily press., 1892-03-08
An English Family


of considerable wealth. Some think
that he was connected with family of
considerable rank, perhaps from the
fact that he used on his stationery a seal
representing the head of griffin, with
the motto SpecteHur Agendo. 1t was
the wish of the relative who brought him
up that he should be barrister; but his
tastes and aspirations were all in the di-
rection of art. He neglected the law for
art until his uncle hid his brushes and
palette, and finally, SO the story goes,
disinherited him utterly. At any rate,
he left home at an early age and began
the battle of life as an artist. He wan
dered the world over; in his later years,
at least, leaving as mementoes paintings
that won praise from high authorities.
His ''Valley of Rasselas'' was bought to
adorn the gallery of the English Baron
Ruppertswood; in Australia his paint
ings adorn the residences. of provincial
premiers; the home of Robert G. Inger-
soil has his Pyramid Lake, Navada;"
and Mr.. J. B. Alley of Boston, took his
GLORIOUS Summer Morning in New En-
gland" Several of his pictures are in
this city. At No. 1852 Pearl streetis one
of the most striking of those works of
his in his peculiar black and
white style which is called
Chiar-Oscuri. 1t is a sketch of Echo
Lake, North Conway. Still another at
the same place is a color scene on the
lake atgNaples. At Mr.. W. P. Hastings's S
are two, ''Sunset in the White Noun
tains'' and a scene on Columbia river,
Oregon. His 'sHoney Lake, Nevada" !"
hung in the Presidents private parlor at
the Cleveland Inauguration ball Of 1885,
in Washington.
In the course of his wanderings, about
IA or Is years ago, Mr.. Montague found
himself in Australia. 1t was there that
he met Mrs. Montague. 1t is said that
she was an English missionarys daugh
ter. Mr.. Montague used to relate that he
first saw his future, wife in an orange
tree, he being at the time on cunning
expedition. She was only 16 when they
were married, and could not have been
over SO at the time of the tragedy. The
statement in the despatch that she is be-
lieved to have consented to the tragedy is
fully believed by friends in Portland. She
was wholly devoted to her husband and
he to her. At the table, even, they al
ways ate the same. food, one ordering
just what the other had. Upon the
street they used to walk hand in hand.
She has repeatedly said that she did not
wish to live longer than her husband.
Their tastes were much alike. Both
were ardent sportsmen, she handling a
rife or pistol as well as her husband
could. Each carried.a pistol constantly.
On the street they generally attracted at
tention on account of their peculiarities
of dress. He usually had light clothes,
and carried almost constantly light
cotton umbrella lined with green. Her
dresses were noticeable for the striking
colors, which were selected to suit her
husbands ideas of the picturesque.
In money affairs they were extremely
improvident, and it is surmised that his
long sickness had left them reduced to
penury. The idea of suicide was fami-
liar to Mr.. Montague, as he spoke of it
while here last summer. But the idea
of leaving his wife unprotected seemed
to deter him. .sa