River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1892-03-03
--------
AN UNHAPPY MARRIAGE.


Secretary Blaine on His sons Domestic
TrouL,es-The Young Man Was the vic- |
tim OF a scheming woman-The Elder
Mrs Blaine Defended from the Censure
OF South Dakota Judge.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 29-Secretary
Blaine has given to the press the fol- |
lowing statement over his own sigma
ture regarding the separation of James
@. Blaine, Jr., and his wife Mr.. Blaine |
says:
"since the separation of my son and his wife,
three and half years ago, my family
have silently borne every misrepresenta-
ton, every slanderous attack, every news
paper interview which IL has pleased the
now divorced wife TO inspire 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, COM
bined with a regard for the future Of my grand |
son, to permit so much calumny to go unan-
swered.
'The last outrage of the kind embodied in the
decision Of the judge at Deadwood, $ d., as
sumes an Official character which makes II i'm
possible to remain longer silent To remain ST.
lent would be 10 accept and perpetrate
a great wrong to my wife, greater
wrong TO my grandson than even
publication of the truth can infiict upon him.
1t is necessary in speaking that should give a
summary, as brief possible, OF the marriage
and the incidents which followed IL and led TO
the separation.
"A letter which addressed TO Rev. Thomas
l. Ducey at the time OF the marriage viii dis
tinctly state the important facts bearing upon
that event"
In the letter to Rev Thomas /. Du-
cey, who is rector of St Leo's church,
New York, Mr.. Blame censures him
for performing the ceremony.
Dla,na than continues his ctaf
ment:
Nevins had no other responsibility in the mar
rage than in consenting to my sons appeal
and was blameworthy for this alone.
Since then 1 am prepared to say that
the marriage arranged by her far more
than by my son: that she did everything TO
promote II, suggested every arrangement, an
ticipated and provided for every emergency and
that in fact but for her personal, active and I'M
firing agency the marriage would never have
taken place. In this she showed knowledge
and forethought not to be expected in
woman OF q years. IL was thus that
boy IL years and 10 months, in
some respects inexperienced even for his age.
was tempted from his school books and his tutor
and blindly led 10 the altar by young woman OF
fully 81 years, with entire secrecy contrived by
himself and with all the instrumentalities of
her device complete and exact"
After a statement of the events and
circumstances connected with the mar
riage Mr.. Blaine continues:
IL purpose next TO show by a somewhat
minute statement Of facts and dates tn
falsity OF the assertion that Mrs. Blaine
broke up the marriage relations of my son
and his wife. She did not see her daughter
in-law until May, 1887 eight months
after the marriage, when, being in New
York, the latter called upon her twice
during her two days stay. The next time
she saw her was month later When
about TO sail for Europe, on the sth OF June,
she was a single day in New York and saw the
young woman IA taking leave. At the end OF
fourteen months returned from Europe
and stopped two three days in New
York. We found that in absence my
son had not only spent his entire allowance but
that he was deeply in debt. 1t was then ar
ranged that both my son and his wife should
come down TO Augusta and have their future de-
termined at q family council"
In this connection Mr.. Blaine pro-
posed that his son and his wife should
occupy his Augusta home, and agreed
to pay for fuel, light and servants.
horse and carriage, and to give them an
allowance of $4,000 a year. Mrs.
Blaine, Ir., rejected this Referring
to young Mrs. Blaine's departure for
New York during her husbands alb
sence with his father at Ellsworth, Mr..
Blaine says:
Mrs. Blaine had strongly disapproved OF her
departure and had earnestly urged her to re-
main She did not then dream that son
would not follow his wife or that the iuIminenl
final separation would come soon. But
she deprecated the angry, and TO say
the least, sudden departure, and the
journey 10 New York alone with the infant and
nurse She did not, however, suspect that the
young woman left with any less friendly feeling
Der OF the family except my son James.
Finding the young woman determined TO
CO. and foreseeing the difficulties in their
path since my daughter-in-law utterly de-
clined the provision l made for their sup
port Mrs. Blaine repeatedly babe her re-
member that she would at any moment re
ceive the child for any length of time-for
one year, or three years, or ten years, or for
life; that she should receive, as all who
know my wife will believe, the very best
and attention; that she would put his
mother under no conditions whatever, and
that whenever she wished the child TO be re-
turned TO her he should be sent The offer |
was not accepted but il was not declined 1t |
appeared TO be received in the same friendly |
spirit in which il was given Thus my daughter |
in-law left my home, the only home which my
son could provide for her
Just forty-four days after this willful
departure she returned to my house accom- |
panied by her mother, Mrs. Nevins, my
GRANDSON anu MS nurse. Al iflt inOultnI OF
their arrival there were in the house only
Mrs. Blaine, who i'll, and the servants.
Mrs. Blaine at once arose, dressed and went
downs tairs, having previously instructed her
maid to do everything required for their com
fort This was the only time she ever met
Mrs. Nevins. Neither lady advanced to greet
her No hand extended to her,
but from Mrs Nevins, seconded by her daugh
ter, came charges against her son and herself
so insulting and so violent that servant was
called in for the frankly expressed purpose OF
acting as a restraint upon the elder visitor
In this brief stay of two weeks with us, and
on this one last visit of two hours, rests all the
substantiation of the statement of the Judge
at Deadwood Before leaving for the west
/ had advised with Mrs. Blaine in the
event OF the return of her daughter-in-law, and
she acted upon my advice. Not word since
the separation has been written by her nor has
she seen my sons wife, except on the
street in New York, when not word was |
exchanged between them. My son was en-
tirely free. No restraint was attempted or de
sired, needed to insure separation. On the |
day of her departure he was as strongly deter |
mined the day of her divorce, not TO re- |
sumo his relations with her.
Far be IL from me to hold my son blameleSs; |
though when his youth. his uncompleted educa- /
ton, his separation from the influences |
of home, the exchange OF a life full OF /
hopes and anticipations for premature |
cares and uncongenial companionship are |
considered 1 hold him more sinned against |
than SHINING. But his mother, at no time, In |
thought or word or deed attempted to separate |
this man from his wife. On the contrary, she |
did not fail, by lberality, by consideration and |
by exclamation, TO foster in every practicable /
way their happiness-f happiness to them had |
been possible"