The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-11-06
VICTORIA BALFE.
Present. Duchess of Frias
Not the Aunt of the Jer-
seY City Balfes.
CAREER OF LADY CHAMPION
Her Desertion of Sir John Cramp-
ton and Flight With The
Duke of Frias.

The Marquise de Fontenoy writing of
Composer Balfe and his children and
grandchildren. says
81 read in THE JERSEY CITY NEWS that
the two granddaugnters of Balfe, the
composer Of the Bohemian Girl are
living in exceedingly straitened circum-
stances in Jersey City, where one of them
is married to a barkeeper, who is out of
work, aud that they are much astonished
that The repeated applications which they
have made for assistance to the Duchess
of Frias, whom they describe as their
au ut, have been uuanswet ed.
II 10 not know whether tuis is likely to
reach them, but it may be ofsome interest
to Them ana to their friends TO know that
the present Duchess Of Frias is not their
aunt, and is in 40 way related to them.
Their fathers sister. Miss Victoria B alfe,
who married the Duke of Frias under
somewhat scandalous circumstances, died
some eight or ten wears ago, aud The
present Duchess de Frlas, a considerably
| younger woman, ts a Princess PIgnatelli
by birth, and is the second wife of the
Duke.
MISS VICTORIA BALFE.
"Miss Victoria Bale. who. was the aunt
of the Misses Balfe now establi he'd In
Jersey City. commenced her car Ger as an
actress. and it was while f1guri ng on the
stage in that capacity at st. Petersburg
that she attracted the admirnti on of old
Sir john Champion, who had been ap-
pointed as Am bassador there after nav-
lug been recallei from Washington on
demand OF the United States Govern
ment much in the same manue as Lord
| SacEville-
His offense was that he had employed
his official position as British Eavoy in
this country TO recruit American citizens
aud volunteers to fight under the British
| -x- Z O.,--s, -. H. MI 5000.
sir Johp, TO the disnlaY of his friends,
| married the actress. which, of course,
necessitated his withdrawal from tne
Court OF st. Petersburg, which would
never have consented 10 receive. as
British Ambassadress. a lady who had
but a few months previously Deen on the
local stage.
Fortunately, the Spanish court was
more lenient in the matter and consented
to receive botn Sir John aud Lady Cramp-
ton as repres- n alive or Queen Victoria.
1t was not long, however, Defor Queen
Isabella, lax as she has shown herself
with regard TO morals, had occasion TO
regret having open-d the doors of her
patace to Lady Champion. whose intimacy
with the u aud Duke de
FriBs became the talk of the city. and
aroused great indignation among those
who were acquainted with the circum-
stances of her marriage.
The climax was reached when Lady
| Crainptop, after naviug gone to England.
as 1t afterward appeared. in company OF
the Dukeo of Ftias. wrote from London TO
her husband that she no longer loved him
and that she had given her heart to the
Duke. Chivalrous to the last, and at the
same time tnking a common ssuse view
of the matter, and knowing how
tons of a capricious woman, Sir
Johu Immediately informed his
wife that since he no logger possessed
her love, the best thing that he cOuii do
| Tor her was to offer his assistance in
bringing about her happiness and the
elimination of her wishes in the manner
| least calculated to create scandal.
Accordingly, instead OF himself suing
| for a divorce from her, he permitted her
to apply for a dec ca of nullity.
THE DUCHEs OF FRIAS.
"Not eny i'll England, but also In
Spain, popular sympathy was entirely
with Sir JOIN Champion, who, on his re-
turn from Madrid, was made the receipts
ent of iunumerable tokens of synpath y
aud regard by everybody, high and low.
With an insolence for which it is diff
cult to fiud a name, the ex,Ladv Cramp-
ton. as soon as she had legiti mated her
relations with the Duke de Frias by mar
| riage, took no her residence at Madrid.
"E ,sy going, however, as is Queen
Isabella, this was more than she could
stand. aud she i%ntitnaced Without DELAY
that she could not permit the access to
court of the new Duchess of Frias, a
course in which she was followed by the
whole of the Spanish aristocracy and
official world. The result was that the
Duke returned TO the Queen his Grand
| Gordon of the Order of Charles III, re-
! signed the Office of chamberlain TO her
majesty and left the country with the
Duchess, taking up his residence at
Bfarritz, where he remained until after
ner death, to all intents and purposes an
| exile. "a.
1T is only since his marriage to his
present wife, an Italian lady. sister of
the Princess Pignalelli, of whose charms
the little Prince of Naples is so infatu-
ated, that he has returned to Madrid aud
taken up once more his position In So
clety aud in tue official world. He was
recently, aud possibly is still. Governor
| ofMad i'd
From this it will be seen that the
present Duchess of Frias will probably
remain as deaf to the appeals OF the
Misses Balfe OF Jersey City as she has
shown herself TO their bro b r, Mich ell
Balfe, who. ] believe. is ut the preseul
moment an inmate of a London work.
house. aud was formerly n ga filter"
81.