The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-06-02
BELLE BRUE OF RENO.
The strange story of Strange WO-
man in Nevada's Early Days.
Fran the Crfoar % Record

I saw Jim Fair" said an old-time California
miner. speaking OF the death Of ex-senator
I James g. Fair and the enormous fortune
the latter made in a few years in the Com
I stock mines. we had a long visit and a
good talk about old times In the Comstock.
Fair asked me what ever became Of hand
some Belle Brue. the famous murderess Of
Nevada and said that he had sent her a
present Of 5000 by a friend upon her re-
lease from the Nevada state penitentiary
about TWO years ago and had advised her
20 so back TO her old home in the East
ern States"
The mention Of the name Of Belle Brue
brings a lively train Of "reminiscences to
tine minds OF thousands of old-timers all
over Nevada and Utah and Central Cali
foruia. Twenty-Five years ago every man
who had associations with his fellowmeu
anywhere between Salt Lake City and San
Francisco heard the countless stories OF
the flash career OF Belle Brue Of Reno.
There We're reliable stories Of presents
made her by the bonanza miners on the
Comstock OF diamond necklaces worth Sl5,
GO. OF Bellies several baths in champagne
at s. quart Of her pistol having several
hundred dollars worth OF precious stones
in the handle. and OF her possessing many
other articles, that had been made a hun
dred times more valuable by the setting of
diamonds. rubies. OF sapphires therein.
Something OF the career Of this woman
and the crime for which she suffered i'm
prisonment for twenty-five years will be
given here. Belle Brue was not a good
woman. At times, however, she was much
better than persons Of her class but at
periods she was possessed Of a devilsh
disposition. Then she was worse than the
fp fin he
lshs. and went to the only hotel in what
was then the widest, WoOliest town i'm the
territory Of Nevada. No one ever knew
here she came from; that she kept a
secret She was a tall magnihcently pro-
port0ned woman, with piercing black eyes
and pale face. Her heavy hair was as
black as jet, and her manner dignified
determined and resolute.
In 1870 Jimmy Holloway, a gambler
came 10 Reno and secured quarters for his
layout in the Crescent hotel He was a
handsome talented man. who had read a
good deal. and who could recite poetry as
well as he could deal faro People said
that he had been a preacher in his day. II
was just a this time when Nevada poli-
tics needed man like that at Reno. and
Jimmy became a power. He had friends
all over the state and all of them were
nigh in authority. He had money. ana
When 1t came to fixing the end of the di-
a. more than
any other one to secure this for Reno
After that he was the chief mover in get
ting the railroad from this city to Vir,
glnia by way of the capital No man
IN the country was better liked or more
highly valued than he was.
But he had his weak points He would
drink and when in his cups he was the
most quarrelsome man ever known In
this region. He was a shooting man, as
a gambler In those days had to be. but
he had none Of the generous qualities Of
the western man in general He became
acquainted with Belle, and after that she
had no other close friends. one night in
1877 there was company of soldiers here
from camp BidWell, and Holloway had
been drinking with the officers until he
was drunk and ugly
About 10 O'Clock at night Belle came
up town and went into the lunch room of
the hotel and ordered a cup of coffee. She
had been drinking, but was as quiet as she
ever had been While she was eating and
talking with the waiter Jimmy Holloway
came, into the hotel. At that moment
james q. Fair, then about 45 years of age
came in by a private door leading to the
office. He had been looking for Holloway
for an hour and had important business
for him to do. Holloway, for a moment
paid no attention to Fair. but directed his
attentin to Belle Brue. He called to her
to get out and go home. She told him
she would not do so until she had fin
ished her supper. : He swore at her and
took up a stool as If to strike her
Whether he really meant to strike the
woman. no one will ever be able to tell
But 1t cost him exactly the same as IL
he had for she drew her revolver and
fired without rising from the table. He
wheeled, pressed his hand over his heart
and fell to the floor. In a moment the
woman was at his side and doing every
thing she could to relieve him of his mis-
cry. She had him carried to her house
and put in bed. She nursed him with all
the devotion of a loving woman James
q. Fair helped to carry the wounded man
to Belle Brues house and sat by the dy-
ing mans bedside until the next day at
noon. when death relieved Holloway from
his sufferings.
No such other trial as that of Belle Brue
has been known west of the Rockies. 1t
lasted four weeks. although the facts were
so plain that ordinarily it would have been
tried and finished in three or four days
There were eleven lawyers interested
among them Senator w. NJ. Stewart and
Hall McAllister, and the events of the trial
We're on every ones lips all over Nevada
and Central California. In the end she was
convicted and sentenced to be hanged. She
succeeded in getting new trial, but a sen.
tence for twenty-seven years was the best
that could be procured for her even then.
So she put her money-or that little she
had left-in the bank and went down to
the penitentiary in Carson City with bur
den that would have crushed a weaker
woman. She faithfully served the last day
of IT. barring the time allowed for good
behavior, for pardon was refused her
over and over again.
She went east on an overland train one
day about two years ago. 1t is believed she
is living in retirement somewhere in the
east probably in Southern Illinois.
SNAKE CRAWLS INTO HIS POCKET
Terrible Experience of Charles NIL
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