The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-10-20
AMELIE RTVEs CHANLER.
A Queer Genius Concerning Whom
There is Always Something to Say.

a Queer Genius Concerning whom
There is Always Something TO say.
Walter Wellman, in Chicago Times-Her-
aid
Washington. Oct 10.-News of Amelie
Rives CHAMBERS divorce caused no sur
prise among her friends in this city.
Miss Rives was always a woman of ca
price, Maynard, fickIe. When in nor
NAL mood she was one Of the most loving
and lovable of women, as she certainly
was and still is among the most beautiful
OF her sex; but her capriciousness, petu-
lance and childishness tried the patience
OF her family and her husband. Both as
a slrl ana as married woman -.irs. Chan
leI oIten visited mere, and men and women
VINO are connOisseurs in feminine beauty
agree mat no more fascinating woman
ihan the Virginia authOress was ever seen
~ washington drawing room. An in
cident of one of her visits to this city
may be taken as an Indication of her pc
Sullar character. At the request of her
batch OF poems written in her girlhood
ana read them to another guest Of the
mouse, an elderly man noted for his lit
crary judgment Miss RiVes and the lit
erary man were left alone, and In speak
ing of the incident afterward the literary
man said: Il don't remember a word
she read to me; all | can remember is the
sweetness OF her voice, the charm of her
presence. She read poem after poem, in
a NV AIpdSslOneQ voice, standing with
her race near to mine, her eyes ablaZe
WI poetic fervor. 10 me she seemed
unearthly, angelic. ! had no power 20
concentrate my mind upon her words /
could see nothing, think Of nothing, but
my side"
This pretty story has a sequel, and it
is IN the sequel that the contrast of mood
IS found. An hour after Miss Rives had
fascinated the elderly literary man and
lulled him into an intellectual trance
charm a
the company sat own to dinner. There
We're SIX or eight at the table, and Miss
Rives, though simply attired, was never
theless picture of youthful beauty. An
unbidden guest soon appeared. The
household kitten leaped to Miss Rives'
lap ana was given a warm welcome. As
the young poetess fondled the visitor
placed pussy's little black nose at the
edge OF her plate and fed the little new
ing mouth with dainty mOrses, more
than one of the guests wished for a pho
tograph of the pretty scene. Suddenly
there came reaction. Miss Rives began
scoldtng the kitten for some unknown
cause and to the utter establishment of
hosts and guests alike the poetess rails
ed the offending feline by the nape of its
neck and gave 1t a vicious fling against
the side of the room. For several mo-
ments Miss Rives had not a word to say.
The well bred hostess artfully kept con-
a short time the clouds left the face Of
the capricious Virginia girl, and radiant
sunshine took their place.
Chanler Is surely a genius. Her moods and
caprices were well known not only to her
family, but to all the neighbors near her
fathers house at Castle Hill, Albemarie
county, Virginia. The writer once visited
there and was pleased TO hear the verdict
of all the country folk as to Miss Amly,
as they always called her. They knew
her odds ways, her pranks her mad rides
astride unbroken colts and all that, bur
they idolized her just the same. To them
she was an angel In human formal angel
Of charity, of mercy, Of good works. She
visited the cabins of the poor colored
folk with food and picture books and
sWeetmeats. She nursed the sick. She
helped those who were in trouble. Half
the money which Miss Rives received
or the Dead was spent in making one
merry Christmas for the poor colored peo-
pie round about Castle Hill.
1t is not John Armstrong Chanler's fault
that he has lost his beautiful wife Prop
ably ii is no ones fault, but simply a nat
ural, though unfortunate, result of yok-
ing together manly and practical young
man and a romantic, capricious, genius
blessed and genius-cursed young woman
That Chanler has been a marvel of pa
thence there can be no doubt. Nor it there
any reason to think Mrs. Chanler has not
temperament which is a part of her be-
ing. The story of Chambers courtship OF
Miss Rives ! know very well. He met
her at ball at Newport and fell in love
with her. He followed her to Virginia
and laid seige to her heart Three times
was he rejected, but the fourth time prov
ed the charm, and he was the proudest
and happlest man in America when he
won her
The American press thoughtlessly put a
cloud over Mrs Chanler's life. 1t did this
with its false conception of the motives
which had inspired THE Quick or the
Dead" and by its cruel criticisms and
jokes concerning the young authoress. To
this day many people do not know the in
spiration for that remarkable book and
are not aware that it was written while
the hand of Amelie Rives was being
sought by John Jacob Astor's great
grandson, and that the motif was found
in the authors contention with herself
whether or not she should give up her girl
ish ideal of what a lover should be and ap-
cept the love of her persistent sutton That
Is the fact, and the rivals in the book We're
simply Celebrations of the living. the
quick" descendant of the Astors. and the
dead ideal whose memory was fondlv
cherished.
The Rives homestead at Castle Hin is a
picturesque and beautiful old place al the
foot of the Blue ridge. In Albermarle
county the RiVeses are known as one Of the
Chambers grandfather represented this
country as minister to France Her fa-
Their has long been chief engineer of the
Panama railway. Her mother was in her
day famous beauty and singer The
Rives family is related to the Cabells the
Claibornes, the Pages and other noted
families in Virginia. Mrs. Chanler's younsy-
er sister, Daisy, almost as beautiful as
the author of THE Quick or the Dead >
also possesses genius. Her drawings of
horses are most remarkable She cannot
draw anything else and if a cart of saddIe
is needed to complete one of her pictures
some one else must put it in But every
horse this fair girl puts on paper has indf-
viduality. character, expression. This is a
gift, phase of that genius which runs in
the family blood.
Not Used 70 Such TurnOuts.