Omaha daily bee., 1896-07-19
Boston, and the romantic part of her life

ana won her,
A reported engagement with a wealthy
young Kentuckian was broken of. In 1SiS.
when 20 years Of age, she became the wife
Of Mr.. Lawrence.
The wedding was the most magnificent
the south had ever seen. The Ward man
sion was conducted on a scale OF great mag
ntfcence. The lower floor formed the most
magnificent ballroom west of the Aue-
ghenies. All about were conseryatorios ;
tropical plants, palms and camelias. with
avaries hid the artisans work, while in the
middle Of the place was a court with Il
pool and fountain.
There the entertainments were given Oh
the greatest scale of magnihcence, A din
ner for invited guests never cost less than
$1,000, and the larger entertainments were
beyond description.
After the wedding young Lawrence took
his bride to Boston. His mother, Mrs. Law
renee, was of the staid. reserved New Eng
land type, and the young southern girl did
not take to her, So ii was not long before
she left her husband and returned to Louis
Vile, Here she was received with open arms
and resumed her sway. The Trilby rage"
did not surpass the Sallie Ward craze. Her
walk and manners were initiated, and
wherever she went she was followed by
crowds Of girls and women eager to catch
her maner, style of dress and way of wear
ing her hair.
One morning George d. Prentice. the
noted writer and poet who was then editor
VI the LOUISVILLE journal, received a lCtteT
from T. Bigelow Lawrence containing a
check and a special request that he insert
the following notice;
Whereas, My wife. Sallie Ward Law
renee, has left my bed and board, notice
is hereby given that | will not pay any
debts of her contracting.
ct. BIGELOW LAWRENCE, Boston"
The advertisement appeared and imme-
diately the city went wild. In those days
more attention was paid to matters of
honor and phiVnlrV than IN nrnCi1nntinl
campaigns now. Sallie Ward posted! Men
treated their slaves in that style; TO such
a woman 1t was an objectionable insult.
Every gallant in the city rushed to the
Journal Office and demanded that reparation
be made and the insult sent back.
1t was soon decided what to do. The
legislature was in session. but would soon
adjourn. There was no railroad. Prentice
and Nathaniel Wolfe, a friend of the fam
lily, secured relays of fast horses. They
started for the capital and rode so hard to
arrive in time that three horses were killed
Arriving there, they went into the presence
of the lawmakers and demanded that such
an insult to the women of kentucky be
wiped out.
1t was done. The legislature of Ken
lucky, by a rising vote, divorced Sallie
Ward Downs from T. Bigelow Lawrence,
thus deeming they had flung back in his
teeth the insult offered by the northerner.
The next day such notice appeared in the
journal.
Upon returning to her fathers house she
met Robert w. Hunt, one of the most ele-
giant and polished gentlemen of his day.
They were married. and he took her to a
palatial home in New Orleans, where her
career as a beautiful married woman was
even more pronounced than as a lovely
maid.
During her sojourn in New Orleans she
Travelled extensively. Famous While Sui
phur Springs was her domain during the
summer and In the fall aud winter months
she often came north on visits to friends,
who admired and were anxious to entertain
her.
In the fall of 1860 she visited st. Louis,
during the time when the prince of Wales
made his famous jaunt, and the scion OF
the royal house of Great Britain met the
lovely Kentucky belle at the fair grounds
on prince of Wales day at a ball given by
the swell set of St. Louis.
Her marriage with DR.. Hunt was a very
happy one. Two children were born tc
them, a son, John, and a daughter, who
died when 8 years of age. DIR. Hunt died
shortly after the war, and for some years
the still fascinating woman remained q
widow. Then she married Mr.. Vene p
Armstrong, a wealthy clothing merchant o.
her native city. He, too, lived only a few
years, and eleven years ago. at the age Of
81, she was again welded, this time to Mr.
George F. Downs, who survives her. Mr.
Downs is a wealthy retired merchant, anG
N'''H NHN AuSN - sNuiS u ~ NV hN
was untiring in his attention and devotion
to her. They have had apartments at the
Gait house, where Mrs. Downs lived be-
fore her marriage.
When she was a girl everything she wore
set the style for the rest of the young
women, who tried to initiate her in every
way. There was a sally Ward" walk, &
Sally Ward" shoe, a Sally Ward" glove
and what not, and merchants and modistes
could not praise their ware any higher
! than hr. nt,inp ssThip in r-Int I Wa
wears"
She was the first woman in Louisville tC
use opera glasses. The night she appeared
in a box with them she caused more inter.
est than the play which was then being
presented. Before the custom of trying or
gloves was introduced she bought her gloves
by the box. A merchant who now re-
sides in Covington, KY, says he was a clerk
in a large establishment on Fourth street
He had heard of Sally Ward, but had never
seen her. A dance was to be given at heI
fathers home and she called to buy gloves
He waned on her. 1t was the custom theI
to charge the clerk with any damage to q
pair of gloves. The young woman looked
over his stock of gloves. and began trying
on pairs of them with utter recklessness as
to the financial ruin she was heaping upor
the young clerk. She had gone through q
dozen or more boxes, and he had severa
times shown his great alarm and concern
She did not seem to notice it, but kept or
trying on gloves. Nnen Sne nau lOunQ inc
styles he wished she gave her order fol-
the box. The young clerk was almost cry
ing at the piles of boxes she had broker
without his being able to stop her. After
she had leased him for a while she turned
and said
Don't be alarmed, young man; l will
pay for all the boxes ! have broken. Send
my box over to my home and make out the
bill for the goods / have looked over"
The personality of this famous belle was
remarkable, not only for beauty OF physique
but for a grace OF movement and manner
that was ever present. She was slightly
above the height of the Venus di Medici
and even at b~lushing 16 attracted at
tention by the mature development and
rounded beauty of a figure that afterward
became famous, not only in this country
but abroad. Her admirers say that no othel
had so round and white an arm; that there
was no hand in the world so beautiful as
the soft, white. ~tapering hand of Sallie Ward
and as for her small feet, their beauty ant
the daintiness of the shoes that incaset
them were celebrated from Boston to New
Orleans. Her face, Judged by purely elias
steal models, could not be called beautiful
without fault. Her complexion was fail
and clear, and glowed with the rich blood
of health and youth; her eyes were soft
and tenderly blue, and her lips, cherry rec
and somewhat full, had those adorable