Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1897-05-06
TWO FAMOUS SISTERS.
Beecher's Sad Experience With Some
Cincinnati Girls.

| The announcement OF the death at
Las Palmas, in the Canary islands, OF
the eminent English banker, tinancler,
philanthropist and Archaeological, John
Biddulph Martin, brings naturally to
mind two of the most remarkable and
notorious women America ever gave
birth to--Mrs. Victoria Woodruff, now
the relict Of the dead Englishman, and
Tennessee Clafiin, now Lady Cook,
" hat career they have led! TO what
remarkable height have they risen
in foreign land from the one-time
depths OF Ludlow street jail in America!
They are sisters, and OF the two
Mrs. Martin is unquestionably The
brainiest, the other being more gifted
with merely physical charms.
They came To New York, If the mar
| rat0r Is not mistaken FRI IN Cincinnati,
where their purse was poor and their
ways peculiar. In the metropolis they
started openly free love abode, over
which Colonel Blood who was Mrs.
Woodhulls husband presided. They
felt that the world owed them living
and they were determined to collect
the bill, and they did. Vic Woodruff
had II head for figures, and this, and
perhaps something else, suggested the
idea of herself and her sister, Tennie
| G. Clann--her correct name was Ten
nessec opening a so-called brokers
office on Wall street. They did not
parade about that busy thoroughfare
much, but mostly remained in the office.
Tho novelty of the new enterprise
brought a large crowd about the office
door and windows every day, but no
/ customers. At least not many custO-
mers, and yet one who was better than
a thousand others. That one was Com
modore Vanderbilt, who greatly adj
mired Victoria Woodhull's brains and
'reunie Clailin's piquant face. In con-
ncction with the brokerage scheme the
firm printed a publication called Wood
hull 4 Clatlin's Weekly. 1t was this
! sheet which precpitated the Tilton-
Bcechcr trouble, and thus its projectors
became part of the history OF the most
remarkable clerical scandal known in
| ,ue i, ly Of this or any other country.
| The Weekly, while ostenSibly intended
| for the discussion Of financial affairs,
=, was really largely devoted to a public
| exposition OF V Gloria Woodhull'S Pc
cular ideas upon the subjects Of mar
riage and free love. There were some
| foolish enough to say that the sheet
vas unfit for circulation, but however
| that may be, no effort was made to
suppress II until the publication of the
ISSUE which contained reference to
the difficulty between Henry Ward
Deecher and Theodore Tilton concern
! ing the lattcr's wife. In order, how
ever. not to magnify the matter. which
had not then assumed its subsequent
| proportions, ii was deemed inadviSable
! to arrest the two women publishers for
! giving circulation to this alleged libel,
! and So y pretext was made of another
article in the same issue ot the Week
| ~ containing the most frigAttu1 allega-
tons Of iuiQuity against Luther {,
/ Challia
The object Of Mr. Beechcrs friends
was the suppression of the paper, and
80 two indictments were found AgaiuSl
Woodruff and CIaflin BY the United
states grand jury, charging ,hcm vita
sending obscene matter through the
MATHS, The case came to TRIAL before
Judge 5latChford afterwards supreme
Justice Blatchford IN the United
States Circuit Court in New York city.
and atto the jury had been sworn
and the examination Of one witness
simply begun. The defendants wore ac-
Quilted by direction Of the court. But
il ever there was 4 technical arduittal
that was. The dreadful oGsgaaity Of
the article complained et was beyond
question AS the defendants II that
occasion later deded public criticism, 1t
max 10 We'll TO give from ali official
source the exact reason tr that at-
quittal. The original ae Ut congress
making punishable the transmission Ct
obscene literature through the mails
failed in terms to include newspapers