The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-06-13
FORTUNE OF A GAMBLER.
"COI. William l.. Blanchard" Lived n
Double Life and Was Never Found
From the Boston Herald.

Out.
From the Boston Herald
The fortunes of William L. Blanchard.
known nearly all over this country as Col.
Blanchard the gambler and faro man. and
in South Braintree as big Bill Leggett,"
the shovel welder in the Ames foundry
many years ago, will go to his brother.
Thomas Leggett. who, up to the time of
his good fortune, pushed a cart around
the streets of New York as a collector of
old rags.
Blanchard died about a year ago at
Oceanic, N. Y, leaving an estate of be-
tween $4,000 and $4,000. but it was only
last February that Lawyer George A.
smythe of this city succeeded in finding
the heirs. The dead gambler left no viii,
but he provided for a number of people
in such a way that they received large
sums of money as soon as his death was
announced. One of them was woman
living few miles out in the suburbs
whom Blanchard wanted to marry, but
who threw him off when she learned he
was a gambler.
He was a most remarkable man, and was
81 years old when he died
II was while in South Braintree in 1861.
that he Joined company G of the Fourth
front as a three-months man. He never
lived there again, but he visited his
friends often and they welcomed him as
a successful business man. member of the
New York Consolidated Stock and Petro-
leum Exchange, 32d degree Mason and hail
fellow well met They did not know he
was Col Blanchard, the gambler, and that
the money he displayed so lavishly was
earned at night, much of it from wealthy
men whom he met at their summer homes
and fashionable clubs and with whom he
would not play cards until they coaXed
him and apparently shamed him into it,
Then Blanchard would play He always
entered the game when the pot was larg-
est and when he had won everything in
sight invariably received a telegram from
somewhere which made ii necessary for
him to depart on urgent business. He
made thousands of dollars in this way and
those from whom he won never suspected
that he was anything more than he pre-
tended to be-a wealthy man who played
for the fun there was in it,
Blanchard was a splendid looking man
Of striking personality, feet inches in
hight, Weighing about $50 pounds. He
dressed plainly but with the best the tailor
could give him. He was proud of his APP
pearance, his physique and manners, and
he took every precaution to keep from
the public, and even some of his most in-
innate friends, has real character and bus
mess.
This is the only reason known for his
change of name. He tried to make people
believe that he was the scapegoat of an
aristOcratic family, and, while his brother
was pushing ragman's cart through the
streets of New York, Blanchard told his
friends stories about a sister who married,
he said, millionaire, living on Fifth
avenue, New York. She would not recog-
nize him, her scapegoat brother, he was
wont to remark.
His was a double life such as we read
about in novels, and when death came to
him at Oceanic, where he had gone to get
over the effects of q long debauch, the
plot had developed to such point that it
seemed it would require a Dickens to I'M
Tavel it, This work, however, fell to Law
Yer George A. Smythe of Boston, and last
Tuesday he saw the end of his labors, mat
ters having been Strengthened out so that
the property will come into the possession
of its legal owners. ..i....,
When Blanchard died. March Is. 1896
very little was known about him. His ply
stefan found among his things bank books,
securities, bonds and mortgages amount
ing to $S5,000 and of this amount $4,000
was in cash. Just before he died it became
known that he lived in New York, where
he had kept a gambling house for about
thirty years, having rooms at 1873 West
Forty-second street. The day before he
died he was asked whether there was any
body he would like to have come to see
him, and he mentioned Fanny Belkeiser,
a mulatto, who lived at 408 West, Forty
first street, New York. This woman came
and was with Blanchard when he died.
She, with two or three others, who had
known him. attended the funeral.
Blanchard's relatives did not turn up
and those who had his affairs in charge
were at loss what to do. The doctor
finally wrote to MIR. Smythe of Boston, of
whom he had heard as having been sue
cessful in finding missing heirs. Mr..
Smythe went to New York, but could
learn very little about the gambler. Fam
ny Belkeiser claimed to be his wife, but
said that, being a colored woman and out
of respect for Blanchard's memory, she
would never assert her rights. He had
left her $1,000 in trust to be paid by his
banker on his death.
Mr.. Smythe's Investigations brought TO
light that Blanchard had been gambler
in New York for about thirty years; that
he was a thirty-third degree Mason, men,
Der of the Mystic Shrine and that he had
always claimed Portland, Me-, as his
birthplace That was about all.
Then Maine was gone over with a fine
tooth comb for families bearing the name
Of Blanchard. and the military records
Of Maine, Massachusetts and Rhode Isl
and were searched for a man OF that
name who had enlisted during the war
No trace of him could be found, until
Mr.. Fred d. Robbins of Mr.. Smythe's Of
fce while pursuing his inquiries in Port
land, learned that Blanchard had gam
bling establishment there in 1861 and in
company with another man had been en-
gagged in the business of furnishing sub
stitutes for people who did not want to
90 to the front with the regiments then
being recruited.
Blanchard made considerable money at
that time and it was while there he met
Mrs Susan Frances Manchester, then the
widow Of a physician, and to whom he
was married at the Bay State house.
In the meantime Blanchard had estab-
lished a gambling house at 30 Howard
street, in this city. lie kept this open
4 from lSGSho 1872. Blanchard also had
n gambling house in New York. The house
on Howard street was broken into one
night after a day Of big business and 5000
stolen. Blanchard went 10 New York
about that time and Maj. Jones' who was
then In charge OF the state police, sent
men after him. but no arrests were made
When Mr.. Smythe became satisfied that
Blanchard was not born In Maine he look