The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1900-03-01

tate of Montserrat, in Portugal, the
wife of Sir Francis Cook, one of the
richest of Englishmen and Portu
guese viscount
She will establish in New York a re-
plica Of her London institution the Al
exandra Home for young women ar
lists. 1t cost $1,250,000 and has ac-
commodations for 100 inmates, each Of
whom is furnished with bedroom,
while every two share parlor.
Sir Francis Cook is nearly ninety
years old.
He has a standing offer of $1,000 to
whoever will trace to their source GER
tain scandalous stories about his wife
that have been circulated for thirty
years past.
Lady Cook and her sister, Victoria
Woodruff Martin, once threatened to
sue the Inspector of the New York
Police, because he had been quoted as
designating them charming adventur-
esses."
That they were charming, no gallant
OF the vanished generation would hive
disputed. Certainly not Jay Gould,
Jim Fiske and other olden kings of
finance, who were credited with having
enabled the LADY brokers'" Woodruff
in Wall street.
Certainly not Theodore Tilton, who
wrote Victoria Woodhulls biography
when she was nominated for the presi-
dency, and whose name was frequently
coupled with hers in the course OF the
famous Beecher-T -Tilton divorce scan6al.
Tennessee Claflin-in after years she
called herself "Tennie C."-was the
youngest of the ten daughters of Buck
man Clafin, a Massachusetts lawyer.
1t was in 1869 that she and her sister
Tennie formed the brokerage partner
ship that laid the foundation of all
their subsequent notoriety. Encoura &c
and sustained by Vanderbilt, Gould
and the other great powers of the
Street." the sisters installed themselves
in an office in Broad street.
Never were brokers so besieged as
they. The newspapers interviewed
them, the weeklies satirized them, the
comics caricatured them.
They started Woodruff and Clanins
Weekly, and Col. Blood became the ell
tor. Then trouble began. They were
driven out of Wall street. Men cried
"Blackmail!" Women passed by on the
other side of the way.
Then came the Beecher-TiltOn a flair.
first publication that dared to tell the
news of the great preachers difficult
ties. and the edition went like widfire.
From the outset the Weekly took the
side of Tilton, whom it exploited as II
bitterly wronged husband
Enemies lurked at every turn. Libel
suits sprung up in all directions. They
were arrested again and again, as fast
as they could procure bail bonds. Re-
leased on bail, the sisters essayed to
restore their fortunes by a lecturing
tour. More indictments and warrants
followed In many communities they
were not allowed to speak in public
They fed from the country, ruined In
. purse and broken in spirit. kinder
fortune awaited them abroad Victoria
became the wife of John Biddulph Mar
tin, rich London banker, and is now
a widow Tennie married Sir Francis
Cook, a retired manufacturer. They be-
came partners year ago in a broker
age business in London, under the
name Lady Cook & Co., with the sane
tion and help of Sir Francis.
Through all her trials Lady Cooks
love of her native land has never wav-
ered 1t is that which is bringing her
back Lady Cook is clear headed, full
of business sagacity. Her charitable
works for the peasants on her hus-
bands estates are well known. 1t Is
eleven years since she began her edu-
cational work in Cintra. From her own
private purse Lady Cook supports sew
en- schools.
AS many as twelve little girls she has
sent to the Catholic converts in Lon
don. The Queen of Portugal, who is a
devout Roman Catholic, neglects no
opportunity to honor Lady Cook The
castle at Montserrat Is 150 feet long and
rs feet wide.
Alexandra House in New York will
probably cost in the neighborhood of
million and a half, and 1t will be decided
TO a board OF trustees The London
house, which is twelve years old, ac-
commodities $50 young women stu
dents