The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-08-19
Sad Life Of Mrs. Merritt Comes
TO an End at Last.
MYSTERIOUS NOTICE OF DEATH.
She Married Singer. The Inventor Of the
Sewing Machine Bearing His Name, but
He Soon Deserted Her.


Merritt died on August 10 at Greenwood
Lake, n. j., announced a mysterious sd-
vertissment in the papers OF yesterday.
| She was seventy-eight years old. and the
announcement said the funeral would be
| private at Greenwood cemetery, Brook
| lyn. No date was set for IL 10 take place.
This notice told of the end of a life
crowded with romance and much sorrow
| IL was linked with that OF Isaac Merritt
| Singer, inventor of the sewing machine
bearing his name.
She was the third OF his nine wives. she
accepting him under the name OF Merritt.
| She had one daughter Alice, who saved
| for her a share OF The Singer millions
| years after the mother had been deserted
and other wives had taken her place ia
| his affections
Leaves from tho life OF Isaac Singer
| tell the story OF her own existence. Mr.
Singer was born i'm Peck slip. Manhattan,
| and secured patents on his sewing ma
chine In 1881. Prior 20 that time he was n
machinist and a strolling player.
HE WAS A TRAVELLING PLAYER.
For years he appeared with Olive and
.-ary Logan and the parents OF the girls
1ney travelled about in a rickety stage
coach, giving performances Of Shakes
peare plays i'm the little hamiets and vii
| lagos in school houses. barns and any
place in the open where they could coll
lect a crowd
ON one Of the tours he met I'm a small
town IN Virginia a girl whose great
beauty charmed him. She was Mary
Eastwood. That was in the forties. He
told her of his affection, but the stage
was ready 20 move. He went with II and
forgot
IL was after he had invented the sew
ing machine and riches were beginning
TO pour IN on him that she again crossed
his path. q was sitting one summer sf-
ternoon i'm front Of French's Hotel witch
stood near the present entrance 10 the
BROOKLYN Bridge.
He saw two girls cross to City Hall
Park. and followed, asking II one was not
the idol Of his Virginia courtship. De-
murely she answered that she was Their
acquaintance was renewed and she he
came wife No. 3. taking the name OF
Mary Eastwood Merritt
<p~After her daughter Alice was born he
abandoned her. and she struggled alesg
| for years i'm poverty in Williamsburg
But tho daughter had blossomed forth
| ana the fame OF her beauty reached even
10 Europe. where her father was living
AS an exile because of HIS many marital
| entangiements. So many warrants wait
| cd for him in America that he did not
dare return.
Mr.. Singer sent for his daughter 10
come 20 his home at faignton. Devon
shire, England. Under the protection OF
A. +. La Grove she made the journey.
Mr.. Singer was proud of her beauty. ne
also liked la Grove and ordered his
daughter to be married to him.
lE LEFT HER $500. 600
The ceremony was performed few
days before her fathers death. and she
was mentioned in the will for $500 900
Mrs. La Grove had one son, who is still
| living I'm New York.
She disagreed with La Grove over the
attention she paid to her mother. who
had not received penny OF the $1,000 0oo
| estate She fed 10 France and was Joined
by her mother. On her return 20 Ameri-
ca she secured divorce and went on the
stage as Agnes Leonard. but her theatri-
| cal ventures were unfortunate and costly.
She retired.
She was next heard from in 1883, when
she was married TO Frank G.. Bangs.
! They separated the day after the mar
risge. She secured a divorce, and devoted
the balance OF her life to the care of her
mother
Mrs Merritt-Singer-La Grove-Leonard-
Bangs died at her home. Eastwood Han,
No. 1883 Pacific street. Brooklyn. eleven
years ago. after a torturing illness that
.. lasted two years. During that time
| famous alenist. She had been paralyZed
| two years before her death.
She left her fortune so that the income
from half OF il should go to her mother
during her lifetime. The other half went
| TO her son. who now inherits everytniu.;.
II was on the bounty thus secured from
Singer by the intercesson OF her daugh-
ter that Mary East wood Merritt was able
10 round out her last years in comfort.
Although Mr.. Singer lived extravaganza
| ly ne left a fortune that was considered
| enormous in the seventies. Bitterly he
bewailad the fact that his wives would not
let him return to America. and he fire.
| quently announced that America was
the only country fit 70 live in"
This accounts for custom he enforced
as long as he lived I'm Pagnton. on each
Fourth of July he would summon all his
! household his servants, the farmers and
cmployes on his lands the tradesmcn
with whom he transacted business. tho
Episcopal clergyman TO whose church
each wear he made a handsome donation
and all others in any way Indebted TO
rim
CELEBRATED JULY T.
These hc would range on the lawn un-
der the shadow OF the American Flag
while he read the Declaration OF Inde-
pendence An were expected 10 bare their
heads and give three cheers for the star
Spangled Banner. And he kept close
watch TO see that all cheered heartily.
Not 10 DO II mcaut loss OF favor.
The only Americans against whom he
over cried out were those who were un-
der heavy financial obligations TO him.
and who kept alive the agitation about
his marriages so he could not return
In spite of The fact that too many Mrs.
Singers barred him from rs native land.
he continued 10 add 10 tae list on the
other side. or All his wives none deserted
him but one She was a French grl and
ran away This nettled him 50 that he
spent immense sums IN sending out
searching parties for her.
FINALLY he rot = clew that former
maid OF the French wife was in tho Lake
rssions Of Scotland nc sent word that
he would lsud near tho place of her en-
plo, mont on certain day aud date. She
kept tho appointment. ard the aged mil
iionairc was so much impressed by her
beauty that the search for the othe f~wife