Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-09-27
Eleanor Fletcher Bishop Nicholas
of Montpelier Has Seen Much
Misfortune,
WAS ONCE VERY WEALTHY,
Lived in Grand style While Her Hus-
band Lived-Hns a Claim of $4,000
Geo against the Mexican Govern
ment-Her Husband In Line
for King of Greece.

Montpelier. Sept. &.-The announcement
that the presiding judge Of Washington
county court has denied with costs the
motion to bring forward the case Of
Eleanor Fletcher bishop Nicholas against
the estate of Calra Nicholas on the
ground that the alleged irregularities and
nformality We're insufficient grounds FOR
again putting the case on the county
court docket has revived a story that has
in 1t much of romance and much that
could hardly be believed were there not
documents in existence TO prove the state
ments made by the plaintiff in this case.
This suit was originally brought TO re-
cover about $4,000, the value of two notes
which II IL alleged Mrs. Cara Nicholas
in her lifetime gave to the plaintiff for
value received. Mrs Cara Nicholas was
a sister of the late James r. Langdon
and for many years lived at the Nicholas
homestead across the river on Berlin side.
She was the widow of Anastasius Nicholas
Who, a 5 a boy, was picked up in Greece by
col j. T. Miller. brought TO this country
and educated by him. A brother OF AnaS-
tasius. who was brought from Greece by
Colonel Miller at the same time went To
Wisconsin and for several years repre-
scented a district of the State in the ma
tional congress. shortly after Anastasius
located in Montpelier he married Cara
Langdon.
Mrs. Nicholas is now living IN a mlser-
able tenement on the outskirts of Mont
pelier in extreme poverty. and although
she refuses to allow the city overseer 10
assist her. she would suffer for the actual
necessities of life was il not for the char
ity of those who have known her in bet
ter days.
She was a native OF Kent, England and
Is now nearly 20 years old. AS young
girl she lived several years in Relgravo
Square in London, and her father was Il
cousin of William T.. Gladstone. Shortly
after coming to New York she was mar
red to James r. Bishop, a wealthy i'm
porter, and during his lifetime, she lived
in grand style, moving in tho best So
ciety. Her husband was killed in run
away accident and during the Civil War
Mrs. Bishop served as an army nurse.
She was called by the New York Herald
at that time THE Florence Nightingale of
America" After the Civil War she con-
Quoted a school of acting In Phil
adelphia and New York city in which
she was very successful. Through bad
management she lost her money and the
death OF her son. Washington Irving
Bishop, tho mind reader. almost unhal-
anced her mental faculties. 1t Will be re-
membered that her son died whine giving
O mind reading exhibition In New York
and that an autopsy was made on his
body the evening of the day of his death,
Mrs. Nicholas insists to this day that her
son was only in a swoon when he went
under the surgeons knife. In 1892 Augu9-
tin Daley gave a benefit at his theatre In
New York for Mrs Bishop which netted
her about 81, 800. She has at the present
time a claim for $1,000 GOO against the Mex
lean government which Is said by her at
torneys to be good, although very
difficult thing to establish or to collect.
She came to this city about 90 years ago
and attempted to establish a school of
acting for young ladies' but it was conf
plete failure. She married In this city
Lucas Langdon Nicholas, a son of Caira
Nicholas, with whom she lived two years,
They have never been divorced but have
not lived together for than dozen years.
Mrs. Nicholas claims to-day that her hus-
bands father. Anastasius Nicholas, de-
scended from the royal family of Greece
and that her husband is to-day In line
for king of that country. Strange as this
statement may seem Mrs. Nicholas has
papers which would seem to substantia,e
it. In her extreme age. poverty and men
tai weakness she delights to call herself
Countess Eleanor Bishop and she has in
hsr nossAssinn manv na-~rs aud lssal doa-