DEATH OF BELL BOYD THE CONFEDERATE SPY.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1044, 4 March 1882, Page 4

DEATH OF BELL BOYD THE CONFEDERATE SPY.

The death is announced in Paris of a singular “ heroine,” whose name was once well known. This was Miss Bell Boyd, the Confederate spy, whose adventures were recounted by herself some years ago in a fantastic book. Miss Bell Boyd seems, according to her own account, to have just completed her education, and begun to shine in the society of Washington when the War of Secession broke out. She had no control over an ambulance at Martinsburg when that town was taken by General Patterson, and was left by the victorious general in command of this institution. As the Federals paid little attention to her, and did not scruple to talk over their plans in her presence, she was able to send valuable intelligence to the Secessionist leaders, with whom she corresponded by means of an accomplice, who acted as courier between the two hostile parties. But this man was soon taken prisoner, and basely betrayed bis former employer, who was at once consigned to prisoi. From this place she escaped, and made her way to General Jackson’s camp w here she joined the. campaign with all the ardour of a male warrior, and was often seen discharging her rifle at the •enemy. Captured a second time she was taken before General Butler and again imprisoned ; this time at theold Capitol. Her luck, however, did not fail her, and she once more escaped, but having embarked in the Greyhound upon amission to England forthe Confederates she was captured on the vessel aud again relegated to durance ville till the end of the war. Her next adventure after peace was made, was a marriage in England, but being shortly afterwards left a widow she went on the stage and played in a piece written by herself to illustrate her own adventures. Her theatrical successes were somewhat ephemeral, but she contracted a second marriage aud it was not until she had been left by the second husband that she fell into a state of destitution, only partially from time to time bvthe success of lectures delivered by her on the same subject which she had already dramatised.

A sleight-of-hand performance— When Arabella declined to accept proposals from Theodore. John M. Comb, probably the oldest policeman in the world, died at Liverpool recently. He joined the police force in 1818, and was still a member at the time of his death, when he was ninety years old. Solitary confinement is being successfully experimented with in various parts of Europe. For this purpose cells of sheet iron are being constructed, and are somewhat in the nature of cages. Over the door and overhead there is a network of heavy wire. A number of these cells are placed side by side in one large room of a prison. The inmates can see nothing of each other, and no conversation is permitted. Youthful prisoners are specially subject to this mode of confinement at night, and during other non-working hours, the object being to prevent the demoralising influences resulting from imprisonment in common. This plan is pursued at present in Belgium, Italy and Ireland, and is to be introduced tn Hungary.