I am not a freak of nature. Instead, I just live the most natural life.’
by Marguerite Martyn
In 1911, Nelly Bly (original name Elizabeth Cochran) was the most famous journalist in the world, male or female. She had:
• Feigned insanity in 1887 to be locked up in the hellhole that was a woman’s lunatic asylum on Blackwell’s Island (now called Roosevelt Island) in New York City. • Traveled around the world in 1888, in seventy-two days. She was alone for most of it, with only one dress, a Scotch Ulster coat, and a small travel bag. She sent reports from every stop where she could reach a telegraph office. |
• Married a wealthy industrialist in 1895. He died in 1904, and Bly took over managing the Iron Clad Manufacturing Company in Brooklyn, New York.
When Bly came to St. Louis for a convention in May, 1911, Marguerite Martyn sat her down for an interview.
When Bly came to St. Louis for a convention in May, 1911, Marguerite Martyn sat her down for an interview.