Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1811-08-14

Herald, of the 18th ultimo. ne young
Of both sexes are requested to read it with
attention. !.
Died. few days since, in a state OF
distraction, Miss MARY ANN MOONEY
aged 81 years. The circumstances at
tending the death of this unfortunate fe-
male are published as warming to the IN,
rejecting of her own sex. anti as an awful
.n,i solemn admonitiOn to the inconsider-
ate Of the other.
This young lady was the daughter of
Mrs. S. Mooney, who lives few miles
from this place. honest, and respected
The old lady has seen better days-but OF
late wears she has depended upon her in
dustry for subsistence, and by her prudent
management her little family has been
kept from want. Mary Ann was her old
est daughter and fayorite child
&C She with her widow'd mother, feeble, old,
" And poor, livd in cabin near this beaute-
Gus town. :,
The mother had endeavored to instil
into her children the principles OF moral
rectitude and to excite them to purity Of
conduct. The wants Of the family ren-
dered frequent intercourse with the town
indispensable, and Mary Ann was often
sent to procure necessary comforts with
the avails of the family industry. la this
empIoyment she became acquainted with
a Young man whose polite attentions made
way to her unsuspecting heart, and soon
secirnd her undivided and unalterable af-
feetions. Her innocent and unreserved
eneomiums upon this person, induced the
mother to attend her daughter in the dis
posal of the next roll Of homespun she
had to part with. The old lady, more ex-
perienccd than her daughter, thought she
discovered something in the manner Of
her customer that she couid not approve
of, and that her favopite was venturing
upon the brink of fatal precipice, from
which she ought instantly to snatch her
AS soon therefore as the cloth was dispos-
ed of she, told her daughter of her DANCE
rous situation and forbid her ever again
visiting the store. The poor girl, unsus-
pecting the generosity and goodness ofone
who appeared to herall perfection, thought
her mothers fears unfounded and her
prohibition unreasonable, But consider
ing it duty to be, as she had ever been
obe;Iient, she endeavored to conform to
maternal directions. After while; how:
ever, Mary Ann was missing from home,
and her mother with tender solicitude and
anxious forbolings. for nisny days sought
her sorrpwins.: At length she was found
at a house MT. far from town, and under
the protection of the person she had been
instructed to avoid.-Distressed and al
most distracted the mother spent her days
in ceaselcss signs and unavailing tears
her chilI--her darling child she said Twas
lost. was lost forever-Sobs and tears
supplied the place of words, and in the ex-
cess of her anguish the old lady seemed
as if her hearts blood would stream from
her eyes.
Some short time after, the person,
whose affection and friendship Mary Ann
supposed she had permanently secured,
and who, she said, had promised to make
her his wife, became Indifferent towards
her. and by avoiding her society, called
forth all the tender sensibiIities Of her
soul. and filled her mind with inexpressi-
bic agony. She sought her FRIEND in
town, but was unable to obtain an inter-
view with him; and without innocence to
prop her fsrtitude, her me2ta powers
were overcome by her. disappointment,
and she became wild and frantic. Some
female acquaintance of the family kindly
undertook to return her to her mother,
and having placed her in carriage, they
went before, to announce to the old lady
the object Of their visit. When informed
of it her colour forsook her checks. she
tpembIed, and burting into tears. asked,
how she could receive child whose cha.
racter was destroyed; but while they were
in conversation. the poor, unfortunate Ma.
~ Ann was brought to the door-and
when her mother beheld her emaciatet
| form, her paliid visage, and her wildly
staring eye, she forgot her resentment
and claspins her in her arms, cried out
o! my child my child /! nay lost and ru
| - obHdt yVhe Scene which follnwet