The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1857-09-03


gold dollars in cirulation, and this woman. her
neighbors say, has tried 10 pass three within
week. Ihave been very anxious to discover
the rogues; but | don't believe this woman has
anything to do with it. However, had to
shut her up, the neighbors are so indignant
Tomorrow it will be looked into, and the wo-
man set free have no doubt
perhaps her poor sick husband may die Of
anxiety and alarm, MEANWHILE
Well, put on your bonnet, wife. You can
speak German. shouldfeel easier, Il confess,
If knew more about this matter, and we will
go to her resideRce.'
The wife hastily made ready. They had 10
so to dirty, narrow court, peopled by the
lowest Irish. When they arrived and inquir-
ed for the man, they were shown into adesti-
tute room, without fire or light, at the doorof
which they had knocked, but received no an
swer. When they approached the bed man
spoke as if he had just awakened, and said in
German A Il
'Olga. have you come! / am so cold, and
l have been dving for drink of water
could not reach my medicine, Olga, and it is
long past the hsur. But, poor wife, you have
gone through much, no doubt--and have they
paid you ? ' as ea
The magistrate sent the offici GUS neighbors
for fire and light, willie his wife gradually
broke the news to the husband, for be had not
heard Of his wife's arrest. The neighbors
were afraid to tell it to man SO i'll. He was
lying, wasted by low fever almost to skel-
eton. He seemed horror-struck at the idea Of
his wife's disgrace, and turning away from the
lady, he wept bitterly. From CALCULATIONS,
and fragmentary sentences she gathered, that
he belonged to a noble family in some little
German principally, and had been obliged,
on account of sympathy with Hungary, to hy
with his wife. They had expended all their
means, before they had been able to get any
employment, and since the failure Of the hus-
bands health, the poor wife had struggled to
support them both, with her needle. He turn
ed to his visitors again 10 explain abont the
counterfeits. He said the neighborhood and
market-people gave his wife bad money re-
peatedly, thinking, shrewdly, that she being
foreigner, would not be likely to know the
true coin well. When she ignorantly tried to
buy things with this bad money, she was
harshly treated. Therefore, when she had an
other gold dollar given TO her, he supposed She
had shown it to her neighbors to ask il it was
good, aad had not been able to make herself
understood By them, He had hot sesn her
since she left him to take home some shirts to
MIR, BPS furnishing store. 81. ss
The magistrate perceived that these people
were innocent, and went at once to obtain the
woman's release, while his wife stayed and
busted herself in procuring comforts for the
destitute invalid, without consulting him at all
about it, for she saw that his proud spirit re-
belled against receiving, as charity, even the
means Of prolonging life.
1t was not long before her husband return
ed, aud never was there a sadder or a tenderer
meeting than between the sick man and his
| liberated wife. Although medical ATTENDANCE
was procured, and every comfort placed about
him, the sufferer died that eight, blessing the
lady, with his last words, who had enabled
him to have the comfort of his wife's pres
ence in his last dark hour.
The lady herself, however, felt keenly self
condemned. She told her husband the whole
story, shedding tears Of pain.
'What dreadful chain of sin and sorrow |
have occasioned, she SAID. Er
Il do not think you were to blame,' her hus.
band replied, 'for you only left the dollar to
be given to the passer Of it,
%, no, | was almost sure that the market
woman would not be particular. 1 though
size would get rid Of it the first chance she had
Yet, said sthat is no concern of mine, II
was an indifference to right which has h ad the
force Of intentional wickedness. See what q
series Of sins occasioned! The market wo-
man grati6ed her revenge first, and did dis.
honest act besides; then that hateful hypocrits
put it into the poor-fund in church--cheatine
in the very temple. The moment his wife
spoke of his contribution, saw detected guilt
in his face, bur he told more falsehoods-hs
pretended he did it by mistake, and that he
would make it up Then the poor minister's
wife, overtempted by poverty to be dishonest /!
o, what agony it will always be to her, 10 re-
member it, and to me to know that occ casion-
ed i'll And then the starving, innocent Ger
man lady, who came near being deprived Of
her husbands last kiss; and who endured hours
of misery, knowing that he was suffering in
her absence! o, husband,
.One III deed
3s# A sows countless seed Ns4oF a
shall never forget this lesson. Pray God
that every one Of my sins Of omission may not
be followed BY such a train Of mischief =.
To be remainder of her fault, the lady had
The dollar set in q plain bracelet, and wore i,
constantly upan her arm. Every day tn. base
coip'left green mark of corrosion, aud. ss she
washed il off, she thought how blessed il
would be il the consequences Of sin could BE-
as easily effaced. But that, she knew BY rx.
perience, could not be- In the three days Since
she had first been careless of the right, tha,
dollar which she bad suffered to slip through
her fingers, had brought sin or unhappiness t.
herself, two hucksters, the hypocrite, the min,
ister's wife, and the prosecuted foreigner.--
They, none Of them, would ever during theil
whole lives, escape from, the consequences o.
her culpable neglect, in not stopping the cir,