The River Falls journal. (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1857-1861, 1858-07-14
A Domestic Tragedy at New
Orleans.

AUCTION, deSertion, murder in revenge,
aud justification by jury. now, with vary
ING circumstance, so common in all parts
OF the country. There were features of
uncommon interest in the case to which
we refer. 1t opens with the seduction of
Caroline Darby, daughter of G.. w. OAR
by, who was a teacher in the public
schools, by Charles Fl. c. Stone, well
known citizen ana partner in leading
house, in the fall of 1855. Miss Darby
says her ruin was accomplished under the
usual promise of marriage and that their
intercourse was frequent during the next
two years, and that she gave birth to
son, OF which he was the father, in Feb
ruary, 1858. Mr.. Darby and his family
removed to st. Louis last December, after
the discovery of the circumstances in
which the daughter was placed, giving
up his office of teacher at New Orleans.
They seem to have been encouraged and
assisted in this removal by Stone himself,
acting through his brother. From this
removal, however, both the seducer and
the brother ceased to have anything to
do with the family, refusing to answer
any of Miss Darby's letters, and recogni-
zing in no way the birth of the child, and
the accompanying necessities of the fam.
lily. Mr.. Darby was unable to find any
employment as q teacher ut St. Louis.
Miss Darby wrote to the brother of her
seducer, soon after arriving at st. Louis,
being forbidden, it seems, to write to the
latter directly, follows
81 am sorry to say that father and mother
are very melancholy aud silent not word
has escaped their lips concerning the unfortu-
nate events which drove them from home, from
friends and from their support and livelihood.
o. God how feel for them but how dare l
| offer comfOrt-I, who am the cause of their
grief and poverty. / know they sympathize
with me and, though am undescrying, they
love me still,
After the birth of the child, she wrote
directly to its father:
ST. LeUIs. February Is, 1858
Dear charles: You will not write to me, nor
will your brother Joseph keep his -axord to
write to me therefore DatIst say few words
| to you. You have s6n-a dear smart boy !!
You will not desert your child-you viii not
bring such guilt and horror upon your soul.
Oh write to me Immediately upon the re-
CENT of TINS. If you have any heart, any love-
any feeling-write 10 me! Do keep me in
suspense. Oh, how love my sweet boy !
my other dear Charles! And do you suppose
do not love you, the father of my child ? l
know you have good heart Do not oppose
the virtuous dictates of your conscience, but
answer me at once. Your faithful. loving
CAROLINE"
Tie next month, the family returned
to New Orleans, and after her arrival,
Miss Darby wrote to him who had de-
bauched and then deserted herr
New ORLEANS, March "a. ~-
Dear Charlie: have written you, yet you
have never answered me; still l do not feel
discouraged, for l cannot believe that all the
love and devotion which you protested to have
had for me, up to the last time that 1 saw you,
could have died away, and that you could
have become 50 black hearted and cruel as to
speak i'll of me ; and what is more. what hear
you have said of me is false and that you know
full well. Charley, l cannot believe the half
of what hear you loved me, Charley oh I
yes you did. or why would you have cursed
yourself and shed tears for the injury you have
done me +? If you had married me, would
have made you faithful and devoted wife.
God and yourself only know how loved you
Come and see me come and see our boy He
is pretty boy, and. oh, Charley he is the
image of you How I love him, and you, his
father! For Gods sake, come! / feel that
; you are not acting from the impulses of YOUR
own heart; do not be actuated by the evil
motives of others. | am always alone from s
o'clock in the morning till o'clock in the af-
tcrnoon, for papa has his school duties to at.
tend to then, do come. I will expect YOU in
person, or a letter from you, Immediately.
C.
All these appeals produced no response.
Mr.. Darby maddened by the wrong done
his daughter and himself-desperate with
the loss of livelihood and honor-took
the deliberate purpose of revenge by kill
ing She cause of his woes. Aiming him
self with pistol, he repaired to the store
of Mr.. Stone, found him at the desk,
presented his weapon to that persons
breast, and shot him dead, in the pres
ence of the clerks and other partners of
the establishment. Whether this decisive
action was with the knowledge and con-
sent of the daug liter, does not appear.
On the trial of NJ Darby for the murder.
sue .rpvared as a witness, and narrated
, |
and decision, though not without emo
ton. Her appearance on the witness
stand excited much sensation in the court
room, and the sympathy for herself and
Ter father seems to have been marked.
Miss Darby is described as possessing a
beautiful face, with piercing black eyes,
and 81 sifvery voice, and having the man
ners and language of refined and educa-
ted woman. There was of course no
question of the Murdcr-its deliberate
ness, and its premeditstion, Nor WAS
there any psetenso of insanity. The sim
pie facts of the treatment of the family of
the accused by the murdered man were
put in by the defense as sufficient justi-
tieation, The jury accepted the plea, and
acquitted the murderer with scarcely any
delay.
The result is more noticeable in this
case for two reasons,--frst that female
virtue is held in less respect in New Or
leans probably than in any other city in
the Union, and, second, that an appa-
renty unsuccessful attempt was made on
the trial to prove Miss Darby guilty of
acts of nnohastity with other men than
her alleged seducer. -Four men, three of
whom were acknowledged as former ae-
quaintancei by Miss Darby, testified to
immodest conduct on her part with them,
and two Of them to illicit criminal inter-
course with her. All this, however, they
alleged to be subsequent to the period of
her alleged seduction by Stone. Being