Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1858-10-20
"OIe mlre uuf0rtulate
WeaTy VI ureaIh
Rashly Imp1uunzte
Gone u ler dcalh."
Ne Ietter was dated ID Friday.

Gone u her dsalh."
The letter was dated last Friday.
MYDEAR MARIA:-C Can YOU read a letter from
so abandoned a wretch as [ am. Perhaps you
thought l was dead / wish to God was. You
don't know all l have suffered since | left our
dear home in Tecumseh. 1 feel ] shall not live
a great while longer and feel that must tell
YOU something about what have gone through.
Bad as I am thethoughts Of it freezes my blood,
and can't imagine how the story will affect
you who are so pure and good. Ny dear Maria,
am broken-hearted- Would that had taken
your advice and not listened to the entreaties Of
Charles. o Maria, he was vile wretch. He
never cared for me only TO ruin me But / will
tell you. Th4nk God my aged mother is no
more Do not tell my poor old father for II will
bring his grey hairs in sOrrow to the grave
Its now but a little over year since left
you and nv dear home TO fly with my seducer.
Then was blooming and fair, but now if you
could see me YOU would not know me such per-
feet wreck am become. He told me he was a
travelling dentist from Detroit and was doing a
good business there and moved in good society.
He offered to marry me. told him my parents
would not consent to my marrying stranger,
He said be could notlive without me and begged
me to fiy with him. Maria, ] went with him.
It was verv wicked and have been punished
for it. But loved him dearly. We reached
Detroit in the evening.
On the way he told me be should not take me
out of the State, and that when my parents saw
how well / was off they would forgive US. He
took me TO what be said was his Aunt's house
but which proved TO be one Of the worst houses
in the world. Here he effected my ruin. / ask
ed him to fulfill his promise to me, but be swore
at me and told me TO live as the rest of the
girls did, for he could not keep me any longer
/ never saw him since l did not dare 90 back
to the house had left so disgracefully. The
woman Of the house said l must pay for my
board. l had not penny IN the world, Both-
ing but my clothes and Charles likeness / had
no where to 90 so l staid there and did as the
rest Of the girls did. I staid there some two
or three weeks, but was afraid OF meeting some
one that knew me. So ] went 10 Buffalo and
staid the winter there. You don't know how
wretehedly I lived there, and what horrible
scenes / passed through. In the Spring /
scraped money enough together to pay my pas
sage on a propeller to Cleveland. After getting
20 Cleveland went to house kept by wo-
man named Van Tassell She was an aban-
doned wretch and robbed me Of nearly every
thing / had ! left her and staid at various
houses in the neighbOrhOod, getting lower and
lower / used to walk the streets nights, and
when I thought of my old home it used to
drive me ,rz1y, and l took to drinking brandy
to drown my thoughts. Ny dear Maria, you
can't imagine tie agonies suffered.
/ got a situation on a Canal boat as cook
The men were great brutes and i'll used me
dreadfuIly Ny dear Maria ! can stand this no
longer Ny life is burden 10 me and feel
that shall soon put an end to my eTistenee.-
II these few lines ever reach you by any means
you viii know your poor lost sister is no more.
Farewell nv dear Maria / cannot write any
more
Your Unhappy Sister,
ELIZA WILLIAMS