Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1861-11-20
A Sad Case,

case has been brought to our notice during
the past week which for its melancholy associ-
aflcns surpasses any thing Of the kind we have
heard Of for some time past, -sv
A young and beautiful girl the only daush.
ter of one Of our most respectable families, con-
ceived the folly of advertising for husbana'in
one of the city papers some time ago. She was
not alone in the girlish prank, mpanion of
hers, an estimable young lady, assisting and
countepapciDg the deIusion. She received
large number of letters from various corre-
spondents, and selecting few, apparently the
most respectable, she opened regular corre-
spondenee with them. Sometimes one aud
sometimes the other would write the answers,
and it was considered by both of the thought
less girls excellent and rare sport. In the
course of two or three weeks her companion
moved into the country, which left all the busi-
ness of responding to tho communications to
herself. Narrowing the limits Of the CORE
ipondence still further down, she ceased writing
10 all but two, and with these an exchange of
letters became quite frequent. In about a
month from the time when her companion left
the city, she had dropped writing to all but one,
and this correspondent beginning to assume q
local habitation and q name in the mind of the
bewildered girl, became the constant compan-
ion of her imagination and her inexperience.
Daguerreotypes were exchanged, and in q mo-
ment of weakness che promised meeting. 1T
was to take place at the theater. She went
there on the night appointed in company with
young gentleman who was utterly ignorant
of what was about to happen. During the
dance her unknown correspondent, recognizing
her from the daguerreotype, passed over to
where she was sitting, and took a seat immedi-
ately behind ber. Leaning over, he addressed
her In a familiar way. and with assumed fa-
miliarity of her ownj she turned round and
shook hands with him, They engaged in con-
versation few moments, when slipping note
into her hand, he passed over again to the other
side of the theater. ....
1t is easy to tell what supervened upon this
interview. Their meetings were constant and
claDdsstine. He was finished roue, of easy
manners and polished exterior, and foupd it by
NO means difficult to impress upon the mind OF
simple girl Of sixteen summers the idea Of a
romantic attachment. A few more weeks passed
over, and the climax of an intimacy bsguu so
ill-advieedly was reached. One day last week
she was missing from her home, and as yet has
not been heard of. Her parents have written
to her friend in the country, who has informed
them, albeit too Ia to- of all the melancholy cir
cumstanees, and given them a clue to the wretch
who has robbed them of their child. His daguer-
reotype has been found in bureau drawer, and
| by that the terrible discovery has been made
| that he is a married man.
Thus the .imprudence of jest has beo ome
! fraught with sorrow and wretchedness TO ALL
afOrding another instance of the danger Of
young ladies iudulging in the fivolity Of cor
responding with unknown persons. 1t may be
the primrose path of girlish sport, but it has q
serpent under IL, whose sting is inevitable and
almost certain ruin, Chicago Post.