The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1862-01-01
Autobiography of Mrs. Fanny Sweet.
A rApD no TIN I,rrDT TC

i Y.
When a woman feels compelled to parade her name
and her private affairs in the public newspaper proves
either the andacy of her folly or the grievousees
those wrongs for whose redress she thus appeals to the
honesty and justice Of community Let him who reads
the following simple recital of facts be the Judge of this
question. Let his verdict be formed without prejudice
from the undermining trains of slander or flsehood and
without pity for who has friend left to speak
in her behalf save her pen Let it be fair calm
and impartial opinion and before its decree the subject
OF it will bow in humble acquiescence.
Il Is 10 easy task fora who has already been
sunk by the irresponsible voice Of runor to depth too
low for her reach the consideration of the world to
show them that she been she has been painted
that she may even be entitled to sympathy where she
finds only unrelenting showers Of oboquv. 1t is no
easy task for her to convince those who NAV find a
strange pleasure in heaping odinm upon her head and
in eXaggerang the exaggerated scandal they have heard
that some of it-perhaps all of its baseess as the
fabric Of a vision" She expects to find many who
cannot be convinced by reason, nor swerved from their
4#an##{ proofs thaE can place heore theIrevea.
Eaa us fAa5H g H4aa1 have .aea useless for her
za se 8ue5 hey eoaid QH5E ga5s. alr woras
f1te si'7 s'sa her seFH.4Eea, aad H-a-aaa g dis
q -5sgsaea asIeat justice tile arfg aofa-
sH a 81 accomplished criminal. 5a t#ere ura Others
gea many uUra-a hose minds aie Ea #eaI ly aru.fl
aea aAase hirs aa aeE scaled agaltst .H@rl.E, @lH
have elta rise #dl.ga5s5af Ia. Hm Haa Is without sin
a9oassa Sc aa. 5le dGst soae Aas aHa ao ssh as
=
szz5 2s--s.sF = ts=s e1ileH i5a a.H5 that tHt
aga 4 ae .saEa I5fe -Hl IS itse gu ts condemned
At18aG s4t4 5.a as eaE4.lH1 aagEz5 58Hs as SHE has
found Eastlg lu ae public ula0 reflected iu a tae5e
cruel distortion "y Et'a Haaie press IS difficult to te-
ire HBeh gg meet aHd Ea5ute gaU s8 Sc wagl8 IS.
pear ssaesaaE rs Hef whole a 1e rather .ae ro.r#
elz'aa g. 81, ta pasa arasaa freely asst I, were
puyo pguPeIg}, hes - s.a.y WI4at it has aagl IN
reality, up TO the present time. The unfortunate the
disastrous trip through Texas, that has been made the
warrant for all this wholesale denunciaon of her. al
though she actually the greatest sufferer by its mis-
haps and her connection with it has been pronounced
honest and honorable only by the highest legal ai-
thorty of the State but by the venerable man who was
most deeply Interested will be the first subject for her
eXposton dcsrous as she is that every particular CON
corning the melancholy death OF Mr. Wm g. Stephens.
together with all the circumstances connected with or
leading to it, should become matter of public record
and information.
As to the commencement of their acquaintance about
which the papers have been so nsIormed it is only
necessary 10 say that it gradually formed through
the visits OF Mr. Stephens to her house Their friend
ship and attachment mutual and seemed to be the
of their acquaintance sprngng up uucon-
scously on both sides No could be knderor ion-
der to woman than he to her and her feelings to-
ward him partook much OF the respect of child to-
ward its parents Of the recprocaton Of his love So
deeply imbued she with this sentiment Of respect
that hs slightest wish or intimaton was law to her and
far from his being "a plant tool in her designing
hands, she guided in every by his wishes cx
pressed or supposed. All who knew him well know that
he OF strong mind and rcsOlute purpose cool
and calm in his deliberations who took no step without
having well consdcreditan viewed il by conscientious
- Il. ta NO, ~ Ell. 'l''' o 0'o'
N,r rss Le ,,r,sy,rrn of tL T,,st IT,, f 1 =
whom he placed bis trust Every incident Of her life
was frankly told to and canyasSed by him. until he be-
capta almost as familiar with il as she was herself II
~ Iofarl. tr l ,,, 70 IL lat, .s,,l
i,f, an ianeI,ra cor
Ill ~ l and flS 80 u
=, i l,ss M 4 min. tt.,,,s,,r y ~, f;I. ~ -
tr--fss.-..a .r.a,e r.. .E1a ,.rfr.af
t.r..s,tf,a ar l.r l.at.sa far sor.. .fr-a l.-. .
.5 .r and slefr..r s.s#f, l- and. sf-t. ..t .
t-s 1.lfsa. .sr4t Es.- st8f5sr i,s.-.5 s. l si..
ID. t.ee.r.-e ar sraa..er,. rr,,assi .. h.- ,.,.
h. az..-- an 4 r..r.. Ie 45. i,sr,s.. ,. ffa,}.. r
mas q s.r.-se ar t.,zf,-.--,rai, h. +f,is ,,rl f.
..a.,st5= mar. ri fs4tif- SENSITIVE. -. 4.e
.. ..a.fsf;oe in the easai..s h. ~. --.-.-s
assa#aa5 l4s5aI sa2s2-is laa-
.3 .8e jeets 0i aa .tteaes ana companions
F7 saIz purpose Re himself bId her clothes made at
q f5rs en- Exchange alley ane 9EQgsHt her 90 ts house
III s#E.gEt ~ August. lie caH aa Hgf, as mend
al} IS l..siugss afes and sis a1slssd "i.l blla u
tle.ttae spirit, Is h-a some important business 10
se.g9 or n Jns city o aeR 9i, y@s g ihaEa tie if
Ihsi5 a9a.1 Y. & 1a.s 3..s S+.~ ts W..
rla responsibility and p.-he5 Aermi7s.oa success
fully and satisfactorily While IN the uorEh she seized
upon every advantage to OBTAIN relabie information con
cening the resources OF the enemy III men and
particularly taking notes as to their munitions OF war
The result Of her observations detailed to him, proba-
bly, first suggested to his mind the project OF importing
munitions Of war for the Conledelate government
through Mexico. When the details OF this plan became
perfected in his mind and not before he broached to
he and she readily agreed not only to share fortune
in the hazards Of the scheme but to share with HIM Its
dangers and tatigues.
Mr. Stephens did not turn all OF hls properly iAto
money asstated. On the contrary he sold nolnS
and left between three ana Iouf thouSaio uoiis ~ "
Nor is it true that she took all hermeans with hertor she
left behind what represented about fifteen thousand dol
lars The financial transactions beE cen them stood as
follows: Mr. Stephens bought her property, furniture.
lorliage and two negroes Tor fifteen thousand five nun
1red dollars Of which seven thousand was to be cash,
and eight thousand in mortgage notes. He gave her
e ofps and bought sterling exchange former with the
balance and another amount she Afterwards placed III ms
IlcrIng She also contributed eight hundred and fifty
dollars at one time (n narNers banking house ana one
I9r,d and 6ty in gold at another time, toward the
| e5Ii,,o exnenses to which he added, and purchased
t,a tortTniae douboons, making purse OF gold anc
u 3tes forincidentl expenses OF fifteen to SiXtcer
4 L,nlrad dollars She had another mortgage note o
no t,,sand dollars and besides this had left serera
tpo,sad dollars worth of diamonds and jewelry at Mr.
ParI,er,s hank.
Their first arrangement that Mr.. Stephens was t