The Union. [volume] (Georgetown, Del.) 1863-1866, 1863-11-06
GEORGETOWN, DEL, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER s. 1863


"pid you see i. i. the papers this morn
ing" she sobbed, ''tne arrest Of a noto-
riOus burglar, called ''Patent Hammer
smith ?" 20 lA-at
II think did see something of the
kind" 80 lai.f.tlf' Il laa0f 4t rf.
'That was none other than Ralph Wag-
ner"
''Good heavens! you amaze me!' cried
"Your husband burglar?"
'He is not my husband" sobbod the
poor woman.
,"NoWs na
"Sit down, doctor, and let me tell you a
painful story in few words; and then if
you can give me any good advice and SYM
pathy, shall receive it with gratitude /;
and if you scorn and cast me from you,
-1-r-l only And tl.sst ...;stsls-> s,vs-
posing you had heart"
l seated myself and became all atten-
tion.
II was reared in afluence," she re-
sumed, and for seventeen years was the
pride and joy of fond PARENTS. At seven
teen fell in with man some years older
than myself, whom believed to be per-
fection itself. My father knew him bet
ter and warned me against him. He final
ly forbade him the house. We cores
ponded afterward, met clandestinely, and
at eighteen eloped with him. We went,
as l supposed, to the house of clergy
mau, and were married, and then set off
on a wedding tour. The man | had so
wildly loved proved to be black-hearted
villain, and soon robbed me of all nay money
and jewels, and then deserted me in a
strange city. He afterward wrote me that
the marriage was a sham, and that he had
deceived me in that manner in order to
revenge himself ON my father for his in
suits"
ga blank followed this awakening from
a bright and glorious dream to reality
too horrible for an ordinary mind to con-
template had brain fever 1 became
insane. got my liberty in rags. L
wrote home to my father the whole terri
BILE truth, and implored him to receive
back his poor, wretched, broken-hearted
daughter l was ragged mendicantin a
! strange city, and God only knows with
what intense and fearful anxiety l awaited
the answer to thai letter. 1 waited days
I waited weeks-i waited months
None ever came. 1 was cast oil then
abandoned-ruined for this world ana Tor
the next! o the suffering and degreda-
tion l was compelled to endure. At last
Ralph Wagner offered me his protection
tanu MS Maud. accepted. We were
married. He declared he loved me, ana
certainly treated me with respect and af-
fection / knew not then that he was a
housebreaker; and when l found it out l
asked myself what better was / then he
that should leave him? Sol have lived
with him ever since, nearly two years, and
now he is arrested and l am again alone
in the world Such is my sad history, doc
tor. Now tell me what to dop
"Write again to your parents, said l,
"they may not have received your letter, or
their reply may have miscarried."
"I have sometimes hoped So and want
to die in that delusion, if it be one p she
eagerly rejoined. eff were to get an an
swer now, that they know my condition and
have cast me off forever, it might craze my
poor brain again. Besides, am no longer
fit to be forgiven and received back among
the good p
at is never too late to repent" replied
Remember the words ofChrst to the men
who would have put to death the guilty
woman for her crime: ''Ha that is acithont
san among you, let hin, first cast stone at
her" We have our errors, and all need
forgiveness"
After saying much more of a similar pur-
port, urged her, if she did not wish to
write to her parents herself, to give me
their address, and let me ascertain, in my
own way, if they still lived and cared for
her. She finally consented, and wrote the
address on slipofpaper. Tread it, sprang
from my seat and looked at her in perfect
amazemont understood it all, but could
scarcely credit my senses.
She is nly SISTERS cLitd .f re
pass over the scene that followed this
strange discovery.
1t was all mistake on her part--her
letter had never reached her almost dis
tracted parents who had long mourned her
as dead, or lost to them forever. She went
home with me, and remained at my house
till her fond and loving parents came to
reclaim her. 1t was a fearful scene of
commingled joy and grief when we all met
under the same roof; and humbly, on our
knees, we all thanked God for the wonder
full restortion of fthe lost one who was pluck
ell, indeed as brand from the burnlng.
and saved in body and l trust in soul
Three years after, Ralph Wagner died
in prison, and with him perished one great
portion of the guilty secret. l have pur-
posely concealed all other names-but my
sad story isnone the less true notwithstani- :
ing. '>
AN ARMY SUrLER BILL.-The following is