The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1865-07-15
LOVE AND CRIME.
Trial of Mary Harris-The Fnithiess
Burroughs-A Woman's Revenge
Curious Budget of Am0rous EPisties'

Curious Budget of Amorous EPisties.
II NAV be remembered that on the Both
of january last the city of Washington
was startled by the report that a Young
woman had shot and instantly killed a
clerk in the Treasury Department after
living in wait for him in one OF the halls
of the Bureau of that Department.
The assassin, Mary Harris, turned out
to be a young woman of Irish birth, and
she affirmed as an excuse for the horrible
crime she had committed, that her vic
tim, Adoniram Judson Burroughs. had
ruined her.
That Burroughs, dazzled by her good
looks and enslaved by the thousand
nameless witcheries which young wo-
man is able to throw around one of the
opposite sex, had promised her marriage.
and that the sentiment of his so-called
love had cooled, and the basest natural
instincts alone remained, there appears
70 be little or no reason to doubt. 10
snch an extent did his infatuation for the
Young woman lead him that he once pro
posed, as appears from letter received
by Miss Harris, an designation at a GER
tain house in Chicago, which bears bad
name even in that goddess city. The at
tempt, in all probability, failed. Some
time afterwards Burroughs passion had
fallen down below zero and he dropped
his acquaintance with the woman he
formerly adored. Such is life In July,
1864. she commenced a suit against him
for breach of promise of marriage, giving
as her motive for prosecuting him that
she wished TO vindicate her character
and honor. Of course, many-tongucd
Scandal had busted herself with the
name and fame of Mary Harris. Whcn
everthe Chicago designation" affair was
spoken of she would become wild and
excited. She grew thin and pale-a
changed woman altogether. An atfida-
Wit was filed for commencing the suit
against Burroughs and warrant issued
for his arrest, but ii was never served
upon him In the meantime, Mary love
for she did love the man-had turned
into hate. She brooicd over her wrongs,
real or imaginary. \ crisis came--it al'
ways comes i'll these agaits de eoer-3nd
the heartless coquette or Seduccr, sees IL
in the distance, depend upon it. What
was the shadow that at times filed the
room and darkened the page OF shee. be-
fora Burroughs as he sat driving the pen
IN the Treasury Department at Washing
tonl The crisis came, and Mary commit
ted the crime mentioned in the Trst par
agraph of this report.
The case is now being tried before
Jgdgc Wylie, in tie Criminal Count, at
Washington. George H. Walker, Il po-
.ireman, was the first witness called, and
cav" some interesting testimony rs 10
HE ARREST OF MISS HARRIS.
lie said that when he went to the room
where she was kept after firing TN; -
tnl the lady was Walking backward aud
forward. and appeared 10 he u great
agony and distress; she had her hards
over her face, and at times in her hair;
she asked me what would he done with
her. and | told her Mr. Handy was
making out commitment t. send her Ia
iail q few moments afterwards Mr.. Nc
Cullocn helped her 70 4 hack, and start
ed with her to Jail on the way 10 jail |
asked her if she had any friends in
Washington, and she said she had none
ut all asked her if she had ever been
IN Washington before. and she said she
had come here one day last summer in
the morning, but not seeing Mr.. Bur
roughs, she left the same evening; the
lady asked me to telegraph To Miss
Louisa Devlin. ut GAINESVILLE. Wisconsin,
told her might not remember the
name. and she wrote it ia my memoran-
,ium book asked her what / should
telegraph. and she said knew as we'll as
She did. The words telegrapkel.
think, were as follows: Il have arrived
IN Washington and shot Burroughs;
GENE on immediately, or telegraph"
signed her name 10 the dispatch hy her
direction; she did not tell me ~ tclG-
uraph these words, but said knew Ia;
90 say rs we'll as she did. As We were
turning into Fifth street from r, as
stated before, she said size did not ask
any sympathy for herself, buI for her
family. She said that this man had
ruined her, and had caused her IL lie
driven from her hpILc and friends, that
he had seduced her, and that lie had ia
ken her ia a bad house III Chicago. Bad
house was the word she used She said
that she had told him that il he did not
comply with the promises he had made,
she would have revenge at the risk Of her
life. She said that she had procured the
pistol in Chicago, and had started for
tuiS CITY WIN OF nav
ing revenge. She said she had arrived
that morning, and had accomplished the
object for which she came. b. that
time we had arrived at the gatr ~ the
Jail. The lady seemed much distressed,
and in al agony of mind She seemed
very weak, and l had to assist and SUP
port her into the building. She did not
speak of the time when these wrongs
we're done to her by the deceased. she
was crying violently while she was
making the statement, and was in much
distress all the way along,
REMORsE.
Secretary McCnlloch was the next wit
ness examined for the prosecution. Ie
said that after the commission of her
crime Miss Harris was much excited and
exclaimed, "Why did I do it2 Why did /
do it," put some questions oher with |
regard to her acquaintance with Bur-
roughs. She said she had known him
many years, and had been engaged to be
to him. had never known OF
heard of Miss Harris before, and do not |
know that ] ever heard her name men
ioned;I knew Mr.. Burroughs after he
,a,,,a fo Washihyfun in 1263: Il was then |