New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-03-24
Seduction.
a MOST EXTRAORDINARY AND yILLAINoUs AFFAIR
From the St. Louis Democrat

From the St. Louis Democrat
Yesterday morning a gentleman from Cham.
pagn, Illinois, visited the office OF the chief OF
police. and asked the aid of the force to reclaim
from the bonds of RIGHTEOUSNESS and passion,
girl named Mile Lawson, whose history he gave
as follows: Mile, who is pretty but dull Wltted
lass of seventeen, had become an orphan at an
early age, her father and mother sleeping side by
side upon the broad prairies of Illinois. Having
no friend orrelatve one sister older than her
self, who was about to be married-lett destitute
by the death Of her parents, she was, with her
own and SISTERS consent bound out to family
near where the family had resided. Nothing was
heard from her sister till some time last summer,
when her husband, Thomas Ireland, appeared in
Champaign, sought out his sister-in-law and asked
the permission Of those to whom she was lnden'
tured to take her to her sister, who lived as he
said in New York, at the same time representing
himself as possessed of means, and desiring to
educate and provide for the orphan girl.
Moved by this plea, the friends OF Mile con-
scented to the canceling of her indenture and saw
with many wish for her future happiness, the
innocent girl depart, with her. as they supposed,
kind-hearted brother-inaw. Instead of taking her
to New York. the william brought her to this city,
up0n reaching which she was told that her sister
had gone away for time Under the pretense
of her country education and manners, the villain
contrivcd to secude her from observation, a mat.
ter which her perfect simplicity rendered easy. 1t
matters not now to relate how this VILLAIN grad
ually led this innocent girl along, te!llng hti i
probable stories about her sisters ABSENCE finally
convincing the girl that his wife had eloped, that
he had procured a divorce, and asked her to
become his wife. The poor girl, thus urged, WIN
out n friend to advise, consented to become h's
wife, not his paramount. Ireland had anticipated
this ,&and knowing the ignorance of the girl, mad
prepared himself to overcome her scruples. Read,
ing to her an account Of Quaker marriages, he LED
her to believe that two persons could marry each
other without the intervention of priests or JUS
tlce, aud then taking down a bible, made her
swear eternal obedience and love to himself, CON
vincug her that this was as legal and binding as
any marriage could be.
For a time the girl was happy Ireland was at
tentive and kind; but in few months all this
changed. The villain who had betrayed her con-
fdenCe, abused and cursed her, and by degrees
the suspicion stole into her mind that she had been
BETRAYED and ruined. A few cautious inquiries
satisfied her that she was in ST. Louis, not New
York, and knowing no one here, she procured pen
and paper and secretly dispatched letter to the
family with whom she had parted 80 recently with
such high hopes They at once responded to he e.
call and the gentleman asked for assistance to
accomplish her rescue. The matter was placed In
the hands of officer Stone who easily found in the
third story of building on Third street, between
Pine and Chestnut, door bearing the inscription,
'sT. Ireland, real estate agent" Asking for the
girl by the name of Mile Lawson, Ireland an
swered that she was his wife. In answer to the
subsequent inquiries he said that he had been di-
vorced from his first wife about six months ago.
but finally admitted that only mutual separation
had been agreed upon. Mile coming in, the Off
Ger took them to the station-house, where the girl
sustained in all the particulars the narrative OF her
friends, and asked to be restored to them, prayer
which the chief of police Immediately granted
and tomorrow she leaves for Champaign, wiser
and sadder girl.
We understand that no action is to be com
menced against Ireland. The friends of the girl
90 not desire to be detained here, and she only
wishes to forget the past and leave as far behind
her as possible the scene of the wrong. We pro-
Jest against this Is there justice in this State,
no law which will reach an outrageous violation of
mainly?