The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1866-02-15
a Strange Il Case.

a Strange Case.
A case of unusual interest, says the
Chicago Times, was heard at the Police
Court yesterday After number of or
dinary criminal trials had been examined
and disposed of, as the merits of the tes-
timony against them demanded, tho clerk
called out the name of Sarah Davis,
when, aftera pause of a few minutes, a
neatly attired female about 80 years of
age advanced from the prisoners pen to
tho dock in front of the Judge. She bore
on her arm small basket, containing q
few newspapers and several articles of
wearing apparel. About her face was an
indescribable expression Of sorrow and
anxiety, such as is the result of, and is
traceable to, years of brooding grief, and
restless, wearing, wearying thought. The
sorrow that had fallen on her heart like
blighting frost, had lain soacoldly on its
pulsations that day by day her health
failed, until now it seems but the work of
few short weeks to bring her wasted
frame and unhappy life to their only hope
Of rest-the grave. Tt seemed impossible
to believe that an expression OF SO much
kindness and intelligence could belong to
q thief, and yet she stood there to answer
the charge of larceny
William L. Maddox, residing at No
LA Warren street, was called as a wit
ness and sworc that the accused frequent
ly came to his house and that he had
told her to stay away. Missing a small
framed photograph, containing the pic
lures of himself, his wife and children,
and few card photographs from an al
bum, he suspected rightly who had taken
them, and sending an officer to the room
of the accused, he recovered the lost ar
ticles. He stated that the photographs
cost him SIG, but from their. appearance
their value did not equal one-third that
sum.
The testimony OF the officer, on these
isolated facts, supported that of tie COM
plainant. The case appeared to be a
very clear one, when the Judge wisely
asking the accused if she had anything to
say, she at first hcsitated, but upon being
asked again, spoke few minutes, and,
in the little she said, there seemed to be
embodied so much of wrong, so much
grief and such unmistakable honesty that
the Judge reserved his decision.
She stated that about two years ago
William l.. Maddox, the complainant,
hasa scduced her; that the fruit of their
illicit passion wasa child which Maddox
had rudely taken away from her; that
having grown exasperated at his unkind-
ness and i'll treatment, in a fit Of despera-
ton publicly cowhided him in Illinois.
She stated that public sentiment had been
ESQ strongly against him in two or three
places where he had lived since he had
ruined her, that he was compelled 70 leave
on account of this wrong and injury to
her. She further stated that her happi-
ness in life had been destroyed by him,
her hopes i'll life crushed forever, and her
health so worn down by grief and ankle
ty that she had no desire but to die. She
remarked that in her wrotchedness OF
mind and body she did things that were
prompted by feelings which she could not
control, and that would not have been
done other circumstances. The framed
photograph is said to contain the likeness
of her child, and whom she stated she
loved tendelly and beyond measure
Bursting into tears in the feeble narra-
ton of this pitcous tale, much that she
said was not understood; and, doubtless
much that she might say in her own be-
half, her grief would not permit her to
tell. Her respectable appearance, and
the evident honesty of her words, pro
duced profound sensation in the court
room A bystandcr was heard to remark
aThe only thing I regret is that she is
now too weak to repeat the scowhiding
experiment"
At the Dead Letter Office in Washing
ton letter was recently received con
taining check for eight thousand dollars
in coin directed to lady in New York
requesting her 'to accept the enclosed as
return for the kindness shown my faith
er and mother" dated at the Astor House
and signed "John," who was to start i'm