Smyrna times., 1867-05-15
The Strange Story Again.

| Durango OIOry, ABOUT man named Wright
who married lady, from whom he obtained a
divorce, and married a second time the first
wife acting as bridesmaid at the second wife s
wedding i, Below We publish Wright's letter
explaining the matter. The letter was written
to the Chicago Tribune; and reads as follows
Your paper of the 18th inst. contains an at
tack on me, copied from an Indiana Journal
have right to ask space for reply.
1t is painful to be compelled to draw aside
the curtain from ones private and domestic
life. Friends who have known me long and
well, gentlemen and gentlewomen who have
met me often in society," those who have tray
eled with me the mystic journey in the East,
the charitable and thoughtful, to whose minds q
groundless attack carries in its spirit and con-
tradlctiOns its own retu tatiOn, will require of
me no vindication of my character; but to
them, as we'll as to the public, l owe an ex-
| PLANTATION.
Near the end of May, in the year 1851, 1
was married. L returned from Europe after
lengthy absence, but few days before my
marriage. The death of the young lady's mo-
ther (all the rest Of her family were dead be-
fore my acquaintance began) hastened my re-
turn. had been engaged to her several years
The marriage had been put off from time to
time on account of her health She was then
twenty-three years of age. knew she was
afflicted with some nervous disease, which was
represented to me by her mother as hysteria.
Almost Immediately after our marriage we en-
barked for Europe. The steamer duly landed
at Liverpool and we went directly to the FAM
Gus " Lake District" of England. About
month after our marriage, she was one day, at
Keswick, stricken down at my feet with a tit of
epilepsy. Attack followed attack, until she
had seventeen in the course of the night |
stood alone by her bedside, amazed, bewilder-
ed, becrushed, turning gray ere the sun rose.
Her fearful disease (sO fearful, as DR.. Watson
says, that " the beasts Of the field flee in ter
ror at the characteristic cry of one seized with
| it " had been concealed from me. Yet | am
publicly accused of having put away one who
was In " good health at the time of her mar
riage," simply because she had become an in
valid ON my hands If her parents had been
living should have taken her home to them,
and never seen her again in this world. But
she was an orphan and alone. She had not
been to blame. That terrible night, on bend
ed knees before God Almighty, [ adopted her
as my child. Never has word of reproach to
her on account of the concealment, escaped my
lips. From that hour to this | have been an
atfectionate parent to her ('' father and mother
IN one, as she has thousand times, with
gushing tears, expressed it,, and during many
OF the lonely intervening years l have been
sole nurse to her, patiently, uncompainingly
tenderly performing for her offices that no
money could procure.
wandered over Europe nearly four years,
taking my patient and ward to many eminent
physicians, hoping against hope, that perchance
her disease might be cured. 1t had existed
from infancy. Every physician : and to you,
my brethren of the regular profession, | ap-
| a 6 W Of ha frlIfbO of
in regard to the disease knows how incUrable
long-standing case of epilepsy is how it un-
hts tor the pursuits and active duties Of life.
Besides, as every educated psychologist under
stands, it is very likely to be transmitted to off
spring. With knowledge of this fact none
but brute and goddess wretch would incur the
responsibility of being the author Of those who
might inherit this fearful malady.
returned from Europe and undertook tC
establish me home, foolishly endeavoring tC
conceal the real nature of her disease from
my friends, as multitudes will now bear me
witness. 1t was an unmanly pride and a weak
yielding to her entreaties, which, like all un
truth, has brought an appropriate reward tC
both. More than twenty women, old and
young were tried as hired nurses, companions
or housekeepers. Not one of them would do
Some of them would fee from the room in ter
y ror when my patient had an attack. Some
would hold up their hands in hopeless bewilder
ment. Others would sit down and cry will
4 that natural sympathy for suffering which we'll
/. up from woman's heart, and for which God b.
h praised.
$, Besides, as any educated physician will say
'r the nervous system of a confirmed epileptic i
greatly deranged, causing one day dreamy in
difference, another day perverslty of will, an
er other day fearful despondency, still anOthe
?, day state vergiDg into insanity, with longe
!. or shorter intervals of naturalness when com
ID pany may be seen or journey taken. Their
H. are people living, who, ignorant of her disease
Ignorant OF Christian charity have gratuitous
y ly attributed these moods to my i-treatmen
u of her. So, what with her new nurses, refrac
: tory servants, and poor, incapable epilepti
for whom my heart was breaking with sym
pathy) to get things out of joint, had seri
Gus time of it housekeeping.
. At length, from a respectable family tina
had known me from my youth, came, half
c. dozen years ago, good lady, educated, inte
ligent, refined, to spend the summer with u:
She at once showed herself capable of takin
care of my incurable epileptic patient in an ei
of ficent and friendly manner. She won the cor
re fidence and sympathy of my poor child, an
won my everlasting gratitude The chaos {
the house was reduced to order. The summe
visit was Indefinitely prolonged. L plunge
into affairs, transating or editing the next tw
!, years more than dozen volumes OF 'sFrenc
Classics, writing multitude Of review article
edI projecting and publishing, through ditferer
m. book houses, the famous " Riverside" edition
- of Bacon's Works" the novels Of Dicken
off Milman's Latin Christianity" Carlyle
fit Essays" &C., (paying but little attention
ire domestic matters) till four out Of five publisi
IN ing firms with which / was doing business wei
TO the wall in the midst of war.
1 9 A. ..a Il.
lch with us. My nominal wife, my epileptic war;
could not bear to part with her "Aunt Kate,
as she familiarly and affectionately called he
g A recurrence to the old method of housekee]
ing was an impossibility Boarding was a
=. tended with the same difficulties. Two pe
AZ sons were necessary for the care Of an epileI
:. tic who could never be left alone, except f
. some hours on particular days NY friend
coming to know the situation, advised an as,
lum. My heart revolted against that, as
still reyolts against it, although / have 'ha,
3 for long time, an arrangement with mob