Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1867-11-21

""e PoII Vi naVre, IN france, an
came direct to New York. Nv prin
= cipal reason for leaving home was {
marry young man, about 10 wear
OF age, by the name of Barrett--a,
acquaintance In the old country. an,
a companion on my voyage; the law
Oh uermany not permitting persons o
our age or limited means to intermar
ry we never were married, put live,
together as man and wife almost ,
year-most Of the time with farmer
whose name | have forgotten-in the
nelghborhood Of williamsburg, N. Y
When sober, this man was kind and
afiectionate, but when inliquor-whicb
was the greater part of his time-hc
was quarrelsome and abusive. He
drew from our employer both his own
wages and mine, and spent them for
liquor. About this we quarreled and
one night, while he was lying help.
lessly drunk on the floor, / put nv
clothes into a small bundle, and left
the house. / never saw or heard of
him since. l'walked to the railroad
depot, short distance off, got on the
cars, and came direct TO Pottsville in
this State. i remained here but two
monthsj and at the end of that time
came to Selinsgrove, and shortly after
wards to Swinefordstown, now Mid
dleburg, where / remained a year
From here ! went to Lewistown, and
thence to Potter's Bank, in Centre
county, where remained three years.
assumed my real name ut all these
placcs-living Ill the time at taverns.
but with persons whose names can.
not now remember. From Potters
Bank came to Bellefonte, and lived
at the tavern Of Benjamin Bennett.
This, as near as / can recollect, was
about IL years ago. 1t was here |
formed the acquaintance of Xavier
Miller-or "Joe Miller" as he was
iamiliarl y called, and by which name
he was generally known-and to
whom | was married short time
after our first acquaintance. Directly
after our marriage we moved TO a
small farm near Show Shoe, which
my husband had previously bought
He sold this place the following wear.
and we left because we could not
agree with our neighbors. From here
we moved to the Frenchville settle
ment, in this county, in which neigh
borhood we lived until The time of his
death first, at the saw-miIl of Levi
Lutz, at the mouth of Sandy Run
where my husband attended the mill,
and kept small tavern, boarding
and selling liquor to raftmen in the |
spring of the year; afterwards in, a
shanty or cabin which Joe had built |
on farm purchased from Mr.. Lutz.
While living here, one day, during
Joes absence, being under the influ-
ence of liquor, set fire to the cabin
which contained all the household |
goods we had in the word-and burn
ed it, with its contents, to the ground.
When Joe returned home in the eve
ming, told him the fire had caught
from the stove pipe, and was unable
to put it out. He believed my story,
and never made further inquiries about
it. | have no excuse to offer for what
| done, except that the liquor drank
had crazed my mind and | was scarce
ly conscious of what was doing.
Having failed to pay for this place,
it was taken from us by Mr. Lutz,
and Joe bought another from NJ, B.
Conoway, to which we moved the
following year.
My marriage life throughout had
been unpleasant and unhappy. My |,
husband was cross and sometimes
cruel. was compelled by him to
assist in the outdoor work at times
when | was scarcely able-to plough,
barrow, grub, thresh, fix the fences,
work with the team in short, do all
,he work required of man about the
place. Our quarrels were frequent,
and often violent. At one time he |
threatened to kill me with butcher
knife, and / believe would have done |
70 had not the neighbors, attracted
)y the noise, intericred and prevented
him. Sometimes these quarrels were
he result of his abuse and bad treat. Z
nent; and sometimes they were caused |
~ my. own bad habits. A great part
'f my life had been passed ia tavcrns, q
where l bad acquired taste for {
liquor and formed habits of drinking, [
which | INDUCED upon every oppor- /
unity, and which | never tried to
ontrol. After our marriage | con I
inued these habits bought whiskey I
N my husbands credit at the stores r
bout the neighborhood, brought it O
ome, secreted il about the premises, s
nd drank it during his absence.
The first attempt | ever made to {
AXE my husbands life, was in the u
ummer of 1865, when l tried TO poi
on him with the juice of boiled laurel a
,aves, which mixed with his coffee, t
nd gave him to drink. | tried this 1
everal times during the summer, but u
lithout effect v
next took the filings of some old b
rass buckles and mixed with his cuf
&c and the juice of the laurel leaves, p
'hich he drank, but still without any G
isible effect. / then took the juice (,
I some berries of black color, which I
rev near the house, which had (,
card people say were poisonous, and r.
liked that also with his coffee but n
ie result was the same as before. o
The next attempt was with about p
"a spoonful OF the quicksilver scraped Il
om the back of an old looking glass, a
hich | put in with his coffee and G.
ave him, the same as the other mix n
Tres. Failing also in this, l made i
compound of laurel leaves, brass a
lings. berries and ouicksilver and "A