Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1868-12-04
ROMANCE III REAL LzFE,
singular and Sad EHiStary OT a
Memphis Girl.
More of Hams PerGdy and
WOman's Wrongs.


About the close OF the war, a German
woman. of industrious frugal habits, an
who had, in despite Of the tbriftless an
dissibated habits of her husband, sccu
mulsted = few thousand dollars, rentel
p large house C0 -- street, nea
| Main, With the intention OF opening
WirtbshduS, or inn, for her country PEG
( pie. The building had been occupied
previous TO the war, IS q b%Rrracoon ioF
slave-trsder, 6nd was furnished with th'
necessary cooking snd other apparatus
for q cheap inn; but, as may veil bJ
supposed, il was frightfully filthy ana
dirty. The first care OF the new Occu.
pant, whom we shall call for ecnveni
enee mTs. Bird, was to have &c thor
oughly repaired, cleaned and painted.
She employed 10 do the latter work G
sort OF half-witted fellow, who was,
wfthal, 8 good workman, but a MAJ
given to fits Of alteration, when be
would do the most absurd things, with
out knowing for g moment what he was
about.
Mrs. Birds family consisted Of herself,
q daughter some fourteen years of age,
and an old German maid-servsnt, her
husband having left her about a month
previously and gone to st. Louis She
moved with these two into the house as
soon as a room was made tenable, and
ali three assisted in the work Of cleaning
and repairing thst was going on.
One dag, while the daughter was ont
On an errsDd, and Mrs. Bird and the ser
vsut were in the kitchen, preparing s
meal, the painter, who had been expsTi-
menting with coal ell, Or beuzlne,
walked into the kitchen with q can Of
that fluid, and deliberately placed il on
the stove, instead, rs it is supposed, Of
placing il upon the table. The c0nse-
queuce was en- Instantaneous ana
terrific explosion, which 10 a mo-
ment shattered the stove and the furni-
ture and wrapped the room and its in
mates in flames. The psinter aroused
iustsntsneOusly from his brown study or
absence Of mind, saw with horror the e.
fleets Of bis negligence, snd, unbCrned
himself, rushed TO the aid OF BiTs. Bird
and the servant, VINO we're both a sheet
Of fame. Mrs. Bird escaped to the open
air, and through some mean her cloth
ing was extinguisbsd, bot although the
poor painter burned his hands TO q crisp
IL trying T. su5due the flames which had
seized upon the servant, he was uns5le
10 aid her, and she peTishsd miseTsbly-
roasted to death.
Mrs. BirI. although rescued from i'm
mediate death, was destined not loDg 10
survive the terrible affair. Her injuries
were OF such a character that sue died s
few days afterwards. During the period
between the accident sBd her death, al
though suffering terribly, she was per-
fectly lucid in mind, ana caused bel will
TO be made.
BY this instrument she devised ali her
property and monies, amounting tOsOme
six OF eight thousand dollars IN her "
to her daughter, making the PFC
yisO that the money was 70 be held IN
tTUst by her bTOther-in-iaW and sister,
and not by her husband, fer the child.
She also designated 8 school at which
abe Hished the girl to be placed and ecu
After lipgerinGa few days in ter
ribis seoBv, Mis-. BIRD died, and her
brotheI-in i&R took charge OF her effects
and the orphan girI end took her to his
Meanwhile the account OF this terri
BILE affair reached the d~issioated father
in St. Louie, and, sobered and crushed,
be returned 20 Memphis, determined TO
get possession Of his daughter, and hence
10TH u leu = A1A-AEAL AGa9# HAC 6AA@AS
and aunt, however, were too willy, and
too much 10 have the lingering
Of The money left to the girl 70 allow
.his, ana by sill mesns IN their power,
hey poisoned the giri's mind against
her father, so that she not only refused
10 go with him, bpt even 10 speak to
him.
Things went on in this vsy f3s
ZONE months, the girl living with her
and aunt, who seemed to be very
.ond Of her, when all st oAcs the uncle
remembered the prOviso, or clause Ia the
will about the school.
The girl, OF young lady (ior she was
row some sixteen years old, and well
i~svelOped), was husried:y fitted out with
; wardrobe, ard under the charge Of the
some two Yeas ago. started up the
to school.
That wss tie lsst, up TO within s couple
+ days sgo, that was ever heard OF them,
The aunt whose name we will not Gssig-
lsta, because che Is an honest, virtuOus
Tomsn, and shJuld not be made to basr
ever so remotely the sins Of her
lusband), after q couple OF weeks had
elapsed, aud she had heard nothing Of
neB, became alarmed, and telegrapheG
p the schocl 10 which they were Osten-
.ib!y bound, out could learn nothing OF
hem, She then learned that her nus
band had taken of with him ali OF the
money, bonds, etc, left by her sister, and
he begsu reluctantly to suspect foul plsy
IN bis part.
Months, and even years rolled away,
and 10 tidirgs ca1e from the missing
1nes; and at last the aunt resigned her
elf to the thought that both Of them had
in some railroad or steamboat
i~ieasteF, CT had been murdered for their
money.
Better, a thousand times better, that
hey bad!
A few days sgo-within 8 week Q
was received by Mira. -, the
in s curious, c0uiss brown cave
p0stmarked Sing Sing, n. Y. o.
il, judge Of her surprise to fiGd
that 1t wss from her niece, who was then
and is now q convict on RlRckweh's
serving ont a term OF Wteen years!
Her story was IS follows; Before leav-
inc Memphis, and while IN inmate OF
ber unc'a's family, he ssdueed her, and
when they Lett Memphis so hurriedly,
ostensibly 10 place her az school, y Tss
10 avoid the publicity snd Disgrace which
= ouid SCOT have been too apparent to
conceal. The seduceT told his victim
that they WGuid take the money aud
bonds aud go TO Europe, where they
live ia ease and comfort always,
and on these and other promises she went
With hin. He carried her to New York,
they stopped until her baby
was born, when one day he let
her, and she never sRw him
The letter does not explain how
or why, but as the seqtsl shows, she
murdered her child, was detected ID the
crime, tried and sentenced to the penn
Tertiary for fifteen years.
The above, with all its sir Of romsBce,
true, "Ojer true" every word Of IT,
and many, Ii NOS all oGE German resi-
dents, will recognize the story sad Char
that are here introduced IL is
smother illustration Of the old saying,
that truth Is stranger tbaE fiction.
. SANIFARY.-Doings OF the SANITARY
Department Of Metropolitan Police for
1888: Suissncss reported {:
Full privy vaults, IS. Filthy-PriVy
vaults, IA; yards, 80; vacant lots, 3;
3; houses, 8; stables, 3; hog
pens, 7; sewers, 3; cutters, Isl alleys,
81 cisterns, !. 0bstTucted-SidewRlks,
z; streets, 2; alleys, 8; cutters, 10.
garbage in street, 4; piles Of
s; ponds Of sisgnant wSteT, 2;
violation water spout ordinance, 20; gut
70 TT.a 80