Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1868-10-03
FOR SALE

the Apocalypse; and II any person shal
dare saddle any other man or woman with
the sins which alone have perpetrated
I say propheticslly to such saddler, Lore
Angus, thou hast -
"Thanking you for your friendly words
and rejoicing, like King David in BIZ
great strait, that ! am not to fall into thu
hands Of man, i am. very respectfully
IS saaef bs "GAIL HAMILTON"
Respectfully, that is, if you respec
my rights; but / shall have lifelong
quarrel even with you, if you spreat
before the public anything which i my
self have not given to the public. / havs
really very strong opinions on that
point; and, Notwithstanding its com,
monness, / consider no crime more radi.
cally heinous than the violation Of pri'
vacy. You must have suffered from il
too severely to be surprised at any abhor
renee Of it on my part. most heartily
wish You could find it in your plan to
leave me out in the cold. Of course, il
you judge from my writings that am a
woman, you can say what you please
abeut that woman, that writer, and
have neither the wish nor the right to
say you nay. So much of the woman as
appears in an authors writings is public
property by her own free will. All the
rest belongs to her reserved rights.
pray you to speak, if you must, SO wisely
as to make this clear. Launch thunder
bolts or sing songs as you find it but
read the preface to my first book,
"Country Living and Country Think
ing" and govern yourself accordingly,
and shall be, without any condition,
and positively the last time.
| "Yours truly, GAIL HAMILTON
| Upon the receipt of this, Fanny wrote
again, requesting permission to give the
public the above epistles, and received
the following reply
Dear Fanny Do whatever you like
With the letter; don't care, and don't
think you must handle me tenderly.'
Say anything and everything you like;
Storm or shine within your sphere
You don't like threats; strange-but |
will give you one more. If you do write
a paper on me, and d. not put in any
impertinences which are so common in
newspapers, but con6ne yourself to that
which is common and lawful plunder, /
shall not only put you a notch higher
than the general run of people, but l
shall keep select corner for you in my
private regard and gratitude, where you
can come and take nap by yourself any
time. GAIL HAMILTON.
Thus cautioned, Fanny enters upon
her task as follows:
Io5xv - xuhaea fsnr, ofa lr,or ~
men have been known to tremble and
hide in corners; who keeps a private
graveyard for the burial of those whom
she has mercilessly slain; who respects
neither the spectacles of the judge, nor
the surplice of the priest; who holds the
mirror up to mems failings till they hate
their wives merely because they belong
to her sex; this lady who bushes not to
own that she is "a Ghoul; who lately
impaled the Rev. DR.. Todd on the point
of her lance, and left him writhing
without SO much as pouring drop of oil
on his wounds.
"And now you will naturally say to
me: This is.all very we'll; but tell us
something about her personally. Where
does she live, and how ? Is she single or
welded? Is she tall or short? Plain or
pretty? Has she made money as well as
made mouths? In short, let us have
little gossip. That is what we are after.
Don't | know it2 / should think /
hal been laid on the gridiron times
enough myself to understand your appe-
lite. Well-here goes: Gail Hamil-
tons real name is Mary Abigail Dodge.
Her birthplace is Hamilton, Massa-
chusetts She is unmarried, Calvinist,
and an authoress from choice. Her ia
ther was farmer. Her mother produced
Gail Hamilton that is sufficient as far
as she is concerned. She had brother,
who, Mrs. Grundy declares, is the Hall
carnassus mentioned in her books, and
whom the men she has fiaggellated inher
writings call poor devil, supposing him
to be her husband
"She was brought up as New England
girls are generally brought up in the
country- simply, healthfully, purely;
with plenty Of fences for gymnastics;
with plenty of berries, and birds, and
flowers, and MOSES, and clover-bossoms,
and fruit, in the sweet odorous summers;
with plenty of romping cempanions-not
subjects for early tombstones and obitu-
ary notices, but with broad chests, sun
kissed faces, and nimble limbs and |
who behaved naturally |
for their age who twitched away books
and balls from their owners, and pouted,
and sometimes struck, and often got mad,
and strutted when they wore fac clothes,