Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1868-08-21
STRANGE sToRY.
sSlsurnna Conduct orn wife y ad
as.ar .ste~.


From the iouiss.li, Ky. Journal
The doc riue ihs !, Is better tn. ninety
pe guilty ma saonif escape 90 one ia-
9cent nan should s1if.r, fails, Fres &c
&c o. is di~ine pramilgsron, a strong
Argument IN favor Of as wisdom anu truth
fu.ress in to- following reliable aud Ger
true statement.
Some time In the fall OF 1e47 SD honest,
hard working farrne., by the name Of Dan
iel Harkcr, residing 10 ysnierburg county,
indians. was arrested on the grave charge
OF having committed an outrage On his
step daughter, young gir! Just budding
into a bssutiful wcmso. The day liked
for his trial speedily came around. and the
girl appeared ~ the chief witness Tor tho
prosecutio Positively and unhesi,atingiy
she swors that Hsrksr, her step-iather, hso
subjected her 10 the horrible treatment
charged against him. The mothers tesu'
mory fully corroborated Of her daugnteFs
and 80 clearly were the detsi! stated. and 30
direct snpeared the evidence against him,
that II. rLer. in spite Dt his previous good
character and known integrity, was found
guilty Of the henous crime and vas sent TO
Ii. Southern Indiana PsDitentiary for the
term Of twenty -one years. For ten long
years no wore the convicts grab, and went
faithfully and quietly about his convict du.
ties, forming no friendships among compan-
ions, and showing At all times by his CON
duet that
Nothing like heavy stop
Betrays heavy heart"
His general good behavior and quiet mel
ancholy, however, enlisted the sympathies
OF former friends and companions. AMI A.
the end Of ten years he received q pardon
/ and stepped out into The vide, bright world
| again Tree man. But grief and time had
left their impress upon him, and he who
had once donnsd the felon's grab = stout,
hale man N the prime Of life. now lad it
aside with tho trembling hands Of perma-
ture old age. Naturally seeking his former
home, he reached it but to learn that tho
once loved wife Il his bosom had long since
taken advantage Of the Law which left II
| optional with herself either TO remain de-
voted wife or accept bic sentence to the
| Penitentiary % divorce de jare, and had
vowed to love, honor and obey smother than
himself Quietly. however, he took up
the iurden Of his new duties, and II be
noted the iil-concealsd disgust Of his fel-
| low men, he but locked 10 his honest heart
/ tDt encouragement uuu pAtcHSVs OeticN'
ing that time would sooner or later show
how greatly he had been wronged. MOI
was his belief without its reward, Tor but
hort time since the daughter, whom thu
world thought he had dishonored and or
whose account he had 30 long and cruel,
suffered, was taken dangerously III. anc
knowing that her erring feet were trssdini
the confines ofa dread eternity. and shrink
ing With horror at the thought OF appear
ing before q only righteous Judge will
PICTURED soul, sent for Witnesses and be
father, ard with the bated breath Of tn
iy,nY acknow lodged that she had sworI
falsely. and nov bitterly repentsd the fou
wrong that had been done him, bu
pleaded in exhaustion that her mother, il
, order 10 rid herself of him and we'd aroth
y. had compelled her to rake The charg
and instructed her in oil that she had swor,
TO.
Hare We drop the curtain on this veri'a
bic iile-,ragedy. md ieave the reader I,
wonder, as we 10. hcw so black and devil
,sh spirit could iiud home in Woman
tom.