The Van Buren press., 1869-12-21
The Richardson Assassination.
A Public Outrage ON Religion ana peos
| From Ne,o York Sun

Albert o. Richardson, lying, wounded
by pistol shot, upon bed Of illness,
and probably Of death, and Mrs. McFar
land, alias Mrs. Sage. whom Richardson
some time ago seduced from allegiance
to her lawful, welded husband.
This husband had been guilty Of a
crime toward his wife-the crime ofpov.
erty. 1t was even said that, harrassed
by the loss of his property and the con
duct of his wife, he had sometimes taken
to his cups to drown care, and had occa,
siena.ly been e1asperated to speak harsh
ly to the partner Of his bosom, although,
on the other hand, no charge of adultery
was every made against him, and it ap-
pears to be uncontradicted that he was
generally so devoted to her that his ex-
ceeding conjugal affection attracted atten
ton and elected frequent remarks from
his acquaintance. ''.>
Mrs. Mcfarland was a woman of per
sonal attractiveness. She and her hus-
band and children, in the year 1867, oc-
cupied apartments adjoining those of
Mr.. Richardson, who was young wild
over, with children AS we are inform
ed, Mrs. Mcfarland got into the habit of
going out to lunch frequently, if not dai-
ly, with Richardson. After this had gone
on for some time, her husband remon
strated with her against such a practice,
telling her that 1t would give rise to scan
dal She replied that she had not reGec,
ted upon that consequence, and promised
immediate amendment. Coming home
earlier than usual the next day, McFar-
land was met in the hall by his wife, who
came rushing suddenly and as if by sur
prise from Richardson's apartments, and
then by way Of atonement she threw her
arms convulsiyely around him, and bu-
ried him in a shower Of kisses They
then went to his room, where he gently
reminded her that she had broken her
promise; she again promised reform !;
they spent the night together, and in the
morning she continued to cover him with
terms of endearment, finally begging him,
as he left, to return earlier than usual,
assigning as the reason of her request
that she Had not had enough ofhis socie-
ty Of late; that she was lonely, and wish
cd to see more Of him. In compliance
with her impassioned wish, he did return
earlier than usual, and found on his ia.
BILE note fIom his wife, stating that she
had left him. In fact Richardson had ia
ken her and his two children away from
him and from his home, and whittier he
knew not Subsequently, finding Rich
ardson escoming her home from thea
ire late at night, he fred . revolver at
him, but inflicted only flesh wound.
One Of the children he afterward found
in Massachusetts,. He succeeded in re.
covering possession of the child before
the Supreme Court of that State by the
aid of the sacred writ Of habeas corpus.
On the 18th OF March, 1869, Richard
son Published q card, Containing the
shameless statement-respecting wo-
man whe was the lawful wife OF another
man--that after the separation between
Mrs. Mcfarland and her husband " it
came to be understood between her and
myself that whenever she should be le-
gally free she should become my wife"
Yet no intelligent, reasoning human be-
inc can doubt, from the evidence in the
case, that this separation was promoted
and brought about-and not unlikely
originally suggested-by Richardson
himself! ...
At last, driven to frenzy by the loss Of
his more than life, and by the contempla-
ton of his wife, the mother Of his chill
dren reposing in the arms other seducer,
A.. IL hot e,Jnnor x1,hN nr,,n1 at,
the time to receive him--through the
body, inficting upon him a wound from
the effects of which the scducer has since
been nuttering between life and death.
We use the word seducer in its exact
sense; /; we mean the man who led this wo-
man from herself; for he who c-awls,
like the serpent in Eden, into a house
hold, and estranges from a husband the
affections of his wife, is equally her Sc
ducer, whether he himself has marital re-
lations with her before or after mock
religious ceremony. AS the great and
eloquent John Whipple said, :" He who
enters the dwelling Of friend, and, un
der the shelter and protection of friend
ship and hospitality. corrupts the integ
rity Of his wife or daughter, by the COM
mon consent of mankind, ought to be
consigned to Al inmdiate gallows,"
An easily misguided woman, led on by
Richardson, and cheered and encouraged
by his Free love allies, this wife and
mother resorted TO Indiana, where, for
getting her early plighted faith, by the
loose and easy process there in vogue,
she procured a legal divorce.
"With bold, irreverent brow,
And loose, free step, her perlous way she trod
Downward and on till she dcniedl her God,
And broke the marriage vow.'
For had she not vowed to take McFsr-
land for her husband, for better, for
worse, until death thing elsc-should
part them? ..
But it is said that her husband was poor
and Sometimes harsh! And so the Rev.
Henry Ward Beecher comes and marries
her to another man---to-wit: this man
Richardson
And now, consider, married men of
New York, husbands and fathers, by
what frail and brittle tenure your home
arc yours. fyou fail in your business
and it is said that ninety five out ofonc
hundred business men at some time fail
then the younger and handsomer face
of your widowed neighbor may charm
away your wife the laws of Indiana will
grant q divorce to the fair truant, and