Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1869-01-16
The Very wicksdest Girl in the West.
From the Keokuk Gazette.1


Everybody in Kanknkee knows Mollie'
To those of our readers who are 80 un-
fortunately circumstanced as to be COM
PEELED to live away from Kankakee, we
will say that Mollie had no other name.
She never had father nor mother, nor
brother or sister, that anybody ever knew
of. She never had home outside the
county Jail, She was brought here in
1861, from New York. She never knew
what school was; she never heard
sermon; she never was inside of
church; she never heard of Sunday
School; she never heard kind werd
spoken; she never was sober moment
when she could get whisky; and she could
always get whisky when she could get out.
Of jail; and she was always out OF jail
when she made so much disturbance that
the jailer could not keep her in; and she
was always in Jail when she made 80
much disturbance out t hat she could not
be endured. She was republican by
profession and demo crat by instinct.
She swore the most t. rrible oaths with
greater volubility of tongue than could
be done by any person who lived outside
of Chicago. She talk I'd the vilest, and
sang the worst songs; he was filthy as
the lowest, and slept out doors more
nights, and in doors fewer nights, than
any other being who ever lived. When
it rained the fastest and froze the o'eepest,
Mollie would get drunkest, and wa.S then
the happiest. She would have been an
excellent subject for the late So cial
Science Convention TO have operated The
social evil out of, for she had great deal
Of it. The police feared her; the Police
Court detested her; the Common Coun-
Gil made ungallant remarks when they
audited bills marked, "Diet for Mollie in
county Jail" and these bills they audited
at every meeting; and the jailer was
known on several occasions to make use
of downright profane language when he
saw the police and the irrepressible Mollie
marching arm in arm up to the Jail door.
What she lived for nobody knew. That
she would not die everybody knew.
$50 wicked. though young. SO mouldering
Like the dog in the story. each dog has its
day.
That death in its rayages was passing her DER.
supROsipg' no doubt he had killed her be-
But he had not, and Mollie still lived,
wonderful instance of the perverseness
Of weman, refusing to do that which
rybody thought she ought to do-die.
Mollie was not the only wicked person
in this city. There was " JIM" an
aboriginal of Momence, of whom but lit
tie is known here; but unless. nature lied
in Jim face, head and general makeup,
be was worse, wickeder and lower than
Mollie. He made the acquaintance OF
Mollie in Jail. while confined on charge
of stealing nine drinks of whisky from
an Alderman in Momence. That they
courted is true; whether they loved or
not is not known. She begged 10 be re-
leased from Jail, and promised to marry
and emigrate to Cheyenne. The Com
mon Council voted Mollie a new dress,
and the happy couple sixty dollars to pay
| the fare on their matrimonial trip.
Thsy renaired to the office of the Po-
lice Court. The Police Magistrate has
an original way of doing things. They
said they wanted to be married. The
magistrate, with uplifted hard, said:
"Jim, you do agree to take Mollie, and
live with her, and 60 to Cheyenne with
her, aud stay with her regardless of law
and consequences 2" Yes.
"Mollie, you do agree to take jim, and
live with him, and go to Cheyenne with
him, and stay with him regardless of law
and consequences Yes.
Then ! give you these two railroad
tickets. and order you to stay there until
the vigilance committee doth hang you
both. Amen"
And Mollie and Jim took their de-
parture