Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1869-06-18

Mary II. walker, M. D.-A Sketch o
the noctress = Personal Reminta
cences. ~ y
| The Dubuque Herald has the follow
ing sketch of Doctor Mary e. Walker
| Miss Doctor Mary e. Walker was frs
seen and heard of west of the Mississippi
in the spring of 1869. One morning ii
May the local columns of each of the Du
buqus dailies referred to the fact, will
comments not very complimentary, tina
a young lady in bloomers had created
quite sensation upon the street the day
before. The writer hereof, then conduct
ing paper in Delhi, forty miles west
CALAMITY came to the rescue of the ther
unseen and unknown bloomerite, insist
ing that consistency demanded of tie
Dubuque editors to cease sneering at heI
for wearing dress unfashionably aLor
at the bottom, unless they likswise dashed
some of their own ladies for wearing
dresses fashionably too short at the top
etc. A few days afterward our lsanctum
was invaded by young lady in bloom
ers, who introduced herself as Mary e.
Walker, said that she had come to Iowa
to see the West, and by and by, perhaps,
to work into the practice of her profess
sion, which was that of medicine-if
water can be called medicine-for she
was of the hydropathic school. Miss
Walker was not handsome in feature, nor
yet was she homely, was rather under the
medium size, vivacious and sprightly,
sometimes almost graceful, always in
buoyant spirits Her bloomer dress was
rich, neat and becoming; for she was
one of the few women upon whom q
bloomer dress can be made to hang right.
Miss Walker was an incessant and
endless talker. But it soon became
manifest that the staple of her converse
ton consisted of one ever-prolifc topic
herself. Her adventures had been nu-
merous and varied-for one of her age.
What her age was it was difficult to
determine from her experience, or infer
from her conversation. From appear
ance, one would Judge her to be between
twenty-five and twenty-eight years of
age. But in eonversations--held at diff
ferent times, and after forgetting what
she had said before-we were informed
that at fifteen she commenced to teach
school, and taught common school for
FIVE years that abe taught for FIVE years
in Q seminary that she was milliner
for FIVE years; that she worked at the
printers trade for five years; that she
was for five years associate editor of a
literary magazine; that she had studied
medicine, regular school, for three
years, and then practiced it for two
years. that she was an invalid, unable
to walk more than q few rods at time,
for five years; that she was cured by
the hydropathic treatment, which led
her to investigate and adopt the
waier-cure system, which she had
practiced for five years, etc., etc. Aggre-
eating the time occupied in her various
occupations, she must have beer. close to
one hundred and twenty years old, unless
she-but we will not question her verac
ity, for she was woman of answering
"principle;" she said so herself, re-
peatedly. So let US rather believe that
during her residence in Florida, as aman-
uensis for the Senator Of that State, she
had discovered and partaken of the foun-
tain Of eternal youth. 1t was something
ofa shock to us, by the way. after having
been, at first acquaintance with the lady,
informed that she had been associate
editor of leading mage zine for Eve years,
to discover, in receiving communications
for publication, how triumphantly and
unconsciously she OVERRIDE all rules Of
grammar, punctuation, capitalization,
etc. On meeting her afterward, we led
the conversation to botanical and medical
topics, and discovered that here, too, she
differed equally widely from the com
monty received authorities. We recollect,
for instance, her location of the thyroid
cartilege in the thigh.
About this time our editorial attention
happened to rest upon couple of adyer-
tisements which appeared in a couple of
our exchanges-one from an adjoining
county, and one from county in New
York. The latter contained notice that
Mr.. Alfred E. Miller petitioned for d.
verce from his wife, Mary E. Miller; the
other notice that Mrs. Mary E Miller
petitioned for divorce from her hus-
band, Mr.. Alfred E. Miller, with right 10
resume her maiden name of Mary K.
Walker. We kept our own counsel, and
soon learned more about the matter than
we could have discovered by any amount
OF questioning. The enterprising Mary
had come all the way from New York to
get divorce from her husband. Her
husbond forestalled her by getting d.
vorce frem her some three weeks
the first. If that couple are not d.
vorced, with the DEGREES from the
courts Of two States to that effect, we
don't know how such a result could
be accomplished About this time the
war began, and Mary started for the
front. There was chance to thrust her
self forward into notoriety-snd such
chances she never let slip. Daring the
war she was frequently heard from on
both sides Of the lines. When it closed
she went 10 England, and delivered ned
ical lectures in London. II there were
any physicians in her audience, we will
warrant they we're astonished at her doe
tsring Mrs, DR.. Mary Z Walker, of
Grants Cabinet Gust now, is queer
mixture, and not by any means entirely
evil. She is enthusiastic, quick-witted,
quick-tempered, outspoken, unmslicious,
exceedingly vain, sensational, energetic,
wilful, self-asserting, irresponsible, loqua-
cious, and everything else necessary TO
constitute sort Ct George Francis Train
in petticoats, if we we're sure she wore
naffiooo1o