The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1869-12-22
The Richardson Affair.
. PUBLIC OUTRAGE on RELIGION AND
DECENCY-TIfE DEATH-BED MAR
RAGE OF a LIBEKTINE.

Tho Astor House, in this city, was
the scene on Tuesday afternoon OF Il
ceremony which seems To lis to set ut
defiance all those sentiments respect
ing the relation of marriage which re-
card it as ANYTHING intrinsically supe-
fior to PROSTITUTION. The High Priest
of this occasion was Henry ara
Beecher, assisted by the Rev. Henry
N. Field, d. D., and the Rev. y. Is.
Frothngham. The parties We're Al
bert d. Richardson, lying wounded 10y
q pistol shot upon IL bed OF illness, and
urobablv of death, and Mrs. McFar-
land. alias Mrs. Sage. whom Richard
son sometime ago seduccd from allegi-
;,uce to her lawful welded husband.
This husband has been guilty of a
crime toward his wife--tle crime of
,,oyerty. 1t was even said that, ih-
raised by the loss of his property AND
the conduct of his wife, he had some
times taken to his cups, to drown care.
and had occasionally been exasperated
10 speak harshly to the partner OF his
bosom. although, OH ;he other hand,
no charge of adultery was ever made
against him. and it appears to he un-
devoted to her that his exceeding con-
ingal affection attracted attention and
elected frequent remark from his ac-
GUaintancps.
Mrs. Mcfarland WAS woman of
personal a,;ractivcness. She ana her
husband and children, in the year
1867, occupied apartments adjoining
those of Richardson. who WAS il young
widower with children. AS we are in
formed, Mrs. Mcfarland got into the
habit of going ont to lunch frequently.
il not daily, with Richardson. After
This had gone on far Sumc time, her
husband demonstrated with hex against
sucl, Il practice, telling her it won!d
give rise to scandal. She replied that
she had not before reflected upon that
consequence, and promised Immediate
amendment. Coming home cal her
than usual the next day, Mcfarland
was met in the hall by his wife, who
came rushing suddenly and as if sur
priscd from Richardson's apartments.
and then by way of aionement, she
threw her arms conrulsivcly around
him and buied him in II shower of
passionate kisses. They then went tn
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 hin!
with terms of cndearmcmt, finally beg
ging him, as he left. to return earlier
than usual, assigning ia the reason of
her request that she had not had en-
ough OF his society of late; that she was
lonely, and wished to see more of him.
In compliance with her impassionc,l
wish, he die! return earlier than usual,
and found on his table Il note from his
wife, stating flat she had left him J.
In fact, Richardson had taken her and
his two children away from him and
from his home, whittier he knew not
Subsequently, finding richardson es-
cnrting her home froma theatre late al
night, he fired a revolver at him, bul
inflicted only flesh wound. One OF
his children he afterward found in
Massachusetts. He succeeded in re-
covering possession of the child before
the Supreme Caurt of that State by
aid of the sacred writ of hdbe0s corpus
On the 18th of March, 1869, Richard
Soh RupiiStlcu ID cith, cumming AbS
shameless statement-respectiDg wo-
man who was the lawful wife of anotii-
er man-that after the separation be-
tween Mrs. Mcfarland and her hus-
band sit came to be understood be-
tween her and myself, that whenever
she should be legally free, she should
be my wife" Yet no intelligent, reas-
oning, human being can doubt, from,
the evidence in the ease, that this sep
aration 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 con-
temptation of his wife, the mother OF
his children, reposing in the arms OF
her setucer, he shot that seducey-whu
was armed at the time to receive him
through the body, inflictipg upon him
wound from the effects of which the
sedhcer has since been iluttering be-
tween HE and death. We use the
WORD sedueer i'll its exact sense: we
MEAN the man who led this woman
from herself, for he who crawls. like
tho serpent in Eden, into a household
and estranges from husband the at.
iectlons OF a wife, is equally her sedu-
Ger, whether he himself has marital re.
iations with her before or after a mock
religious ceremony. As the great and
eloquent John Whipple said, s'He who
enters the dwelling of a friend, and
under the shelter and protection d
iir,enasllp and hospitality. corrupts tlls
integrity of his wife OF daughter. by
.le common consent of mankind ourh,
lows" 0 ''i''e gar
An easily misguided woman led .,
oy Richardson, and cheered and on
coaraged by his Free-love allies th;,
wife and mother resorted to Ind;am.
Iere, forgetting her early pliahtef
IN. lin, by the loose and easy proces,
. mere III vogue, she procured a lepu
With bold, irreverent brow.
And foose, free step, her perilous WAY
Size trod,
Downward aud on till she denied 10,
God, 'io
And broke the marriage vow.v
fJ had size not waved ~ .o,.,