New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-05-15

| ground on which divorce in New York
was obtainable, but I repeat now
| what l said then, with all my soul
| upon my lips, that 1 consider
his treatment of me. his personal abuse.
his terrible profanity-his outrages of all
kinds-an Infinitely greater sin against me
and my wOmanhOod than if he had commit
ted again and again, unknown to me, crimes
against the marriage VOW, which is the only
cause New York courts hold just grounds
for divorce; my opinion in this remains
unchanged. even while write. During the
long time, almost three years, that ensued
between my formal separation from McFar-
land and my legal divorce, my acquaint.
ance with Mr.. Richardson had been most
carefully guarded. During all my stay in
Indiana, and in all his frequent journeyings
West, never saw him once. and he care
fully avoided passing through the city
where / stopped. to give no shade of a
c ,use Tor scandal. On the thirty-first of
October. 1869 l came home. On November
II, 1859, Mr.. Richardson came into his
mothers house. On Thanksgiving eve |
met him at the railroad station, and he
came from his aged mother, whose youngest
son he was. For the first time since he was
shot in 1867, walked with him in the street.
In all that time we had entered no place
of amusement together and had only once
met accidentally at an evening party at the
mouse OF mutual Irlenu. On tue Gay AIteT
Thanksgiving, Mrs. Richardson went back
to New York. Nothing definitely was
planned about our future. Just week after
he left dispatch came that he was mortally
hurt, AID came to New York to nurse him
till he died. When came, he asked me if
there should seem at any time to be no
hopes Of his recovery, If | wou'd marry him
at once, and said l would. We decided to
wait till he recovered, if otherwise. I sup
posed he wished to be married that might
have tirmer right to take the charge and
rearing of his orphan children, and because
he could die more peaceful having made me
his wife. AS for myself, it had ten thou
sand lives should have been more than
glad to have given them up for him who
was dying for the crime of having loved me,
and his highest wish in the matter
would have weighed with me against all
other motives in the world. So when it be-
come plain that be must go away from all
the hearts that yearned to hold him here,
We were married.
On the evening of the eighteenth of Feb
ruary, when Mcfarland came in from the
customhouse where he had been employed
since the first of February as clerk in the
office, procured for him through the infiu.
ence of the Sinclairs, l was standing at Mr.
Richardson g door in the front hall, and he
was just handing me some manuscripts
which he offered to lend me to make Use of
if l could in some literary work. MIR. Rich
ardson's room was used rs his working
room, and at this time, as at all parts of the
day, he had with him strenographer, mes
senger boy and artist who were engaged in
his literary works when Mcfarland came
He objected to my going TO Richardson's
room, TO which | replied, that had not been
in. was not in. had not been in the habi. of
going there, and even ii had been in there
it was not 8 private room, but an
Office in the day time. With this the
matter dropped, and supposed this was all
of il; but in a few moments Mcfarland
commenced to say something again on the
same subject. l saw he was in i'll humor.
and supposed he wished to make anything
the pretsxt tor one of his passions, and I
said little or nothing. From this he worked
himself up into g great fury, in which | left
him to go to my necessary work at the thea
tre. He continued in this rage through the
night, and spent a terrible night with him.
All the next day, the twentieth, he re-
manned at home. abusing and tormentlng
me. He used expressions which | never
could forgive or endure; and, still harping
on the fact of my being at Richardson's
room, asked me before Percy, who was all
the time present, "Did Richardson ever kiss
you? Have you ever been in the room alone
with him z" and others which l considered
insulting and unpardonable. He was under
the influence of liquor all day, remaining ut
home and going out every little while to the
in still more furious.
At last he declared he was willing to be
separated from me, and that | might go
home TO my fathers and leave him. When
l aSseHted TO this he wanted to brig IN
some Of my friends to talk the matter over
before them; but refused TO take counsel
from any one until my father could be sent
for. and l only prevented him from rushing
out and calling in some of my friends, by
representing to him that he was then so in
toxicated that his cause would be preju-
diced by that fact.
On the evening of the twentieth, before
going to the theatre, secreted his razors,
his pocket-knife, my scissors and ali other
articles | considered dangerous, as | fire.
quently did on such occasions, and left him.
When | came home he was still raging. He
frequently had made threats of committing
suicide; often ran out of doors with that
avowed purpose. On this occasion, about
midnight, he babe me an unusually solemn
and eternal farewell, and told me this time
he was certainly going to destroy himself.
He had done this Sc often that | said
nothing, and made no effort to detain him.
At the door he hesitated, and asked if had
nothing TO say in this last parting. | said:
Il can only say that l am hopelessly sorry
for you"
He went out. and in few minutes re-
turned, as l knew he would, cooled and
sobered by the cold night air, and then. it
being nearly morning. as mildly and firmly
as possibly could, began to talk with
him. told him decidedly I should leave
him forever, that had borne with patience
for many years great outrages from him;
that he had made my life miserable, and had
often put me in dread of my lite; that /
could not endure it any longer, that by his
outrageous conduct for the two days past,
and by the language he used when he found
ne at Mr. Richardson's door, he had added
the last drop to my cup Of endurance, and |
should go away from him at orce. On this 2,
he groveled at my feet in the most abject
penitence; he wept and sobbed and begged
me to forgive him: he confessed he mad
me; that no woman would havs
borne with him as | had done, aud about
daylight went to sleep exhausted. Next
morning did not allude to my purpose, but,
a fter seeing him leave the house from Nc
Erath's Office, went to Mr.. Sinclair's and
placed myself under the protection of his
roof, and never afterward saw Mcfarland
except once or twice II the presence OF
others.
CHARLES A. RICHARDSON'S S STATEMENT.
BOSTON, May $50 many Measurements /!
have been made about my late brother, AL |
bert D. Richardson's estate, that deem it |
necessary under the circumstances, to say |
hat his entire estate is not worth at the |
highest value more than S23 900 to S25 00O, |
ind that his widow, Mrs Abby S. Richard |
son, has refused any part of the property eX. |
,ept that required to rear and educate his !
orphan children. The 10 lowing is a copy of !
be memoranda which have been alluded to |!
1y the counsel for the defense as the will OF t
It, u