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

the face which made her reel backward. AL
though he had often plnched and hit her ir
| some of his fits Of drunkenness, he never
before struck her so cruel q blow. Without
raising her voice she said, 81 shall never BE-
able to forgive you for such an outrage
Before that che had shed tears under hie
cruelty, and tried to reason with him but
| after that. whenever he was in one of his
paroxysms, as he called them, she never
moved or spoke, but keeping seIf.controlled
as far as she could. looking him in the eye
| because she fancied it would prevent any
| martial violence. She believes now, as
| then, her life has been saved by silence and
self control He sometimes approached heI
with hands extended and fingers bent like
claws, as if to clutch her throat and stran-
gle her, and would say, "YOur life is bound
sometime to end in tragedy" or, your
blood will be On your own head" or, how
should like to strangle you" He was then
only restrained because she looked a: him
without saying a word.
In these furies he would often seize and
break anything witch vas at hand, lamps,
glasses mirrors. and sometimes heavy fur.
niture of the room, and crushing things
about the room till it has seemed there
could be no paudemonium worse than that
in which she lived, and all this he wonld do
without explanation or even q preteXt OF
complaint against her, and when she knew
no more what excited his frenzy than a
babe. He would sometimes keep up this
conduct and this abuse for hours without q
syllable or a motion being made oAher
part, and would then burst into tears and
beg her pardon, and say she was the best
woman that ever lived, and then go to
sleep exhausted. She never told him after
that winter she could forgive or could love
him, alth oueh he sometimes lmplOred her
to do so. because she could not say so with
truth. Generally she told him she pltied
him, which was true-sometlmes he SAID,
"Your id silence irrtates more than
if you talked but she was sure her
course was best. When he struck her this
blow in 1862, she told Mrs. Cleveland, SIS
ter of Greeley. the only person to whom she
spoke of Mcfarland otherwise than in
manner becoming wife to speak OF her
husband till the winter of 1867; and she de-
voted all her woman's skill and tact to hide
his conduct from observers. In the spring
of 1868 Mcfarland got appointed to posi-
ton IN the office of provost marshal, for
which she, under his orders and against her
own feelings, interceded through Mr.. Gree.
lev. As soon as he got his Office she ceased
preparations for the stage, and went to her
fathers, remaining a short time there.
Mcfarland summoned her to New York
with Percy, who was i'll at the time, saying
he would burn her fathers house over her
New York in August. After a few weeks
physicians said Percy would die if not sent
back to the country and she again returned
to her fathers and staid till sNovember.
During the previous winter she had met
Mrs. Sinclair often, at Mrs. Cleveland's, and
had been shown great kindness by her.
Her influence was given to securing an ap-
pointment for Mcfarland.
In the winter of 1863 and 1864 they were
hr
Mcfarland came home SO bruised and bleed
ing from street broil-a not uncommon
occurrenCe-that she was obliged to Call on
Mr. Sinclair for aid in getting him to bed.
She kept him in bed 8 week, and brought
meals to him herself. From the spring OF
1853 to the fall of lSG4, Mcfarland sent her
home three times, and moved her to eight
different boarding-houses. II for one mo-
ment she was peaceful in possession Of shell,
ter, his habits or dissatisfied temper drove
him to change. At last, III the fall of 1867,
Mr.. Sinclair offered them, rent free, his un
occupied farmhouse or the Hudson river,
where they stayed all winter, and in the
summer took a small tenement, also in Gro
ton, which she furnished Cheaply with two
hundred dollars borrowed by Mcfarland
from her father. His conduct was more
endurable in the summer Of 1865. He lost
his place under government and made no
attempt to do anything. She suggested she
would have to give readings again. He
swore terribly at her, but made no other
answer. She went on with readings.
and with the money saved thereby
children with her mother. She gave
other readings, and with the money paid
the physician who attended her at Danny's
birth, now eighteen months Old. She also
arranged to print little book for children.
She returned to New York to occupy small
rooms over stable on Thirty-sixth street,
which Mcfarland had hired. This WIN
ter she says. 81 made desperate struggle
for life. l had my two babies. the younger
just weaned. l mad this man coming home
half Of the time Intoxicated, and | had
nothing but my Woman's heart and hands to
look to for support. | gave all the readings
l could. did all my OWL housewOrk when
at home. took faithful care of my children,
but often sank into such utter dependency
Of heart as only God knows and can pity,
when he sees poor human souls sinking
under it, In April, 1866. Mrs. Sinclair and
SO ne friends arranged reading at Stein
ways rooms, tie proceeds Of which were
more than one hundred and fifty dollars.
Mcfarland abused her violently for giving
this reading; got grossly intoxicated, aud
kept al out twenty-five dol ars OF the
money, which paid her and the chiIdren's =
fare to her fathers house.
The history OF her acquaintance with Mrs.
Ca houn is given, as also OF the eI gagement
at the Winter Garden. together with the iet-
ter in which she told the story OF her mar
ried lie to Mrs. Calhoun.
Mrs. Richardson then passes to 2 review
of her acquaintance with. Mr. Richardson,
and his connection with her case. Up TO
the time Of her coming to remain i'll the
same house in Amity street, their acquain
tance had been very slight and formal.
They had met occasionally at Mrs. Sinclair's
and Mrs. Caihouns and up to the twentieth
of January, 1867, her Acquaintance with
Richardson consisted solely Of two calls, at
the request Of her husband TO solicit his
(Richardson's) aid in getting Mcfarland
place in the employ Of the Pacific Railroad
Company. OF the Amity street lodgings
she says: IF had any feeling about Mr..
coming to take q room so near
MIR. Mcfarland and myself, it was one of
there without knowing something OF my
unhappy life. saw him then often, and he
did me many kindnesses.
There Was never, prior to my leaving
word or even q look passed
between US which l should not be glad If all
the world had seen and heard. On the
day Of separation, February u, 1867, Rich
ardson too Mrs. Mcfarland, there is a
matter in which I can not advise you. but
you do l shall be glad to help |
you" On the evening CT separation, as |
Richardson was leaving Sinclair's, he bid |
Mrs. Mcfarland goodby, saying: Il wish |
you to remember, MY child, that any re-
,ponsibility you choose TO give me III any |
possible future. l shall be very glad to |
.ake.n Two days after he made formal |
tvowal OF his love, connseling her to tell |
ler friends all he said, and take their COUP
,el. Richardson Was first shot on the thir.
eenth of March, 1867, and then Mrs. McFar-