Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1870-05-18
THE MCFARLAND CASE
Mrs. Richardson's story.
NEW YORK, May 10

sake of the noble men and women who
have stood by her through all revilings,
often without explanation from her, and
always in full faith she was cruelty
wronged, and for his sake, who lost his
life in her behalf. Mrs. Richardson says
she married Daniel Mcfarland i'm 1857 he
representing himself at the time TO be a
member of the bar at Madison, Wisconsin,
with flourshing practice, brilliant politi-
cal prospects and personal property TO the
amount of $4,000 to $4,000. He also
progressed to be of temperate habits, the
purest morals, and previous to the mar
riage appeared neither Incorporate nor
brutal. During the bridal tour he bor-
rowed money to get back to the West
In New York he kept her three or four
weeks, and then taking all the jewelry she
had to the pawnbroker's to pay the board
bill, sent her home to her father. in New
Hampshire. For fourteen days she never
heard from him.
She says he was incorporate, terribly
profane, fitful temper, and for slight causes
would not speak to her for days.
During all this time 1865 she was OPP
pressed always with want of money, and
with great difficulty got a scanty wardrobe
for her baby, which was born in Decem-
Der. In November her sister visited her.
Mcfarland took her to a matinee at a the
atre and returned at the close of the matt
nee grossly intoxicated, made love to her,
and in his drunken foolishness frightened
her exceedingly.
Early in the spring of so she went home
again, and her baby died. and her father
paid the funeral expenses. In July she
returned to Mcfarland. With heart
sorely bruised, she was less able to bear
the brutality and violence of his temper.
His treatment was so bad she went back
to her father in October, and remained till
August, 1850.
In fall of 1862 and year 1863, they lived
at 5S Varick street. She was then study
ing hard, and supporting both him and
herself. He would lock himself up in
room with her, threaten to take poison and
make her take it, snatch up her scissors,
and tearing open his breast would bran
dish them about, swearing he would let
out his hearts blood, and told her he kept
loaded pistols with which he would at any
moment shoot her.
One morning during the winter, after
Mcfarland had been out nearly all night
in drunken orgies, he struck her blow
across the face, which made her reel back
ward.
He sometimes approached her with
hands extended, fingers bent like claws as
if he were about to clutch her throat and
strangle her, and would say, 4" Your life is
bound sometime to end in tragedy or
How l should like to strangle YOU" and
was only restrained because she looked at
him without saying n word.
In the winter of lS64-5 they were Mr..
Sinclair's near neighbors. One night Nc
Farland came home so bruised and bleed
ing from a street brawl-a not uncommon
conference.-the was obliged to call on Mr..
Sinclair for aid in getting him to bed. She
kept him in bed week, and brought meals
to him herself.
From the spring of 1868 to the fall of
1864, Mcfarland sent her home three times
nd fsanxyad har fn airhf diffarant hOa rti m
houses.
At last, in the fall of 1864, Mr. Sinclair
offered him, rent free, his unoccupied farm
house on the Hudson river, where they
stayed all winter.
She went on with the readings, and with
the money saved thereby went to her faith
er's; and leaving the children with her
mother she gave other readings, aud with
the money paid the physician who attend
ed her at Danny's birth, now IL months
old.
gave all the readings could. Ibid all
my own house work. 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
the poor human soul sinking under it.
In April, 1868, Mrs. Sinclair and some
friends arranged for a reading at Stein
ways rooms, the proceeds of which were
more than $3.50. Mcfarland abused her
violently Tor giving this reading, got gross
ly intoxicated and kept all but $25 of the
money, with which he paid her fare and
the children's to her fathers house
The history of her acquaintance with
Mrs. Calhoun is given, as also the engage
ment at Winters Garden, together with
the letter in which she told the story of her
married life to Mrs. Calhoun.
Mrs. Richardson then passed TO a review
of her acquaintance with Mr.. Richardson,
and his connection with her case. Up to
the time of his coming to room at the same
house in Amity street, their acquaintance
had been very slight and formal.
Up to the Goth of January, 1867, her ac-
quaintance with Richardson consisted sole
ly of two calls, at the request of her hus-
band, to solicit his (Richardson's) aid in
getting Mcfarland place in the employ of
the Pacific Railroad Company.
/ saw him often and he did me many
kindnesses. There was never, prior to my
leaving Mcfarland, word or even look
passed between us which / should not be
glad if all the world had seen and heard.
On the day of separation, February Dist
1867, Richardson told Mrs. Mcfarland:
"This is a matter in which cannot advise
you, but whatever you do shall be glad to
help you in
During the long time, almost three years,
that ensucd between my former separation
from Mcfarland and my legal divorce, my
acquaintance with Mr.. Richardson had
been most carefully guarded, and during
all MY etaV i'm Indiana and i'm all his fire.