The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1870-11-18

command with which she spoke, left |
good impression.
/ asked her how she felt with re-
spect to the reported intention OF
exhibiting the children.
i do not think should like that,
Finley has had many offers l ieei J
as though had rather not make up
my miRd, for a while, about tua''
But. after a while, if they live. per
hans we will. Too soon, this winter,
II miobt ;niure them. If they live, it
mav he we will II they die, I'll
have nothing to regret. 1 have con-
cluded TO do the best We can for
them. It seems as If they might
live"
Allusion was then made to a con
tract which the parents are trying to
have broken, entered into with o. c.
Brown, an insurance agent Of this
place, whereby it was stipulated that |
Brown should have the privilege for
two years ofexhibiting the children,
he taking the family with them and |
paying their expenses, with $50 per |
month besides. Mrs. Finley said |
that neither she nor her husband |
were in their right minds when they |
signed this contract 1t was the sec
ond day after the birth. People we're |
crowding into the house. Brown |
came, and as it were forced them to
sign contract, paying So down to |
make it binding. Mrs. Finley was
indeed unconscious Of having signed
it at all, she said.
"My state of mind was not good.
We hardly knew what we we're doing;
I could not talk and make up my
mind. Finley was worn out with
loss of sleep and nursing. At least
a dozen people were here on the
third day, wanting to arrange for ex-
hibiting the children, taking photo
graphs, DC. The people crowded
the house, coming and going, so
much that we were almost eTazed,
aud had to charge admission as a
sort of defense against them"
Some days, l understood, as many
as five hundred people from the
country round about were pressing
into the yard and house to see the
remarkable sight
THE PARENTS.
Joseph Finley, the father, Is native Of
Pennsylvania, but camesto Union County,
Ohio, iu lS45, and Is forty-one years old. He
enlisted in the Ninty-sixth Ohio Volunteer
InIsntry in 1862, and served in the South and
Southwest for three Yeas. Twelve years ago
he married Anne E. Marks, native of Cham
paign County, Ohio, and, as 1 have already
mentioned, they had three healthy and inter-
ssting children previous to the last birth.
They are in fair circumstances, not wealthy
but not poor, having q neat little farm Of
eighty acres, which seems to be well taken care
of, and they certainly would be foolish to leave
it and 60 about the country for fifty dollars
per month, with their unfortunate fortune on
exhibition, at the beck of man with "'awful
speculation in his eyes" named Brown.
THE BIRTH ITSELF, &C.
After leaving the house we saw Mr.. Finley
coming across the fields, and went to meet
him. He is a rather slight, dark-complexioned
man, with thin face, Roman nose, and Of
average uneducated intelligence, apparently
quiet and "easy going, as the phrase is. with
little shrewduess and not more than ordinary
energy From him little Of importance was
gathered in addition to what had been seen
and heard at the house. asked him about
the circumstances of the birth which had cre-
ated so much talk and whether there was any
thing to which he attributed It in any way.
ANothing," he said, Except a severe fall
which nv wife had last winter" and then he
told Us of the same that Mrs Finley hademen-
1EAe
plsined Of strange feelings" he said.
sWere there any reason why she appre-
hended that anything was wrong, immediate
" before her confinement"
ayes /" he said ssfor two or three months BE-
fore, she thought that something must be
wrong, and often said that she did not believe
she would live through her confinement"
siDid she suffer much at the time Of eonfine-
nent?-what physician was present."
ssThere was none. She had been about the
house all the time at her work night before.
She was taken with her pains early in the
morning, and in fifteen minutes it was all
over. There was no help in the house but a
servant girl we had had about two weeks, to
help IN cleaning up our new house.
"How did you feel about it'll mean the
childF"
"That," he said, "and some other things,
have nearly worn me out. 1t seemed terri
bic thing for US. Ny wife was nearly insane
with trouble about it at first"
BRowN's SPECULATION.
He alluded to the contract with Brown,
which he said Brown had almost forced upon
them when neither of them were able TO think
nbout anything. she followed me after hav-
Ing written out the contract himself, and
after reading It to me hastily, SO that hardly
knew what was IN it, said, as if commanding
me, Sign it, sign it. And I was IN such
broken-down state Of mind that was unable
to resist him, and 50 signed it before knew
what had done" -
THE FATHERS sENsIBmITHs.
FinleT didn't seem to have any scruples of
delicacy about exhibiting the children for
money, but thought their lives should not be
endangered BY possible exposure this winter
He SAID that himself and wife did not feel
- zasponsihle for the strange advent, and seemed
20 mink it would not De unJustifable TO in
demniiy themselves Tor the strange imposition
Of Providence by using the same to their
worldly advantage.
LEAvE-IAKING.
Returning by the way of the house we took
D. last look at the children, contenting ourselves
1,;;h a glance at the two little faces, lying one
st each sld Of the cradle, quiet, gentle and
7,iacid in sleep, naturally hesitate and draw
hack from what are called "monsters." 1t
disenheartens me to see Nature, the awful
mother, making more sport OF us than we,
sadly enough, make Of ourselves. But, l
thought, can any one call these gentle, hapless
beings, these two fral prisoners in one wall
of fesh, monstersY Technically, only-not
with the popular feeling of the word, cer-
tainly. And came away with feeling Of
tenderness toward them. Z.
Loss of the Ben Flint.
The Milwaukee Sentinel OF Saturday has