Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1870-05-13
THE WIFE OF THE PERIOD
An Interesting Pen"POrtralt OF Mrs. Nc
FarIand-Riehardson.
Prom the New York Telegram. ]


The person who has achieved the
most signal notoriety, however, i'm this
lamentable matter, Is Mrs. Abby Sare-
Observation-Disclosures She is a type
of the woman of the period,u voIa-
tile and frivolous, and all her faults.
whatever they may be, must be ac-
counted for, not bv innate badness
for taken on the whole she is one who.
under ordinary circumstances, and
without the signal trials which have
marked her eventful life, would be
called an excellent woman-but rather
by the vicissitudes which have been
tuo much for her power of resistance.
Love is not thing which can be made
to order. Unfortunately this woman
did not possess an enduring love for
her husband, and she was further
alienated from him by set of practi-
cal " free-lovers, " who continually dis
titled into her only too ready ears the
abominable leprocy Of their detestable
doctrines. The result was Just such as
would have occurred in ninety-nine
cases, of similar surroundings, out of
a hundred. The woman yielded to the
advise of so called friends and the per-
suasions of IA seducer, and thus ruined
her life, the life of her lover, of her
husband, the lives of her children.
Whatever harm could be done she
did, and, we believe, innocently and
Internationally. There is one point,
however, in which Mrs. Mcfarland
differs from the generality of woman
kind: she lacks modesty and knows
no repentance. Withi unblushing eff
frontry she marrics Richardson on his
death bed, in the teeth of public opin-
ion, and now, during the trial of one
who, at all events, if he is nothing
more to her, is the father of her chill
dren, she advertises Richardson's prop
erty for sale publicly and published her
name as Abby Richardson at the end
of the bill. This Is going too far, and
can never gian her the esteem of the
community generally. But, after all,
Is she not crazed, and must we not be
charitable to her?
Mrs. Mcfarland is yet quite young,
being only about thirty years of age,
medium size, full, and somewhat vo-
luptuous in figure She has dark blue
res, auburn hair, and fai' beautiful
complexion; in fAct, taken altogether,
she is what may be called pretty. She
has sweet, rich voice, and in society
is very modest and retiring. 1t is only
since this unfortunate business that she
seems to have changed her whole ma
ture. Now she lives in Woodstock New
Jersey, away from every one, and,
leads almost the life of a recluse. Mrs.
Mcfarland is an educated woman. and
tho ssinppositinu that hur buotuuu
taught her all she knows il a mistake,
for when at sixteen she taught school
In New Haven. At the age of nine
teen, n raw, ~inexperienccd girl, she
married Mcfarland, and from the be-
ginning the union turned an unhappy
one. Just now she is engaged in wri-
ting history of her life. Some spec
ulators are quite anxious that she
should appear in the lecture room.
| Pecuniarily it would be no doubt a
success. A few days since she came
to town and paid visit to the Dis
trict Attorneys office. Afterward she
took a walk on Broadway, and people
who saw her little knew who this neat,
lady-like woman was.