The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-05-27
:. sstss HavershnFa''-0ncof DicHens
characters as seen I'm Keat hiAc-A
uos,,sville Rccls1sc.
(from the ! outsyilla Courier.


(from the outsyille Cour!er.l
Tho residents Of that portion Of the city
&, the vicinity of College and 1st streets
have long been puzzled ut the strange So
clusion and hermit life persisted in by one
of their ncighbors. On the southwest cor
ncr of LIST and College streets twoAstory
brick house is erected after the usual ta>ti-
ion of this city, where economy OF rear cs-
tate Is taken into account by the landlord
who builds with the view OF renting 10 TWO
families under one roof. The NV" apart
mentS, though rs much alike rs pos>ihic. 30 80
far ~ their architecture Is conrrfhru; u, ="
that goes to make up the wooi OF oa'it i'ts'
present n striking contrast. That h;ii' SIT
l1at ed on tho line Of the street Is as gloomy
and forbidden aS the cell OF n prison. DOORS
and shutters, day and night, remain always
closely barred and locked. ,
For more than two years they have never
1ccn soon opcn for Il moment, with one oc-
casional exception, which will be explain
cd nrc>rn,lv. Air and sunshine are alike
excluded. The very chlmncv-topS stand
like hoary scntinels above the fat zine roof
to warn OF approach from distance. Even
the coolest day OF winter no smoke IL seen
curling from their 1lucS, giving token of
life aud warmth within. PasSerS.by look
up hurrledly and move on. There Is such
an air Of utter dcScrtion that the sensation
- AuSolutttN ttlthul. NosC at aiSu VI
"houses to let see no placard on tree or
door or gate-post. Ii is a dead sea in the
very midst OF life. There comes over one
passing by ut night that vague sense of
fear
Which says a, plain sswlllsper In the ear,
The house Is hauntcu:'
18th all this there is life within-a
nf thought, of memory. of
H"' VII, ''vhap. There, and all
little Wosu -. 20 years of age.
crnsheu, u"p ~, old lau. lived in abSo-
For two years past she has oecil
i,,tn saclnsion. not having one nn.
t-n,, nnder the roof. She owns the hou",
in her own right, has money IN bank, anu
,tber reai estate besides that she occupies.
,rhs iniriai of her maiden name was ID.
Shn has bren twice married, the hrst Time
20 "a MIR O. :. c., whose name she SUI!
hoar. Her last husband died filtccn or
twenty wears ago. leaving his widow Will
ont children. though she has two or three
sisters in Indiana and 4 brother VINO hFes
in Texas. o,.o,
For eleven years the hermit woman never
sat foot outside her door, save 10 a.ieiu
church occasionally; but, though snc i
still as physically strong rs any one OF per
400 fn, the last two wears she has neither
been outside her door nor admitted any
one. with a single exception. The klnd
lady. Mrs. W. who lives next door, Is
the only living being she will suffer to enter
her room. Once day she goes 10 see now
the old lady is doing. and remains fc"
moments only. Mrs. W. also furnishes
her TODD, handing it to her through the
front door, and Mrs. - receives II WIN
her own hands. She will not suffer Il change
in tho location of any article of furniture
Mrs. W takes servant IN Ia remove
slops. &C.. but further than this no c'eanSm.
or General Moving around is allowed. A.
all The house was eleven years ago, so II i
to-day: SO it will be, likely, until The
strange woman passes through the door or
her way to the silent city.
WHY she persists III this living death, nc
one can tell. She alone COMMUNICATES hel
wishes, which are few, to Mrs. W, anC
beyond, says nothing. She never purchases
an article. Her wardrobe has received nc
.,dditinn in Il dozen wears. Mrs. W sec,
to the paying of her taxes (when The tax
collector fails to come around, then deatl
itself cannot find IN cntrancc0 yearly; anc
SO the collector gets his rcicnGe-nothin.
more does he care.
The strange old lady is very timid, and
expresses serious arprchcn>ions oil hre,
burglars, ETC.; more. perhaps, because TIC
excitement OF 4 contlagrHtlnn would com
pletcly break up her seclu>i"n. She dresses
in Il style quite unlike the present fashions
Of Paris millinery.
Her brother and sisters arc most re-
spectacle and wealthy people. Every ie"
wears one of them comes TO Louisville; bu
it is by the very hardest persuasion on iht
nart of Mrs. W that he or she is III
lowed admission. even for short While.
In a financial view, fires, especially when
the insurance covers the property destroy
ed, and, in addition, allows Il healthy mar
gin, are not generally considered dI>aS
1rous. But t. think what would he the
utter CONSERVATION and grief Of this pool
woman if aroused some night by 4 stream
of water from Il tirc-cngiuc poured in
through the cracking, falling roof, ami she
compelled TO abandon her little world fol
the street, throDgcd with crowd Of lln
feeling spectators, and subjected to tht
gaze of the outside world, which she HI:
been stunning 80 carefully for doZci
years!
The true story of this secluded life is n
Improvement on Dickcns'S fiction i'll hi:
"Great Expectations for here no Pip i:
allowed TO enter and divul9e TO Joe Gar
gerry the strange, Standstill monot0ny e
grateful to msanthropic minds.
1t is seldom that :hls lorcller half Of ere
alton becomes so Sourcu against that very
life Of which she is the source (thc mother
as to 90 into voluntary loneliness. But one
cannot entirely shut out the world-ant
live. Some friendly hand must minister t(
the wants OF poor humanity: and even tn,
assistance this strange woman Is obliged Il
acknowledge is Il sad commentary on th'
utter helplessncss of our mortal natures.