Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1871-07-13
A FEMALE BANDIT.


come. and consequently left his family 50
poor at his death tha, the exp.rse of his
modest funeral. even, completely cxhaus-
ted the pitifui estate Bereft Of her hus-
I band. the widow Hunt found herself pep
uiless in the world. with two young daugh-
ters and son looking 70 her for supper. !;
srd Va ehis sccunulatior Of grief, help
s.ssxn~f. and iaorslsuas. rrspnniss,s;si;ty-.
Fknew or naught else practicable than the
removal with her three charges 20 New
! Orleans, where lived some distant rela-
+ tives Of her late husband, aud where her
son ot least. might be able 70 enter into
aome employment as IN all 20 the mair-
tenancc of his sisters TO said city, then,
after while, the Hunts removed and
according to report lived there in very
narrow circumstances for two or three
( years. Drudgcry and obscuritv might
/ have continued 70 be their lot but for s,e
more uncommon and far less happy deSti-
/ ny Of one cf the daughters, Miss Laura
. who 10 personal beauty of very striking
! type added mental characteristics in chron-
| &c revolt against her trying domestic sta
I ton in life. 4, sixteen wears of age this
girl was as conscious Of her physical AMI
intellectual fitness to shine in the highest
| sphere Of social existence rs OF the adverse
worldly circumstances booming her 10 toll
and hardship 10 the lowest. and. from the
time Of the removal Of the family to Louis
iana. she seems 10 nave bent ali her keen
est faculties upon a scheme to break tho
bond Of adversely BY the sheer strength Of
her wit and beauty. and raising her rcla-
tives to something ike ambitious living.
1t Glanced that the impoverished family
in the course Of their petty trading, be-
. came acquainted with rich wholesale
grocer. named Strong, who. although old
enough to have been the grandfather of
Laura. suffered the attractions Of the Young
lady to enthral his widower's heart with
sentimental rapidiiy. and was tempted by
hex amiablc demeaIo 70 Offer lis hand ia
marriage Il ,hcre is nothing in the pub
hshed records Of this part oc Miss Hunts
life TO show that she felt any particular
affection for the suitor. there IS also no.h-
in: to Justify the idea that her acceptance
of his ardent suit was any more tainted
with unwomanly motive than are the
matchos Of convenience arrsigncl in the
most polite society every year II is but
just 10 give her the credit in this matter
cf the supposition jetrac,ing The least from
her charactrr for delicacy and average in
tegrity. Being, that as it nicht have
been. however, Mr. Stronr's offer was ac-
cep:el, the marriage took place. and the
bridegrQom's money lifted the bride and
her family, temporarily. 10 comfortable
circumstances. Summoning common Chris
tian charity 20 the qualification ofindivif-
IA. judgment again. it - possible 70 be-
licve thai, .,f this naatI IiE,oEial ui.iesa.s,hal
proved even pasSab,y harmonicus. lhe ma
turc Of the young wife mirht have been
preserved from any signal porversion. and
her consequent career uudiStingui~hcd by
more follies and offences than ordinary
self-wiiie3 women hnd indulgeace for cv-
cry day: but uuhappilc, soon after TIE
wedding .lIc husband was revealed asli;-
tie better than = drunken. desro;.c say-
age, who, ia his frequen: cups, treated
his wife with outright brutality At first
Laura was cNr,cnrc,i 70 knew that her
friends understood the condition ocaTairs.
ani sylnpa.Lized with her as strongly a.
thoy denounced her husband: bat. heinz
finally eXas9era'ed into the hravado of
pretended Irritation by some particular in
sulting act OF icr husbands, the latter's
behavior to her became 50 outra geous that
she at once left hiu, and made application
fox divorce
The suit never came 70 trial, because
Strong died of y, Gnia Il potH while il was
vet pending: but FROM the moment of hav-
ing resort 70 that remedy Laura seemed to
cast aside all that there was Of her better
nature and become careless alike. Of the
jud gments of God and man Because her
sister had married \ relative Of her iata
husband. she persuaded her mother and
other relatives to disown the offender re-
len,lessly for life. All who bad in the
most triaius degree '.made allowances"
for the deceased grocer she abused and
deflcd wi;hou, stint, while her spirit OF
appreciation for those who had uncondi-
tionally championcd her cause was ex-
travagau,ly eyiaced BY her marriage with
one of them, 2 gentleman named GravSOu
in abe FIRST month of her wdowhooi BY
this act she forfeited the regard Of all her
I worthy friends, and scarcely was the scan
dal over. when she Left her second hus-
band. for some wild.reasou never explain
/ Ell. se mourn that he had ever known
her. and IS said TO have committed sui
| eide. She now becsSie a thorough fe-
= a'e c-itl sw and adV ,ptu-er AMI possessed
apparently, of a reckless determination 20
prey upon all whom she could eusra-e
into her net, she induced-or. rather, com
manded-her rather weak minded moth
CT and brother 70 go with her to Califor-
MA, where as she thought, the Geld Of her
proposed depreds.ions nigh, be less cir
cumscribed by the restraints of social civ
| ilira,iOn. Il does not sppcar clearly
whether her third husband. Colonel Fair.
was met and married by ESf in the South
before the California departure. or vas
amongst those frst greeting her at .eshe
mines bu, it was certainly as Mrs. Fair
that the innocsnt- and sivacsctsi ianra
Hunt Of snrner tines opencd = lo,el--,he
Fair Horse.--ia 1855 or 1856. in Viz
-ginia City, Nevada. The story Of this
marriage IS enveloped IN some mystery.
!, The Colorado C1iefssi. says that its brief
! period had It's sccne in Dorn;svi,is. Calf
fcrnia, where after uisny infsiiciGes. TIRE