New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-01-12
SAVRD,
How Spirited, Plucky Kentucky Woman
Saved Her Husband.

| From the Bowling Green kentucky Democrat
| A little more than two years ago, as the
| United States mail steamer BowiIn Green
| from Bowling Green, Kentucky. to Evans
| vile, Indiana, was approaching the landing
| at MOrgantOWn, Kentucky, an uausuali,
| large crowd was seen upon the bank OF thu
| river-s0 unusual a crowd, III fact, as to at
| tract the special attention of crew and pas
| sengers. Upon landing, three men, armed
| cap-apie, brought a prisoner aboard. The
| oldest of the party, afterward ascertaineC
| TO be the father of one Of the younger men
| approached the captain and gave him the
| following history: He said that he lived
! somewhere in the interior of Indiana, and
| that several years prior to this date the
| prisoner was a sprightly, attractive young
| LothaIio, teaching school in the vicinity OF
| his home and part of the time boarding al
| his house. Pdter f9rliiGs had daughter
| just budding into womanhOOd, and, OF
| course, at the most susceptible age.
| The reader anticipates me, no doubt. Inc
| oft-repeated story was re,euacted: Ihe
young school teacher and the maiden be-
| came attached, engaged, and, alas, with
the result, also not unprecedented. she
'lOved not wisely, but too well" Before
| the discovery the faithless swain departed
| to parts unknown, leaving the poor girl to
| meet the horrors of her situation alone and
uRsustained.
The law of Indiana makes seduction fell
0ny, and the girls father swOre vengeance
against her seducer Annually, alter his
crops were "laid by" or garnered, when he
had the most leisure, he and his son were
accustomed to devote one or two months
TO methodic and patient search tor the
eulpTit- Sometimes travelling by rail and
then by river, and yet again through more
obscure and unfrequented parts of the
in u M All their
efforts were unsuccessful until the spring
of 1871, when, pursuing their search through
the Green river section of kentucky, they
by some accident found him teaching school
on Mud river Butler county. Armed with
requisition from the Governor of Ken
lucky, they took charge of him.
The young man had in the meantime
married an estinable lad y, who was, at
this time, the mother of Q baby only three
weeks old. His exemplary habits had
made him many friends, and the peculiar,
and, to all, interesting condition of his fam
lily caused this affair to eXasperate them in
no slight degree; and, in connection with
serious threats toward the arresting party,
application was made to Hon. John E. Hal
sell, then judge of this Judicial circuit, and
sitting at MorgantOwn, for writ of habeas
corpus. which was granted, and the pris-
oner brought before him. Upon presentar
ernors, respectively, Judge Haisell, while
feeling, in common with the whole conmu-
nifty, profound sympathy for the prisoner,
was compelled to remand him to the Gus
tOdy of his prosecutors. Fearing a mob
and violence, which we're threatened, they,
instead of returning to their carriage, wait
ed for the steamer Bowling Green, and
came aboard, as already related.
The old man, while exultant over his
Sill t-at,n Of
attempt to rescue his prisoner at Rochester,
forty niles by water below, and near the
home of the prisoner and his friends, and
therefore he hired young -, q SIX and
half foot kentuckian, as an assistant
guard, furnishing him with dOuble-barrel
shotgun ard navy revolver. They all de-
clared their determination TO die rather
than surrender their charge, and appealed
to the captain for assistance in case of at
tack. The captain respectfully declined 10
order his crew to do any fighting for them,
but assured them in good faith of his per
feet neutrality, and that ne would place 10
obstacles in their way. Thereupon rather
startling and impressive preparations for
defense were made before arriving at
Rochester, and an attack may have been
contemplated and abandoned in view of the
desperate resistance indicated.
There was quite crowd assembled at
tested by both parties. but, fortunately,
there was no attempt to release the prls-
Onet. Instead, there came aboard a small,
delicate, pale-faced woman, with q three
weeks old babe in her arms. The woman
had ridden about twelve miles through
mud, cold and sleet, TO intercept the boat
that was bearing her husband TO a telOn's
cell in an Indiana penitentiary. Whatever
might have been his indisoretOns-as she
mildly termed them-in his earlier youth,
she said to the captain, that he had always
been noble, kind and true to her. She knew
of this sad affair in his history before her
marriage, knew the girl was utterly WORTH
less, and that, in this afair, her husband
was r,Ore the victim than the girl-'more
sinned against than shining" Many per-
sons present, knowing and bearing witness
to his exemplary life, and impressed with
their evident mutual affection, the lively
sympathy of all aboard the steameS was
soon manifest.
But anticipate
Delicate though the little woman evil
IDENTIFY was, she had the air of one enthused
with some great passion and nerved to some
desperate purpose. Her step was as firm
and stately as a queens, her eyes almost
scintilated sparks from exalted nervous exc
citation, and her thin, pale lips were COM
pressed until there could be seen the iII-
print OF her small teeth through them.
The prisoner was sitting near the stove
in the for ward cabin, encircled by his guard.
saw, slight though it was, the thrill or
start as the wife'a eyes first fell upon HIN
and his surroundings. Her salutationwas
cOnstrainedly quiet and undemonstrative.
With but O slight pause, she rather per-
emptorily said, Gomez as she started
toward the ladies' cabin. The guard rather
hesitatingly objected; but she replied in a
toneo "He she'll Gomez He roses and.
the guard accompanying, all walked
aft and sat down in the ladies' cabin With
a sort Of fascination. followed. Here
there was but little conversation for some
time, beyond mutual inquiries in regard to
health, and some expressed apprehension on
the part Of the husband of injury to both
mother and child from exposure to such
weather So soon after her accession to ana
ternityo
The steamer had prog essea many mile.
by bedtime, and meanwhile p stateroom
had been assigned the woman. in which.
after being well warmed and snugly en-
wrapped, the little babe was sweetly sleep
ing, and, as mothers fendly fancy, smiling
in response to an angels whisper-at any
rate. happily unconscious of its parents
troubles. About ten O'Clock Mrs. - said:
''John. i. is bed-times | know yo1 need
sleep. Come into my room and go to bed
The guard therupon arose and positively
otjected; bat she turned .lpon them with a
whitening glance and a desperate resolution
in her face. saying, .'FoU need not open
your mouths. You have had him in that
ioathsome jai! for two nights: he needs
sleep, and he shall have 1T. You are three
great, brave men to fear little unarmed
man ike him: Guard the outside OF the
doors as yea will. but sn here he shsl!
Sleep"
and the prisoner retired with hi. wife. ,
was as,onished at her success. and wonder
cd a: the imbecility Of the guard; bus, at
several successive landings. while the lady
was .till up. they would demand admit
lance to her 'oom. look 10 upon the vris-