The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1873-06-26
A United States Senator's Deserted
Wife.
of OregOn's New Sena1Or-HOw
John Nipple Mitchell got
hIs Wife, and how he
Treated Her.

There is a queer story regarding Johr
H. Mitchell, the newly elected Senator
from Oregon. Briefly told, it represent
! him as a lawyer of Butler county, Penn
sylvania, bearing the name of JohI
NJ. Nipple, then as deserter of his wife
and child and creditors, and finally as q
Senator, with the name and location
first gwen.
A reporter of the Pittsburg Leader has
interviewed Colonel Thompson, late law
partner of Nipple:
He says that the lady whom Mitchell
married was Sarah HOom, and that she
was one of the mates of his childhood.
Previous to her marriage, in 1857, she
gave birth to child. Suit was brought
against Mitchell, as the father of the
child and, to avoid further difficulty, he
married the woman. They lived I'M
happily of course, though another child
followed the union. 81 really believe, T"
says Colonel Thompson, ''my old part
ner tried to live with his wife, but her
were of such a nature that there was
nothing in common between them. He
was educated, studious, and possessed of
vaulting ambition. She could not
sympathize with him, and there was per-
petual discord. He said but little of this
to me, and seemed resolved to bear his
burden in silence. During the winters
of 1859 and 1860 l was Speaker of the
House of Representatives, and was away
the most of the time. John looked after
my business entirely. In April, 1860,
returned to my office. A day or two
after my arrival home, John left the
office to go to Pittsburg, merely saying
that he was going on business. He
never returned as my partner. A short
time after his departure | received let
ter dated 'The Wide World" 1t had
no postmark by which | could tell where
he was. This letter stated his reasons
why he had gone away. He said in it
that he could not live with his wife, that
he was going away where he could be
undiscovered, and begin life over again.
The indications are that the story is
true, and it is suggested that the fact of
the fictitious name will invalidate the
mans election to the Senate. He is GER
tainly, if this is the case, entitled to as
much sympathy as condemnation.
A Pittsburg correspondent of the Chi
cago Times gives the following statement
of the wife, who is supporting herself
and children as house servant, at
Franklin, Pennsylvania. She says:
81 should not tell my story if did not
feel that it is but justice to my husband,
who had always abused me, and that
should now be able to show him that he
cannot always triumph. For the sake of
my children L would say nothing, but
since his story, as told by his lawyer,
Col. Thompson, is published, L must |
speak. When John Nipple left me he
took with him a woman, whose name | |
you think proper. 1t was advertised in
the papers at the time as the elopement
of Mary j. and John Nipple. Well,
that is Gods truth and she was the
cause of the first trouble between me
and John. John Nipple was never
forced to marry me. 1t is true that John
Nipple ruined me. | was young girl,
only fifteen at the time. He was twenty
six. He had been my school teacher,
and had for two years waited on my sis
ter. He took advantage of his position
and my youthful ignorance, and accom-
plished my betrayal. After the birth of
my child by him, my father went after
him and brought him to my bedside.
This was all the force about the mar
riage. My father demanded reparation
that he should marry me; but said,
John, you can marry me or not, just as
you see fit; shall not say He then
promised to marry me, and did marry
me-"
''Then you deny that the matter was
ever brought into the courts in a suit
against Mr.. Hipple?"
'Most assuredly do. Well, John
and lived together one year, happily,
when our trouble began"
"What was the nature Of those trou-
Dles ?"
"John's running after other women, I
Of course. You can understand my
feelings in the matter. / loved him and
was happy with him until he became I'M
faithful to me. The first that l knew
hat John was untrue to me was one
night shortly after the trouble began.
1ad heard outside of his being with
)ther women, but l did not know it. 8
He brought home this woman / here al I
ude to, who at this time was a school 8
teacher, to stay at our house. Mary
vent up to her room, which was near j
ours, rdtneT early JOnn WAS leIL DelOW
writing. After a while went to my {
com and undressed. waited for John /,
until II o'clock, when slipped down to ,
zee if he was yet writing. He was not t
here 1 knew he had not gone out of '
he house, so / went to Mary's bedroom. !
The door was locked. then sat down /
md waited. At / o'clock my husband {
Unlocked the bed room door, came out T
md, without word, went to bed. did /.
lot say a word to him then, but in the !
when attempted to say some !
hing about it, he swore at me with !
lreadful oaths, and said he would take :
ny life If ever opened my head about /
t again. From that time he had that I
woman in the house whenever he pleased
md could not prevent it. Do you won
Ter that We quarreled continually under
hese circumstances? Miss McC Christian,
nilliner, at Butler, will testify that at
his time she was in Pittsburg, and !
topped at Hane's Hotel. My husband I
hortIy after arrived, and asked to be ]
hown to his wife's room, abiding to =
Hiss -. Miss McChristiau exposed !
lim to the landlady, and John was or !