The Hickman courier., 1874-05-09


would be an 1rreparable injury. She
had no desire to iniure her betrayer, as
she stated during the trial. She left
his health and his lie in the hands of
God. She did not stop to weigh any
effect her purpose might have upon her
relatives or society at large In the
scope of her purpose therseEere but two
beings in the world-h6s Betrayer and
herself.
For two long years she sought by
every means IN her power to win him
back to her; but when she foNnd this
was fruitless, when she found that he
had forever abandoned her, and fat no
influence of hers could ever reach him,
then she determined that, as he had
wrecked her life, she would wreck his
that as he, under promise of marriage,
had clouded her whole life with unhap-
piness, he should help her to bear It,
by suffering In kind, and that the mem
OrY of the ruin he had made should
ever be fresh and constant. She had
thus far fulfilled her purpose. For
twenty years she had been his waking
ami sleeping thought, and no effort of
his has been powerful enough, no STRAIT
egy cunning enough, to shake off the
silent, relentless spectre which has fol-
lowed him with reproachful eve and
iron purpose, as calm, and rigid. and
silent as though she were the very en-
bodiment of fate. Wherever he went
In the city of Louisville, she was few
PAGES behind him. Did he go to call
upon friend, he knew she would be
upon the opposite side of the street
when he came ont. He went to New
Orleans, and when he arrived there she
was there also. He went to New York.
but IN the thousan s of strange faces
which passed him in the busy streets.
there was one familiar face alWays near
him. His own shadow did NOT follow
him more surely or persistentIv than
sne followed him. It was all the same
IN summer or winter, in spring or fall,
IN storm or shine. by day or by night.
mus the years went on. She never
molested him. She never personally
lnterfered with his business or his err
joyments. She never spoke To him mn.
less he spoke to her, and then the bur
den of her conversation was onIv that
1t was her fate to follow him t6rouob
lie, and his fate to be followed. In
ali these years MIR. Throckmorton has
grown gray N the shadow, and Throck-
sirlortons ghost has grown faded and
bAe and weary with her restless wan
derlng. At last he could endure her
,ealmness, her silence, and her constant
presence no longer, and he brought her
before the courts upon the writ to which
we have alluded and sought to establish
the fact that she was insane. her insan-
1ty taking the form of a monomania.
But this was her opportunity as well
as hls. 1t was the opportunity she had
long wished, and for the first time she
had the chance to tell her story before
the puDuc tribunal. There were doc
Tors and experts IN attendance, who mar
rowly watched her as she narrated this
twenty years story, but they fonnd NO
traces of insanity In it. There was but
one expert who deemed her a nonoma-
mac, and he has been connected with an
insane asylum for thirty wears. and ac-
knowledged that he expected a liberal
lee Tor his opinion. He had concluded.
on general principles, that Miss Goodwin
was Insaue because she was different
from other women, and other women
similarly situated would have prieved
until they died, or reckIessIy gone to
the bad,---a ruling which would consipn
a great many very sane people. who
happen to be infexible in purpose to
the insane asylum. The jury did not
accept the opinion of the expert. but
acquitted her and left her free 10 do as
she pleased.
Duflng the trial she did not follow
Throckmorton, and there will be some
curiosity as to her future course. This
episode may divert her from her pur-
pose, since she had the opportunity to
tell her story in the most public man
ner and to yindicate her course.
whether she abandons or continues to
follow him, matters little now. In all
these twenty years her victim has had
opportunity to make amends fo,d the
great wrong which he inflicted upon his
vic1im, ana there are very few people |
who will not look upon it as an instance
OF Poetical retribution in a case in
winch the law affords no adequate rem.
cay and social forms are more liable to |
favor the stronger than thu hsaker par
fy The Nemesian idea is completely
exemphted. He ruined her life. She |
ruined MS He destroyed her hapei-
ness She destroyed his. The two are |
even.