Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-03-11
MATRIMONIAL SLAVERY.
The Estimate Of a CaIifOrn IA Wife
Ten YesFs Of Faithful work.

len IeaEa OL EAAhmAmA " OH
The following unique card appears in the
San jose (Cal.) Patriot;
"NOTICE.
"All persons are hereby warned not to
trust Mary L. AbOrns, (my Wife,) as she
has left my bed and board without Just
cause or pTOYOCatiOn, and i VIII not pay any
bill contracted by her from and after this
date. JOIN ABORNs.
aSAN JOSE, Feb. 6, 1873.
Mrs. AbOrns now comes to the front and
makes the following statement in reply to
the above "warning'' from her nOn-crediting
liege lord:
The above nOtre appears now daily in
the san Jose Daily Patriot. Why am 1
thus published to the world? And what
human being on earth has the right to do
it2 Let US look at tie facts. / have been
the wife of John AbOrns for about ten wears,
and lived with him during the whole Of
that time-the prime Of my life. That
makes 1850 days. During that time
have cooked about ten thousand meals
Of vicLuals. set the table as many
times, and cleared it Off and washed the
dishes. During the ten years l have spent
between ten and fifteen thousand hours
over a hot cook stove, both in summer and
winter. 1 have cleaned up and swept the
house for him over ten thousand times.
During that ten years have borne to bin
six children, FIVE Of them now living, the
Youngest two and a-half years old. Be
sides the pains and accidents incident to
childbirth (Which every mother knOws)
what steps, cares and troubles (tO say roth
ing of the sickness and anxious thoughts
for my children) it has cost me to bring
them up, il is impossible for me TO say; every
mother knows It better than she can
possibly tell &c. In addition to that have
made all their clothing (besides my own,
and during that time / have also made
clothing and done sewing for others for
money, which went into the community"
funds; that is, as / understand It. all the
property made by the husband and wife is
community property, but in reality belongs
to the husband, and it is called in law
community property to take of the
sharp edge Of injustice. More than
thai, during these ten years 1 have
MIXED, oman average, three cows tWics
a day, which will make about seven
thousand milkiugs, besides taking care Of
the milk and making butter from it.
have, during the whole of that time, at
tended to the poultry, and often have as
sisrs ed Mr.. AOOrns N loading hay, sewing
sal Ks, and even cleaning out his stable.
N5T, have drawn the picture very mildly.
I : we made allowances for my sicknesses,
wasn l have had help, something after the
wss that a farmer would hire a horse, il
his own was sick and unable TO work.
! l rad nothing when / went there, and
nuthing at the end Of those ten years Of
| seTyitude. had lived, it is true, and was
/ very moderately furnished with clothing.
/ Tirs is all for ny labor. What man is
/ tl,ege in the world that would 90 the work
/ / have done for the same compensation?
/ / make this statement, not ont Of any feel
/ ing Of revenge to Mr.. AbOrns, for he has
/ done only what hundreds of others would
/ have done. In many respects he is a good
| m3u; Industrious, and, like hundreds
/ ysa thOusands-Of others, honest with eY-
/ erybOdy except his own family. / choose
/ To- I've with him no longer; my reasons are
/ my own. And / say again, what right has
he to impair my credit by publishing me-
| In the name Of all that is just 1 sOlemnly
/ protest against il.
MARY Z. ABORNs.