Mexico weekly ledger., 1877-04-05
Rescued From Ruin.

0luUu L ICCIuCbs WdlhCu lAUO bAO w dSh
ington Place Police Court with a beau
tiful young girl, hardly 18 years of age,
as a prisoner. She was tall, had 1.-the,
shapely form, violet eyes, and q wealth
of wavy brown hair. Her attire was
rich but neat, a heavy black silk dress
deliberately trimmed, with mantle to
match, and a black velvet hat sur
mounted with two roses completed her
costume. Judge O%tterbourg looked at
the prisoner and officer inquiringly,
when a stout man with heavy black
whiskers came forward. He said his
name was John Duffy, a Sergeant of
Police in Philadelphia, and lived at No.
613 Alaska Street, in that city. The
girl accompanying Officer Schmittber-
ger vas Miss Lizzie, his ward, who a
run away from home a year ago, OF
whom he had found no trace, though
making the most diligent search, till a
few days ago. Since that time
he had understood she had en-
tered a life of dissipation and shame,
and he was anxious to bring her back
to her home and save her, if possible
from certain ruin. Sergt. Duffy also
informed the Judge hat Lizzie, when
quite a young girl, was adopted by an
elderly widow lady in Philadelphia, who
provided for her handsomely, gave her
a good education, and when she died,
about two years ago, b~equeathed to her
certain property in Philadelphia,
amounting to $4,000, which she was
to receive on arriving at the g OF
twenty-one. This lady named Sergt.
Duffy the girls guardian, and after the
death of her adopted mother she lived,
with his consent, with her uncle and
aunt. While with her relations she
showed signs of a wayward temper,
and was impatient of any control what
soever, but he never thought she would
be foolish enough to run away from a
good home, when such good prospects
awaited her.
On the 10th of March he received a
letter from Charles E. Beach, telling
him his ward was in New York and
was leading q life of shame. He re-
ceived another letter from the same
source a few days ago, telling him
where she might be found, and he came
to this city in response to it on Tuesday
night. With the assistance of Officer
Schmittberger he searched the Twenty
ninth precinct Wednesday night and
SuCCSSucu III A1OAAS Aho ihi0SAhS ""N
in a saloon in Sixth Avenue, lei Twen-
ty-sixth street. When discovered she
was partly under the influence of liquor,
and she was locked up in the Thirteenth
Street Station House tor the night.
While the sergeant vas making his
statement, Lizzie was walking up and
down the courtroom in an impatient
manner and looking angrily and de-
family alike at officer, guardian and
Judge, as if she would like to drown
them all. Judge Otterbourg spoke to
her in a kind, fatherly manner, and
asked her if she would not go home
with her guardian and give up forever
the life she was leading. She answered
st once:
"No! / won't 60 back to Phila-
delphia. He is not my guardian, and
he has nothing to say rs to where
shall go; l am my own mistress, 1
think"
Judge Otterbourg had some further
conversation with Sergt. Duffy, and he
then requested Officer Schmittberger
to take the young girl to the examina-
tion-room, where she might sit down
for a while and calm her feelings. Be-
fore going Lizzie spoke to the reporter,
saying:
HAS he any right to hold me?"
81 presume he has," the reporter
mildly answered, "or you would not
be brought here. What is the reason
you do not want to go back?"
because 1 don't want to live with
my uncle and aunt again. They abused
me and sneered at me, and always tried
to belittle me in every body's eyes"
"How did you come to leave Phila.
delphia"
81 left there with a school-mate Of
mine, a young girl, who coaxed me tc
{ leave home, and | came to New York
} last fall. What makes me mad is the
!, way | was found" She then proceed
; ed to make certain statements concern,
ing the informant of her guardian
which do not merit publication. She
declared twas all jealousy.
Judge Otterbourg lectured the young
, girl for about half an hour. He point
ed out to her in vivid colors the roaC
she had entered on, its miseries anC
certain end, and told the stories of sew
eral girls like her who had been brough'
before him in his magisterial capacity
|. how he had seen them go down from
bad to worse within the space of a few
t years, till they had become habitua
drunkards, lost to all sense of shame
| and decency. He also told her of tn,
= happy home she had left, and how gla,
many of her erring sisters would be t,
; be allowed to go to their home again
Lizzie was visibly affected by what thu
: Judge said to her, and burst into
} passionate flood of tears, and said:
81 will go back with him your Honor
if he will promise not put me in an,
convent or institution"
This promise the k~ind-hearted Ser
= geant readily gave, and told ner he woul'
bring her to his own house, where sh,
would be treated q one of his ow1
family.
well Judge, l don't want to g,
r away without my bird. It's up at tn
house-No. 437 Sixth Avenue-wher
the rest of my things are"