The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-02-04
A FACTORY GIRLS CRIMES.
A PICTURE or DfSOLhTE LIRE IN THE
CRY or SPINDLEs
Lula Martin Acquitted Of One Charge of u,,.
DER AND heid In Lowell Jan for Another
One-uer Letter 10 her Frsrid I.ovsr

LOWELL, Mass. Jan. 9).-In tho countv
| jail in this city awaiting trial on an Indictment
for murder. lies Lula A. Martin, one Of tha
several thousand latory operatives of tb.
manufacturing town ons Of those Operatives
who within tho tow'r brick hives that hera
abound grin out monOtonous liy@ to earn drv
broad for thems llv's. and weave tho lannon's
Morrimack prints 10 make fortunes for thar
employers. very largo proportion of the ~
900 inhabitants of this city were such workers.
laborinV at thoir chnnxrlyss treadmill tasss
| from year 10 yoar. Tho manufa tories of tho
| Merrimack Print Corporation Ia concern renre-
senting capital of tlbn OOOj, alone employ boz
twoon TWO an threo thousand hands. Most OF
| th's'" are women. and " maintain ut loasd out
ward decorum in thur behavior aft,r AZ we'll es
during the hours Of work. Ia "a problem that
| has given good deal Of trouble Tho streets Of
| Lowell after work. md particularly on fair
saturday nights. arc said TO present an Interest,"
| ing and lively spectacle. One of the rules Of
the Morrimark corporation requires all en-.
ployees before beginning work " sign stipu.
ltion binding them ~ continue Of good moral
character and To- intend church regularly and ID
is announced that no person will be allowed at
work who Is hubtually absent from religious
services. These provisions may have some 70.
straining influence. but they would probably
have moro w,Icthey susceptible reinforcement
Tho corporation" has also provided cheap
and decent boarding houses for their employees;
but many Of the operatives for whom the re-
straints Of any kind of boarding house would
be irksome, prefer ~ rent rooms in public busi-
ness buildings whore there ia nobody 10 observe
| their dongs.
in n SOLITARY room on the third floor Of ono 81
these public buildings lived last summer Lula
Martin. HwOiilan about thirty years of age, lead
| ing dull. checrlsss life unrelioyed except by
an attachment she had formed for follow
Charles Kicker by name-who for some III en
years had heeu one of the engineers Of the MGR
| Iima'k corporations An intimacy had sprung
up b two u them. and Kicker had been IA fire.
| dneni visitor M her room for over half n year.
| tween them. Sue hnd grown Jealous OF him and
Hfing and wre he'd. aud for some weeks 10
| had kept cat 81 her way and had not seen lar
| I'm this state oi mind she had sent him tho ioi.
| lowing letter:
Mn cnAstss Ricxrr; would like 10 have a ak Win
ialI viii foo ha,t mai1. assin Vi" w wIny 70
know y WI be lft'9r or Yen amt m, 'o mako ~ again
hsvr dons wrong isa lone wfoni hrst know ,cry
B,loS Trss T.rhs mgs Iais over ny head .h4 m
anyun. wrons ain ~ Ion. a 'iol give. IN breath I
| can write better than can talk.
And in answer TO this letter. Kicker won, 70
| see her about nine O'Clock one evening in lat
| August When he entered the room III" lamp
had not been lighted, and the woman was sit.
ting there in darkness. Kicker asked her why
| she did not light the lamp. She said in Il tired
and gloomy tone that she did not know; then
added she was out. of Kerosene. Kicker st
| down I'm the dark and began talking with her
| about her letter. She answered IN Il wandering,
| absent way. Presently she arose. aud went b a
small bureau that stood in n corner, aud took
| something out of Il drawer. From there she
wont 70 the door and sprang the spring lo'k.
aud placed her back y IT, Then She raised her
| right hand toward Kicker. and he saw in the
Ybs 'urty the. polished barrel of a pistol, brt
before he could spring upon her she hal ilrcd.
wound He had sufficient strength. however.
~ eat ii her hand. while with ieverish haste she
tried L. cock the revolver 10 fire again. and 10
hold her until he got the door open and was ably
To run out. He hurried 10 n physician and
was rs ,eriainqd that he had received fatA
MMniim me- u numb,r Of persons who had IA.
| -"Whl u outside Of the room whore the struggle
mad occurred. their attention having bcen ut
trartnd by the report OF the pistol. forced an On.
| Try into the apartment. They discovered Miss
Martin lying on the bed in stupor. An empty
/ relied revolver lay on the fioor Antidotes were
administered in time 10 bring her TO- Bud
| Kicker grew rapidly worse. and IN "A day or two
died. AT the ante;nortem examination the dy.
Ing man was asked the question. What is tic
| present state Of your ioeling toward NJ ss Mars
| tinf' lie made no answer to the question. and
i was not repeated. He seemed in great men'
| "a, distress. and soon alter died.
Ever since tnen Lula Martin has boon 10
prison here. Her previous history was care.
! iully investigated Immediately after Rlrkere
death and It was discovered that the Lowell
man was not the nrst OF her friends who had
housekeeper for DR. ]. Il. Baker. Of Warren.
| Me- Her claim is that She had been engaged 10
lim Tor = l9ng limo before ,she entered hs
over forty, and Hiss Martin was "a liti's pn-t
'w-nty. Sh" remained several yenrs In the
DO tors house. Finally. leaving him shc wrnt
10 live with brother. who was u widuw'r With
Two aR aged eight and ton. ono evening "a
Nay ~, her brothgr being absent, IN; Batrr
| and was there when the boys went tuird. Ataioh
Ten O'clock MS Martin kno. kcdat the door Qis
NNNF - f ats IN