The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1877-09-08
STOFY.

e acquired by prisoners who have ofte
Itraveled in the same roll.
"Why, Mary how are said II
sergeant as Don ii the Gple entered
Where have you been Z haven't see
youth a month";
"Sure, Ionly got outyesterday morn
ing and here I am agan,' was the reply
: What have oubanSloing now 20 ]
What have beeh doingg Mayb
this fellow can tel, with 4 look Of with
ering scorn at the officer.
, That individual LAYING been appeale,
to said he had foum the woman wander
ing about the levef with no place TO stay
and concluding that that was not tn,
proper thing for ner at that hour, haC
brought her to thu station.
The woman appeared to be about sew,
enty years of age. She was dressed in &
faded old calico gown and wore a kind O
cloud wound ABOUT her head 30 closely
as almost to coaceal from sight the stray
Cling white looks ofhair. Her face was
a peculiar one, being long and square,
jawed. Each wrinkled cheek was marked
by a curious furrow, broad and deep, ex-
tending downward from each side Of the
nose. The peculiar glitter of the eyes,
that were dhnming with age, was likely
to give the impression that the woman
! was not in her right mind, and perhaps
the impression would be justified by the
fact. 1t was long past midnight when
she was brought in, and the sergeant, on
leaning she had only been caught hunt
ing a place to lie down, told her to 90 in
the calaboose and sleep till morning,
when she would be turned out. She hob
bledinside with alacrity, at the same time
looking unutterable contempt at the Off
Ger who had arrested her..
"There's something queer about that
woman" said the sergeant to a Republi-
can reporter, after the old tramp had
gone to her cell. "From what I have
been told she must have a very interest
ing history"
An inquiry for enlightenment brought
out the following narrative In daysgone
by old Mary Mary Welsh is her name
was married to a very respectable citizen
ofSt. Louis, who had amassed a snug for
tuDe in business. About the close
of the war her husband died, leaving
q pretty property worth in the neigh
borhood of $4,000. Mary had always
been a faithful and affectiopate wife.
loved by her husband and respected
among her neighbors, out her husbands
1eath seemed to work a complete change
the woman's character.
Previously she had taken the same in
crest In the prosperity of her husbands
business, and had always put the same
7alue on the privileges and advant ,ges
'esulting from the possession of a COM
'etence as do other women, but hardly
lad the sod grown over his grave, when
ne began to dispose of his property. A
and various charitable institu-
ions were the recipients of liberal gifts
f money, and doubtless the giver fancied
he was doing all for the best.
There seemed to be no ostentation
bout her charity and so little method
t reason that her behavior often gave
violence that her mind was affected.
friends advised her that she should soon
e pennliess unless she took care of her
loney' but still she continued giving as
9cklessly as ever until at last she stood
ne day without home to shelter her or !
leans of subsistence. Still she seemed
} regret mainly that she had no more
} give. She might still have been cared !
# by friends, but eventually she fell 7
ito such queer ways of wandering off bv
erself and avoiding her cquaintances
r weeks at a time that they finally all i
her, and she became a poor \
'andoned outcast." \
" When did she first make the &C.. 4
laintance of the police ," asked the F
b
81 don't think it is more than six or p
years ago." v
=" Did she drink" 81
Not much then. It is hard to tel, y
lat she did except to wander around.
e used to come to the police stations for
Lying on cold nights, and that's the al
y / first came to know her." oil
She has evidently grown worse since fl
It," al
Yes She is pretty bad now, and ar
'nds a large part of her time in the pt
rkhouse. She never works and has 81
rned to steal anything she can lay her dc
nds IN. She has been up often for m
it larceny" fe
Ana she Is just out of the wofkhouse an
W" pc
{ Yes. That's the reason | havn't seen of
beforeain a long time. She was an
ned out yesterday, and now at one phi
lock in the morning, she is found gil
wiling about ON the levee, looking de
Ter for something to carry off OF for a wa
ce to sleep" jul
Isn't it queer that, after giving for II
Q to church and charity, no one 70
uld have cared for her ?" tet
Tha.a - na~~4l kaE