Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1878-07-31
RESCUED FROM RUIN
BY her Father, who Makes his Appear
ance In the Bagnio where She was
Leading a Life of Shame-A sad
and a Glad Surprise.
Minnie WfIkersOD, Deceived and Be-
tPayed by a Nashville Bank Clerk,
Throws Herself Away, and after
some Months of Shameless
Life, is saved.

Dallas (Texas) Herald: Last evening, |
while at the Union depot, Herald reporter
engaged stranger who had just arrived on
the south bound train over the Central road |
in conversation, In the course of which he |
learned that the party was cattle man. The |
drive of the season was discussed, and while |
they were yet talking middle-aged gentle |
man, with beautiful young woman on his |
arm, came out from the eating saloon and |
walked down toward them. When near, the |
man with the woman ON his arm beckoHed to |
the man to whom the reporter was speaking
to come to him, when they conYersed In low
undertone, after which he and the beautiful
blonde, who seemed to cling convulsively to
his arm, passed. when the party returned and
the conversation was renewed. The reporter
casually remarked upon the beauty of the
woman, to which the man assented, in half
sorrowful, half plying tone.
Eyes, she is beautiful" he added, 'but-"
''But what?' asked the reporter.
''Well," SAID the man, 'Ill tell you, for l
sympathize so much with her and her poor
father that l feel as though | have lifted a
load off my mind every time | rehearse her
sad history. To make a long story short, sir,
that man that just passed Is Captain j. b.
Wilkerson, and the woman with him is his
daughter Minnie. My name Is Sam Goodwin.
Captain Wilkerson is cattle man, who makes
his headquarters near Brownwood, in Brown
county, aud we are returning from St. Louis,
ago Captain WIlkerson came to this country
from Lagrange, Tennessee, leaving his daugh-
ter Minnie, then only fifteen years old, In the
care of her aunt, who resided in Nashville.
This is his only child, and although he was at
| the time In straltened circumstances, yet he
managed to send his daughter to the TerVis
school, In Kentucky, where she went two
sessions, returning In vacation to her aunt
In Nashville. At the expiration OF the second
| term the girl entered millinery store In that
| city. At this time she had seen something
| over sixteen summers, and had biOssomed
into blooming and beautiful blonde.
| Though poor, she was proud, and was one
of the leading bellies of the city. Among
her many admirers was young
| bank clerk who became smitten with
her, and his attentive devotion rap
| idly increased, which was graciously received
| by her. 1t was soon apparent to their ac-
| quaintances that they were deeply In love
with each other, and as the young man was
OF steady habits, industrious and frugal, no
| objections were urged by her aunt, and they
were betrothed. But woman is such con-
| 6ding creature, and when she loves a man
she frequently loves him too well 1t was so
with Minnie Wilkerson, for in an evil hour
her lovers lust turned HIM into llbertine,
| and she fell q victim to his lecherous passions
| Seeing the public disgrace that would attend
| the inevitable disclosure, she lmplored the
| wretch who had ruined her to marry her at
once, and hide her shame from the world. a
| day was fixed upon, but was postponed from
| time to time by the cold and unfaithful lover,
| and short time since she became mother
| the baby boy, living but few hours after
birth. The girl suddenly disappeared, and
| for while it was thought that she had COM
! mitted suicide, but her amt received letter
| from her, postmarked Cincinnati, In which
she stated that it would he useless for them
| to pursue her, as she would that evening
| leave that city. ''Well, sir, as | told you
when | first spoke to you, we drove lot
| of cattle through TO Denison, where we
| shipped to st. Louis. One night, while
| Captain Wilkerson and myself were taking
| In the sights of the city, we entered fash
| lonable house of ill-fame, and had hardly
| seated ourselves when we were startled and
| shocked beyond expression to see Minnie
| Wllkerson walk into the parlor. The moment
| she saw her father, she threw up her hands,
| and shrleklng, fell to the floor IN swoon.
| When she recovered, In the excess of her
shame. she begged to be hid away from her
| father. The landlady was disposed to eject
| us from the house, but the determination of
| Captain Wilkerson to recover his lost child
| prevailed over her. The daughter at first
| would not listen to such proposition as re-
| turning with him, but insisted on living a
| lite OF shame, not through choice, but be-
cause she felt that she was forever disgraced
| and had no claims upon society. Yet, after
| deal OF coaxing, she consented to return
| with him to Texas. We were afraid the St.
| Louis papers would get hold of it and pub
| lish something about it. but they did not
| Are you IN business here, sir? grocery, eh ?
| Well, good day; the train is pulling out, -
/ and he hurried away to the moving train.