Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1878-11-13
SWIFT RErRrBUTIoN.
Hon. H. G. Sexton Eloped With a
Servant Girl and How Both
Died.
From the Cincinnati Commercial.

| DltVls
! From the Cincinnati Commercial.
On Wednesday Of last week II. G.
Sexton, formerly Of the firm OF Mad.
dux Bros, Of this city, died of yellow
fever in New Orleans. Four days
before, Katie BOBBY, q servant girl
with whom he had eloped, and
whose widowed mother lives on
Mount Auburn, died In the same
city, and OF the same dreadful
scourge.
The particulars Of the cruel and un.
accountable desertion Of . most ex.
emplary wife and an interesting fam.
lily of children, the fight to New Or.
leans. with this servant girl, and
the swift and terrible retribution
which overlook them, as gathered
by . Commercial reporter, are
these:
Years ago II. G. Sexton, son of DR..
Sexton, Of Rushville, Ind, and near
relative of the late Lieutenant Gov.
ernor Of the same State, was married
to Elizabeth Maddux, daughter of one
of the Maddux Brothers, tobacco deal.
ers, Nos. Is and "a Pearl street. The
father of the bride decided to her q
fine residence in Avondale, and young
Sexton was taken into the above nam.
ed firm. There was everything
around and before them that young
couple could desire, and to all out.
ward appearances they lived happily
together. Five children were born
the oldest Of whom is now about IL
years OF age. The circle 10 said to
have been q beautiful one, and the
wife and mother the embodiment OF
all those qualities which have made
sacred those titles.
About two years ago Sexton took
it into his head to study medicine,
and severed his connection with the
Msddux Brothers. He then removed
with his family to Rushville, Ind,
where his father, DIR. Sexton, resides
Before beginning his studies, howev-
er, he changed his mind % to the pro-
fession he would enter, and turned
his attention to the law. At Rush
vile he and his family were almost,
if not quite, % pleasantly located o.
while living in Avondale. Every
attention was shown them by the
husbands relatives, who, from their
high standing, were able to make
the situation exceedingly pleasant.
For some time before leaving
Avondale Mrs. Sexton employed q
servant girl named Katie Bcoby. Al
that time she was quite young, and il
described - pretty and we'll man.
nered girl. Katie went with them to
Rushville, and remained in the family
until April last. She then came to
this city, remaining with her mother
on Mt. Auburn until July, when she
left again, ostensibly to pay . visit to
relatives in Wisconsin. In the mean
time Sexton had been In the city, and
had quietly, though not uubeknown,
disposed of the Avondale property.
The deeds had been made out in the
wife's name, but 50 little was the real
purpose Of the man OWNED that she
yielded full consent to the sale, and
none Of her relations saw any reason
for counseling her differently. In
this way Sexton got together about
5000, which upon returning home
he carefully kept in his deepest pock-
ct, to be devoted, % the sequel show.
ed, to the bAsest use it was in his pow.
or to devise.
In July Sexton left town to attend,
ss he claimed, the Louisville races
About the same time Miss BOBBY
started, as it was supposed, for Wis.
consin, to visit her relatives. Moth.
ing more was ever seen Of either OF
them. About month after the girl
left her mother received word that
she had not vet reached her ostensi-
BILE destination. Slowly . suspicion
Of the shocking truth began to dawn
on her, but months passed without
anything being found to confirm it.
Thursday q week ago q dispatch
came from New Orleans saying that
Katie had been taken down with the
fever. It reached the mother at mid.
night The next day another came
saying that Katie was very sick, and
on Saturday morning third, which
said, "Katie is dead" All three OF
the dispatches were signed BY II. G
Sexton. On the Monday following
there came fourth dispatch, thii
time from one Of the Howards, saying
that H, q. Sexton had been taken
down with the fever. The news
was immediately forwarded to Rush
vile. The day following another
dispatch was received from the same
source, and ON Wednesday . third
say ing that Sexton was dead, and ask
! ing what disposition should be mad,
Of tho remains.
i Notices Of the death of both ap
peared in the New Orleans papers
and have been copied into the Gin
cinnati papers. They read as fol
lows:
| SExToN-At Hammond, La, on Fri
day morning, Oct. Is, 1873, at 5 o 'clocl
Of yellow fever. Katie BOBBY, wifi
of II. q. Sexton, . native of Ohio
aged Is years.
| SExToN-In New Orleans, OF
Wednesday. Oct. 30. 1878, at II :O5 a
NJ, of yellow fever, Mr.. II. &. Sexton
brother of Leonidas Sexton, Lieuten
ant Governor of the State Of Indiana
aged about 80 years.
A valuable package and two trunk
have been sent from New Orleans b,
the Adams Express to Mrs. Booty
Learning Of this the friends Of tn
deserted wife yesterday had q wri
of replevin issued, and arranged 70
the trial of the case before SOUR
Johnston. A visit to Mrs. BOBBY las
night, however, convinced those mos
prominent In bringing the suit tina
the matter can be amicably settled
which it now seems probable will b
done. The trunks are supposed /
contain the clothing Of one or both o
, the deceased. In the package Their
are some jewels, and it is thought
considerable amount of money, a. S.
coo could not have been spent, unles
In the most profigate way, In so shoI
time.
There was disposition yesterda,
on the part Of some of the friends Q
the deserted wife, to discredit the re
) port of the death Of Sexton and Kati
BOBBY. The suspicion that the repor
10 false is built upon the improbable
. ity of the two having gone to NeV
Orleans at such time, and remaine
there until death overlook them botl
!. No reason can be given, however, 70
, Sections desiring to have . report q
his death circulated. He has nc
! been pursued by the friends Of tn
injured wife, and never would hav
been. They have been dispose
. rather to regard his flight rs a fortuI
. ate circumstance, siace discoverin
q his real character aud, with the e1
ceptiOn of his parents, all now unit
I in the hope that the report, dread
' full ~ It 10, may prove TO be true.
|, 1t will be noticed that in the deaf
notice Katie BOBBY 10 stated to hav
4 been Sections wife. Though the
: may have gone through the form Z