American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1878-06-08
The Wrongs Of Kate Southe m.

l.
woman III all this broad Union viii
bleed at the recital OF the wrongs
uf this unfortunate woman. The
people Of Georgia were supposed to
emuody that spirit OF chivalry anu
gallanIry toward woman which has
ueen applauded as one of the no
" est characteristics of southern
manhood. But the conviction of
X ite Southern Is Il stigma upon the
people of Georgia, as IL places them
i'll the attitude ui furnishing Il woman
for d crime, which, when committed
by men, makes tnem heroes who
receive the applause and adulation
of chivalrous men. The southern
people, i'll tn. ir love and admiration
of woman, are too prone to guSh like
a mountain spring with all sorts OF
hulnanitdrllLlSm and amlable Seutl
menlalISms WHEN woman Is involved
In chine. But the people OF Georgia
have reversed this southern Sentl>
IN cnt, and made d CONVICT of wO>
man Tor committing crime which
makes NEIL heroes. This scrupulOus
regard Tor law whIch has developed
itself in Georgia is to be commended.
But it Is to be regretted that 1t
makes It's first appearances i'll cons
victiag woman after beng dlsre>
garlieu on the trial of men. In all
our reading We have never Seen Il
woman subjected TO as many wrongs
aud insults as was heaped upon
poor Kate Southern. She had
enough to drive her mad. and if,
under similar G. rcumStances, u man
had slain the seducer OF his wife, no
would have been triumphantly ac-
quilted ON the convenient plea OF
insanity, and would have been borne
out Uf the COURTROOM on the Shout
ders OF the very men who convicted
Kate Sou hern. A Iecapitulation
the sympathy Of every just man and
woman. Mrs. Narclssa Cowart was
a notoriously bad character. She
married IA man by the name of Scott
CowaIt and lived with HIM only a
short wniie, when she began acting
indeccntly, and Was SO outrageOsly
unfaul hfui TO him that she drove him
away, aud openly refused to share
Ills couch with him. She shortly
.,fterward became intimate with a
married man living near her, and
by her base conduct separated him
rom IL loving vile. She met after
this Bob Southern, and lie fell into
her snaie, and remained ill illegal
intimacy with her up to the time OF
he tragedy. Bob Southern be>
.onged to "a family of high respecta-
UlllLy. lie was IL handsome young
man, aud was besieged by the late
Mrs. CowLrt. In the neighbOrhood
lived the beautiful Kate uambrick
the daughter uf one OF the best men
Ut the country. Her forehead is
represented as broad, massive and
smooth her eyes piel cing, aud the
iashrs long and beautiful, while the
hair hangs in massive waves and
riuglets. Her intellect was never
strong, but her appearance is that
III a dlguified, christian lady. He,
4, preston is represented rs SUI
premcly sweet, and her whole ap-
pearauce that of purity. She was
an exemplary member of the Bap-
list church. This happy aud lovely
glrl was married To Robert Suutll>
ern on the tenth of December, 1876.
Previous to the marriage Mrs. Cow
art pursued Kate Hambrick with q
fury. She visited tie
father aud poured into his ears all
sorts of falsehOOds, and threatened
70 kill his daughter if he permitted
her to marry Southern, hy whom she
was soon 10 have a child. After
marriage she resumed her crusade
Oh the poor unoffending Kate, So
many were the threats that SOuth-
ern was forced to leave the neigh>
bJrhoOd in order to save the lite If
his wife. Under this mental and
physical torture Kate's health be
came impaired. She was thrown
into spasms from mental anxiety.
During visit of Kate to her fath-
er's house an impromptu party was
given her and her husband. To
this party Narcissa Cowart, uninvi-
ted, attended. She tainted Kate,
who stunned her, aud finally Com.
menced the attack on the miserable
girl, and was righteously killed in
After the murder
Kate was PROSTATE, INSANE, helpless
Goaded to desperation by woman
who had pursued her and was en-
to renew the former dis
relations with her hus>
band, she i'll an hour OF frenzy and
slew the destroyer OF
her peace. The conviction of Kate
Southern under the circumstances
has shocked the American people,
Wi. Ose sympathies are aroused for
the " oman SO fOully wrohged-iIs
by Mrs. CO1art, then BY the verdict
o. the Georgi, jury. With half the
pro location under similar ciIcHm
tan es, if an Infatuated husband
l. ad slain the pursuer of h m self and
his wife, lie would have been tri>
umphantly acquitted. We bav
IL yer espoused the doctrine of wo
mars rights; but such unjust dis
ciimi. ION us this against women
shows t iot Justice is done them,
a-.d that il is not surprising that
they should look to the bailot.box |
AZ the only bulwark for self ,prOtec-
ton. When Dan Sickles waylaId |
aud cOwardly assassinated Barton |
Key fur causes not half so prov Jk-
ing as those that derived the arm
vi poor, demented, crazy Kate
he was acquitted and