Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1878-07-26
A TERRIBLE INDICTMENT.
The wIfe's Wrongs-Her Reasons for
Attempting the Life of her Sc
ducer-Symmes, the ScOandrei-
who should he Kicked Out
OF Cincinnati.

II will be remembered by our readers that
we gave in Saturdays APPEAL a brief &C
Junt of the attempt OF a repentant VIE and
mother to kill her seducer. Over her own
gnature, she sent to the Cincinnati Enquir-
e., from which we copy 1t, the following
card, giving her reasons for the attempt to
shoot Symmes, a lawyer Of that city, who Is
the person she charges with her ruin:
To the Editor of the Enquirer:
The man whose life | attempted to take
this afternoon, had | been successful, would
have received death from the hands of
woman whom he fearfully victimlZed and In
iured This so fully controlled my mind and
actions that, although | may have had pos
session OF my senses, | had not the power to
exercise Judgment, because of the thraldom
In which | was held. Were it possible for
any one to understand how a person could do
wrong, knowing it was wrong, protesting
against it, vet powerless to prevent, then my
explanation is given. Blinded, deceived,
until discovered. Since then, l have beguns o
realize the wrong | have been led into, and
the villainy practlced upon me, by the black
hearted scoundrel who came to ruin under
the tguise of friendship, and poisoned my
mind against my husband, the father of my
three dear children, who lold me tale after
tale of my husbands iDfdelity, which
know, and which have been proved, to be as
false as the lying heart from which they en-
anated, and by causing me to doubt the love
and fidelity of husband that has ever been
provident and kind; striking at the very foup-
dation of our domestic peace and happiness
by yilely traducing him who seheart, whose
honor, had always believed all my own;
half Grazing me with the lies he told, deceIv-
ing me from first to last, compromising me
in an hundred different ways, taking away
every hope of happy future with my family,
Turing me with his deceltful tongue, cloud
ing nv life with dread and fear, exercising
n fri inf, hor nj fptprTnln
to ruin, and my fear of him, making per-
feet chaos and wreck of my life, taking every
thing to which | could cling, IN which |
could trust, away from me-honor, husband,
family, frlends-caring as little what the re-
suit would be to me as the hawk cares for
the dove on which 1t pounces and preys; and
| feel now that had | killed him, just retrl-
button would have been taken; that deprlv-
ing him of his miserable existence would not
half compensate for what he has deprived
me of; and that had | avenged myself for the
wrong that has been done me, my children
could reverence the mother who bore them /;
that my husband, who, IN his generosity and
memory of the years of happiness and my
previous fidelity, took me back again as his
wife, need not be ashamed. but proud to call
me the mother of his children; that my
former friends may realize that not wantonly
| gave up what woman should hold so dear,
but from cOmpulsion, fear and the horrible
| Vaccinations of a scheming villain. No one
can know the terrible weeks | spent previous
| to the denouement that took place short
| time since. 1t was almost relief to have
| the horrible spell that bound me broken-the
| double life was leading ended. What |
suffered God alone knows. How protested,
how l entreated and begged to be left in
peace and purity, how l upbraided HIM for
not leaving me happy in the belief of my
husbands love and fidelity, he knows and
could testify to. The shame, the humiia-
ton, the agony | have endured that he
caused, words cannot portray. Aud bad
been successful my conscience would not con-
denim me, and that l was not successful is a
matter of profound regret, and let the das-
tardly, dirty dog of villain have a care, OF
successful l will be IN avenging my wrongs
yet. MARY BLACK.