Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-06-18
SEDUCTION.
The Case of voss against o'Brien.
The Injured Woman Startlss the Court
and Tries to Kill Her Former Lover.
A Dramatic Scene bordering ON
the Tragic, but Only
Sensational.

The trial of James J.. O'Brien fol
the alleged seduction of Miss Lizzie
Voss, now progressing before Special
Judge w. S. Flippin in the Circuit
Court of Shelby county, on a suit
for $4,000 damages, was the talk
of the town last evening and to-day.
An incident occurred during yester-
day afternoon that bOrdered on the
tragic and proved decidedly sensa-
tional. The public will remember the
fact that an elderly person named
Voss was found dead in an old field a
couple of miles below this city
WITH A BULLET-HOLE THROUGH HIS
HEAD
a few months ago. 1t will also be re-
called that Voss proved to be a poor
but very worthy German citizen, of
good character, and who was much
respected by his acquaintance.
1t was shown at the inquest
that Voss was an industrious man,
who always gave satisfaction to those
who favored him with work, but that
jobs were few and scarce and that the
old man had a tough time to make
both ends meet, and indeed there
were periods when his larder was very
scantily supplied, if supplied at all. 1t
was also disclosed bat the old man
had taken his own lite mainly on ac-
count of the disgrace of his only
daughter, Lizzie Voss, a girl of about
nineteen years, who was
ABOUT TO BECOME A MOTHER,
and that too without a marital tie
whereby she could claim a legitimate
father for her expected offspring,
The story went hat one James j.
0'Brien, an industrious employee in
the ice trade, had seduced the girl
under a solemn promise of marriage ;
that he had taken advantage of her
unprotected state while those for
whom she worked were absent that
having enjoyed her society and salts
fed his lust until he found she was
about to become a mother, he then
CAST HER OFF,
refused to marry her according to
promise, repudiated the charge that
he was the expectant father of an lille
gitimate offspring, and totally refused
to do anything whatever to repair the
alleged wrong he is said to have perpe-
trated.
The girl, it will also be recalled,
used every exertion possible, in her
then distressed state, to induce the
one who had blighted her young life
to make reparation. She endeavored
by every possible interest and persua-
sion, and also at times by threats, to
cause an acknowledgment of the wrong
even goingso far as to seek, in company
with her father, an interview with
I0'Brien. He on that occasion denied
all knowledge Of her, and ran like Q
quarter-horse through a side doorway
and out of range Of the enrageC
parent, when the latter attempted tC
AvENGE HIS DAUGHTERS WRONG
by driving a pistol bullet through hin
as he few from his presence. This
together with his poverty and the
failure of all efforts to obtain redres,
of any kind from 0'Brien, caused
the old man to end his sorrows BY
shooting himself one Sunday even.
ing in the old field to tn,
southwark of Fort Pickering. Hi.
remains being found where he haC
died on the day following, an inquest
was held and the body Inferred as al
unknown, but it was subsequently,
disinterred and recognized by hi
family, who resided on Tennessee,
street, near the brewery, as those o
the father Of Miss Voss.
A civil suit had been entere,
against Mr.. 0'Brien by Miss Voss, il
the Circuit Court Of Shelby county
with a view of enforcing him, through
legal processes, to acknowledge tn
paternity of the expected child. Ii
the meantime 0'Brien, it is stated
claimed among his friends that he wa
not guilty Of the charge. He admitted
having been intimate with the Cir
but asserted that others had also bee
before him, and hat he was an iniur
ed innocent. On the other hand i
was stated by the friends of the CIR
that she bore a good name, that sh
possessed fair intelligence, was in
dustriOus and dutiful, liked by he
acquaintance, and hal she had neve
been loose in her conduct in any re
! spect until debauched by 0'Brien'
association.
3 BROTHER OF THE GIRL
appeared on the scence shortly aftc
D the death Of the father, coming fror
Pine Bluff, where he resided. He mad
D himself familiar with the details an
started on the war path, 0'Brien
blood being the object Of his hun
a Wind Of this reached O'Brien. an