The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1879-07-02
THE PATHETIC STORY
opT THE WRONGS OF A POOR ENG
LISH GIRL.
Sentenced 10 Death for TakiRg Her ChildS
Life, While Her Betfayer
Goes Free.
THE STORY OF e NJ M A
~ WA DE.


"Grace Greenwood" writes from
London: My text is a story, one OF
The most pathetic in the criminal re-
cords of England. Some six weeks
ago read the first chapter of this
story, which seemed to me singular
ly sad and tragicsl, though l did not
then dream that the sequel would be
even more sad and tragical still. 1t
was little more than news item in
a morning paper, and quite uncom-
mented upon, bat it stated that in
the town of Stamford, Lincolnshire,
a young girl named Emma Wade,
scarcely 10, had poisoned herself and
her iIlegitimate child, had been
saved by medical skill, but, the in
FAINT dying, she had been arrested for
IT'S murder. The statement of the
case as it then appeared was tbis:--
Emma Wade, daughter of Police
Constable, while out at domestic SER
vice, contracted an attachment for q
young clerk, jewelers. assistant, of
Stamford, named Sarclifi, was by him
betrayed, and returned home to give
birth to their child, undergoing the
double martyrdom of shameful ma
ternity aud the unkind reproaches OF
a proud and harsh mother, who, it
seems, insisted on her parting from
her baby and returning TO service,
though the girls father, who has
been kind to her through ell, and
who testified that she had always
been a gentle, dutiful and affection
ate daughter, and that she was pas
sionateiy fond of her baby, positive
ly refused TO send her away; SO thnt
life for all the household became en-
FILTERED with chickering's and strife,
which at last drove the erring girl,
who was the cause of it all, TO tes.
peration, despair and crime. An
hour or two after Emma had taken
the poison and administered q por
ton to her baby, an older sister,
hearing means from her room, rush
ed up stairs and found her in great
agony. "Take baby" she cried, II
have poisoned it and myself" 1t
seemed that she could no longer look
on its suffering. It's feeble wailing
all mortal trouble soon ceased for
the child-but, as I said, the mother
was saved-saved for the prison and
the criminals dock--for trial and
condemnation. They dragged hel
from the valley Of the shadow Of
death into which she had madly fed
into the colder night of remorse and
despair--into the shadow of the gal,
lows. On the eve of May day this
timid, tender young creature, still
suffering from illness, pallid and
trembling, and half distraught, heart
a jury of husbands, brothers and ia
theirs render the verdict, Guilty
without one word of recommendation
to mercy; heard herself sternly CON
manded to "Stand upr' while th
judge having assumed the black car
sentenced her to be hanged by th
neck until she should be dead; ant
yetno mighty thrill of human feel
ing, Of manly and womanly pity, N
strong shock Of honor, seemed T.
move this great Christian eommuni
ty. About that time, in the old Cit,
of Chester, beautiful fight was go
Ing on between the magistrates
headed by the mayor, and certai1
clergymen aud benevolent citizens
headed by Dean Howson, over th
case of one Thomas Moran, a labor
er, who had been sent to Jail for
month for failing to contribute, as b
had agreed to do, to the support c
six or seven pauper children, VIII
were In the workhouse, and his viii
who was in the insane asylum; bu
in the cathedral town of Lincoln
wherethis poor girl was imprisoned
where for many days she lay undt
sentence Of death, no dean, or bisl
op, or vicar came FORWARD TO chan
pion her, or even to support or col
sole her in her Unreasonable misfo
tune and anguish. The home seer
tary was NOS even questioned by I'll
House of Commons in regard to b.
case, as he had been ID those Of NJ
ran and Habron. 1t was only w
man. The more I see Of justice, 81
called, in England, the more l al
convinced that this is a hard conl
try for women, except Of the highe'
social class; that English law, En-!