The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1879-05-29
A BROOKLYN SKELETON.

In suit not long ago in the supreme
court of Brooklyn, facts were brought to
view about some persons name in it Of a
most strange kind. Close on thirty
years ago oonely lady of this city was
welded to a well-to-do young man whose
business was in New York. They lived
happily together for some years and had
three or four children. At length the
husband died, having first made will,
by which he bequeathed some $50, 600
10 his wife, without laying any charge
upon her not to marry again. Mrs. b.,
as she may be called, sold ont her dead
husbands business, and still made her
home III this city. She was very hand
some widow, her weeds becoming her
we'll. Two or three years went by and
though many lovers sought her sile, she
was deaf to their whispers and not to be
won by their promises.
About this time dashing young fell
low made his bow in Brooklyn society,
among the set to which Mrs. B. belong
ed. He was well made and had hand
some face, dressed in style and seemed
to know almost everybody and every
thing. He and tho widow met It was
a fatal meeting, for she took fancy to
the stranger, and he was not 10th to be
enslayed. They flirted and made love
to each other for few weeks, and then
tho widow married the man of whom she
knew really nothing, and installed him
as master of herself and home. Three
weeks of delight followed.
Then the honeymoon and the widow S
dream of happiness ended together.
The man whom she had taken to her
heart turned out drunkard and an idler,
and spent every cent he could lay hold
of for rum. He ran up bills at all the
grog shops around and once and again
his wife paid the score. Then she put
her foot down and vowed she would DO
so no more. The husband stole her
watch, her ieweIry, her clothes, her fur
niture, and pawned them for liquor.
He became pest and an eye-sore to his
wife and neighbors. st last, when he
found his wife would give him no more
bills, he raised a shameful uproar and
struck her. She was going to have him
Gagged, but forehore on his pledging him.
self to decamp. She gave him three
hundred dollars, and lodged $500 more
to be paid to him after he had lived
three months in San Francisco. Thither
he went and drew the money after giving
proof that he had been there for the
time named. Then he passed out of
sight for months. But not forever, for
from time to time his wife in Brooklyn
received letters from him in various
parts of the United States asking for
money, which she sent in sums of so to
$40. She wrote to trustworthy persons
and found that her husband was q drunk
en- hideous, dirty tramp, passing from
one place to another with horde of ont
casts of the same kind.
Five years passed thus, and the wife
saw nothing of the husband, though she
| had letters from him, as already said, q
good uuany times. In the mean time
she had joined an uptown Methodist
| church. and was one of its Strong pillars
In the church was a wealthy widower in
large way of business on oae of the
chief thoroughfares in the city. and
dwelling in costly home on the hill. A
warm friendship sprang up between The
two, and before long the records of a
New York court showed that the lady
had got divorce of some kind from her
husband. The papers were said to be
all regular, and an affidavit stated that
the plaintiff had not seen the defendant
for over four years, or heard anything OF
his whereabouts. How the thing was
fixed cannot be known, but the woman was
made free, and thereupon married the
widower, already spoken of. The couple
lived together in fine style, and every
/ thing was as lively as it could be.
For time, it may be safe to add,
months and years rolled by. The new
husband, of course, thought the old hus.
band was out Of the way forever. The
+ wife, perhaps, had fears about it. at
length, to her great Joy, she got a letter
from a stranger, who stated that her hus.
band had died in the writer's barn at
such time, and that he had buried him
at an expense Of $50. The stranger
I asked that the sum be sent to him, and
it was. Then had the mind of the wo.
man rest, and she prayed at meeting
with strange fervor and sang the doxolo,
gy so that all could hear her voice ava,
above all the others.