The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1880-07-20
tFrom Saturdays Daily,
4 FEHALE nENoN.
A Young Woman Who Has Net sn>keu
for Fifteen Years.

IL IS not generally known, but it is never
theless a fact, that on lower Willow Creek.
not many miles from Butte, resides a woman
inherent from all others of her sweet sex.
She is probably the only woman known in
ancient or modern times who, possessing the
natural feminine ability to talk, studiously
abstains with a perseverance truly admirable.
from expressing herself OH any subject. Eel
10 years, except on one occasion, she has not
uttered a word even to her neares: relations.
Her organs OF articulation are perfect, and
the friends OF the strange lady entertain not
the slightest doubt Of her speaking Capable
ties were she disposed to exercise them.
IL IS the impression Of those best acquaint-
ed with the history of this phenomenal wo-
man, that her absolute refusal to speak results
from q disappointment in love while she was
yet in her teens. Fifteen years ago, in the
classic state Of Missouri, Miss NJ, then
a beautiful aud accomplished girl of sixteen
summers, sscame the object of ayoung neigh.
boris affection, which she reciprocated with
the full strength of her impulsive soul. He
told his love aud they became secretly ell
gagged. But the news was too good and
fraught with too much future happiness IT,
keep, and it was accordingly communicated
to the young girls parents. Then for the
first time in her budding womanrood
a cloud arose TO cast its shadow OH
her so far contentei existence. The parents
for reasons which they doubtless considered
good and sufficient, sternly and r~elentlessly
withheld their consent for the proposed union
OF two loving hearts. More than this, they
ordered the young gallan, to cease his atten-
lions, and their decision was irrevocable.
Soon after this the family moved to Montana,
and since the day of their starting the young
lady now grown to a woman Of 80 years, but
still comely in form and feature and appar-
emily intelligent, has not articulated as much
as half a dozen words. Herlong silence is at.
tributed to her and abiding indignation
at the supposed cruelty of her parents in re.
fusing to permit her marriage, and probably
conceiving words to be useless and made.
quate to express the poignancy of her suffer.
ing, she concluded never to speak again, 6
resolution which she has adhered to 50 far will
remarkable pertinaci,y. She lives with he
parents on Willow Creek as before stated, oc
cupies a room by herself, refuses to see stran,
gels, and to all intents and purposes is abso
iutely dumb. Her memory is %singularly
strong and accurate for one who neither talk:
nor reads nor takes other intellectual exer
else. Through the partition of her room she
will sometimes listen to the conversation O.
those in the adjoining apartment, and coca
sionally several days after it has taken place
it will be found N paper in her room writ
ten out uerbatim. A severe mental exertior
is necessary to accomplish this feat, and tn
fact that she is capable Of such exertion is re
garded as -suficient evidence of her entir
sanity. 1t is reported that several youn'
ranchers on Willow creek, convinced of he
determination never to speak again, hav
made matrimonial advances but have beel
spurned.
On the whole the case is an interesting one
the more so that she is still young, beautiful
and intelligent.