Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-04-29
The Couple interviewed.

, Dixon's mother.
The Couple Interviewed. 80
Yesterdays Chicago Inter- Ocean gives tn
following account of an interview which on
of its reporters had with the runaway couple
then stopping at the fremont House: h
Il suppose there is no use of denying TIA
matter now. Yes, it is true in most par
ticulars. You are newspaper man, yol
say" ;,
Sand you want some items?"
dyes"
"WeH, you won't get them"
HYou might as well give me the tru,
facts, for they will be published in SOM
shape"
'rhat's true"
Nothing further was said for few mo
ments, and the reporter was getting ready t.
go, when suddenly she found her tongue an6
made the following interesting statements:
81 was married to Barnett Dixon before
was sixteen years old. 1t was in August
| and / was not sixteen until the following
| January. We we're married in Springfield
| Ill. / was little fool. Had always beer
petted and made much of in society. My
folks are among the wealthiest and best in
| st. Louis My father has lived there for
| fifty years, and we were related to the
| Chouteaus, and all that old French aristoc-
racy there"
"what was your fathers manner"
"Ladd. He is a retired manufacturer,
1910 Locust street"
"Did you live happily with your hus-
| band?"
LED wRETcHED EXISTENCE.
"Happy! Happy Do you call being
| beat and cursed and abused happy? He
often told me he hated the sight OF me. He
was terribly dissipated man."
"But he never beat you unless when I'M
| der the influence of liquor, did hep
"Yes he did. Only a short time ago he
beat me in the presence of my mother and
| two servants"
"He was older than YOURSELF"
twenty-five years my senior. He is fifty
and am twenty fve."
"Where did you live?"
"We had a lovely home at No. 315 Chan
ming avenue, only short distance from
| fathers house."
"Did your husband provide well for you ?"
"Nor she exclaimed spitefulIy. Then
softening somewhat she said: But he always
| did we'll by his children"
GLOW many Children
Three ] ohnnie, six Ray, four; Marie, two.
I tell you" she said with sigh, chose chill
dren thought the world and all of their
mother"
"And yet you left themw
EYES," she said, defantly, 81 left them.
| But they are in good care Mother will take
care of them-just as good as l could"
what kind of man was your husband?'
"He was a splendid gentleman Ia charac-
teristic St. Louis phrase), well educated, fine
| appearance"
"He abused you often, you say?'
| Eyes; but then L often aggravated him,
II 30 ,lax, II
A glance at the flashing eyes satisfied the
reporter that che did not exsggerate.
"The last time he went away" she con-
tinued, "he said, - you, hope never to
see you again."
"How long has he been away?"
"About two months"
HER RELATIONS WITH CURTIS.
Chow long have you known Mr.. Curtis?"
"Oh, for some time. He used often to come
| and take me out riding in the evening"" [St.
Louis for afternoon.]
"Where would you go when you drove
out?"
Generally out to Delmonico's. Oh, you
needn't smile. 1t is a highly respectable
place, patronized by the best people of st.
Louis. But see the dispatch says we would
not return until early hours in the morning.
That Is not SO. l was never out after
o'clock. / was always home in time to put
did anything wrong when under the same
roof as my children"
"You created considerable talk, didn't you,
lately?"
Eyes, and didn't care My mother used
to scoid me for it. Finally everybody in the
neighborhood got to watching me-"
THE TRIP TO CHICAGO.
at was rather sudden, your coming away,
was it not?'
I ah al ,,,l-
my husband sent me 500 Friday, and that 1
used that to come away with. That is not
so. gave that money to mother to use for
the children. t,ok nothing away that my
husband had ever given me, not bit of
jewelry, not even a breastpin. l left them
all for my daughter. These are all the
clothes l have that l am wearing, except a
sealskin jacket. Mr.. Curtis has furnished all
the money for our expenses"
Don't you think you have acted impru-
IDENTIFY in coming to Chicago?"
"Why?" she asked.
"Well, you know great many people
here, and"
81 don't care what they think. made up
my mind to come away, and / did it."
she unused awhile and then broke out:
Another thing that made me mad was my
knowledge that when my husband married
me he had another wife living, and che had
a child"
"What evidence have you of that?"
"rhe very best evidence. When he got a
divorce from her he married me over again"
"Well," thought the reporter, "this is
either dime novel in real life or the very
midsummer madness of lying"
ENTRY OF CURTIS HIMSELF
About this time Mr. Curtis came in the
parlor in search of Mrs. Dixon, with
friend. He shook hands cordially with the
reporter.
81 am not ashamed of what have done,
nor afraid to face the consequences" he said.
Curtis is about five feet eight in hight,
slender and boyish in appearance. He has
remarkably broad and high forehead, and
the expression of his face is about that of
the average young man who knows thing |
or two, still too young to show traces of dis |
sipation II 1t has ever been INDUCED in.
He caressed Ais chin and remarked with |
a laugh: "The papers call me a beardless |
boy, but have just had good shave all |
the same"
"How old are you, Mr.. Curtis?
81 will be twenty-one in September"
He seemed to be amazed at the statements |
in the papers that he was but seventeen years
old.
+" How did this happen?" asked the re-
porter.
HIS UNABAsHED STORY ALSO.
'I'll tell you all about fl. l had been for
some time taking Mrs. Dixon out riding and
meeting her every day or two. knew she
was abused and loved her. Saturday had
some trouble with my father in regard to
money matters and made up my mind to 90
away. l went up and asked Mrs. Dixon to
90 and she consented. We each of US packed
a yalise, she babe good-by TO her children,
and we took the train for Springfield, ILL.,, |
after which We came to Chicago, and here we
are. | am not sorry it has been done, and
believe it to have been the proper thing"
what are your plans for the future, if 1
may ask?'
"The plans are these Mr.. Dixon will now
get divorce, having good grounds. l shall
hen marry the lady. 1 shall come of age in
and then l will have enough
means to live upon, at least"
SIN the meantime?"
ain the meantime, there are too many peo-
pie in Chicago who know me, so We leave for
Louisville tonight
"Bu. know lots OF people in Louisville"
aid Mrs. Dixon.
swell, well stay there and get rest, and