Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1882-02-08
STRANGE MARRIAGE MAUD
LIN sENTlmENTALlrY.


A marriage took place in the County
Jail OF San Francisco last Saturday that
was sufficiently strange. and rcvoltine to
good taste. to cause much unfavorabls
comment by the press Of that city. Tho
affair evidently possessed all the ele'
msnts necessary for o frst.class ssnsa-
tional novel. It appears that q man oy
the name Of Gottuns had been confined
In the jail Of San Francisco for some
months past. awaiting trial for the muir.
der Of his wife. During this time be
had been visited by . Miss Willis. among
other ladies. for the purpose Of admins
isring religious instruction and oonsola-
ton to him. The trial OF Gottung re-
suited in q conviction for ~manslaushtsr.
Last Saturday he wal sentenced by the
Judge before whom he was tried to ten
years In the California State Prison. and
after receiving his sentence was returned
to the jail for safe keeping for q few
days until he could be transported to
San Quentin. Immediately after the
sentence was passed upon GOttuns, Miss
Willis procured q marriage license. and
with II and . Justice Of the Peace
she proceeded to the jail. where shs
was speedily united in marriage to the
condemned criminal. The young lady
il represented to be q respectable per-
son. and about twsnty.four years old.
How she could have become 80 iniatu.
atsd with the covardly vile murderer as
10 leave her homo and unite herself in
marriage to him. is . problem that tho
San Francisco press appear 10 DO unable
to solve.
The case, however. is not dissimilar In
many respects to other instances where
maudliu ssntimentality has induced
ladies to bestow attention and sympathy
upon Condemned murderers 10 an almost
criminal degree. Chastips Cox. a brutal
and ignorant negro. who was convicted
OF the murder Of an old lady In New
York q year or two ago. was visited BY .
great number OF sentimental and SYM
pathetic ladies' during his imprisonment
and while awaiting the time for exscu.
ton, who showered upon him attentions
and flowers to tho extent that the MUIR
dsrer was led to believe he was q sanity
martyr bound to glory.
Guitssu claims to have received dur.
ing his confinement. and especially dur
ing his trial. hundreds Of sympathetic
notes from ladies from different parts OF
the country. Perhaps. before he is
hanged. some gushing, romantic and
sentimental young lady will become In
fa,uated with him sufficiently to marry
him.
The case Of Miss Willis reveals q Gu.
rious phase Of human nature. 1t seems
that charitable and sentimental ladies'
too often prefer to lavish attention upon
depraved criminals rather than to assist
the respectable poor. There appears to
be no romance connected with the act Of
searching out the poor In narrow alleys
and in uninviting looking houses. While
there are in a large city, like San Fran.
cisco. hundreds. and perhaps thousands,
Of worthy persons who deserve the
sympathy and aid Of people in better
circumstances. ladies Of the Miss Willis
type ignore such opportunities for good
and waste their time, sympathy and
money upon a class with whom. in the
very nature OF things. there can DO little
hope Of sifectipg reformation. But,
s'such In lifc."