The Osceola times., 1882-07-22
WOMEN WHO ADMIRE CRIMINALS.
An Old Jaiier's Account of Queer Interest
Ladies' Take In Cut-Throats.

Ladies' Take In Cut-Throats.
Before became jailer," said retir
ed official to a San Francisco reporter, Il
often read with some doubt the state
ment that seemingly respectable women
were accustomed to coddle condemned
murderers and cover them with caresses
and boquets."
"You became convinced of the shame.
fnl truth, | suppose" said the reporter.
II should say so-more than convinced.
I WAS disgusted, sir. Why, If any man
had swore to me on stack OF Bibles as
high as Telegraph hill, that decent look
ing married women were accustomed to
fawn on convicted cut throats as | have
seen them. ! wouldn't have believed it.
"When | went into the jail" said the
ex-ofiicer as soon as he had sufficiently
mastered his disgust TO speak without en-
dang'ring his soul, there were twenty.
three ed-handed murderers in the in
stitution, and there was hardly man of
them that ought not to have dangled
from The gallows. That was more than
a year ago, and not one of the gang has
vet stretched hemp.
81 saw this woman, Mary Willis, the
first time that she came to the Jail, and
noticed her particularly because knew
her parents She came around with the
praying band, and after service, used
sometimes TO talk to the prisoners in
murders row through the wickets. She
appearedt 10 me TO be a girl that was very
anxious to get a beau, and this fellow
Gottung and she got acquainted very
soon. Through her influence Gottung
was allowed the liberty of the ward two
hours day, and was told just how far he
should walk. He was particularly in
structed not to visit the kitchen, but,
being one of those fellows that take ten
Yards il you give them an ell, he hadn't
been very long in the yard when he got
into the kitchen, and got to carrying on
there with the Cinnamon and raising a
disturbance. The fellow was regarded
in the Jail as n cold blooded cut-throat,
and wasn't the kind of man to be given
any extraordinary privileges, and the
minute he was caught in the kitchen
talking out of his turn he was put back
in his cell bv Kavanaugh. and think
has never been out of it since. One day
Gottung asked the taller to have the
Willis girl sent up to his cell if she came,
and when she arrived with a couple Of
other girls she went to the wicket and
they had some talk about her taking
charge OF his little girl. l didn't pay
much attention to that, as it seemed nat
ural that girl should take an interest in
a little child, and l supposed he had
made some terms with her for the sup
port of the young one.
"After that she began to come oftener,
and got passes to come on week days.
/ began to suspect that she was taking a
lively interest in him. One day when
they took Gottung down to be tried,
met the girl on the street and stopped to
talk with her, and she said: George is
being tried to-day and with that she
turned away and cried. / felt sorry for
her folks as well, on general principles,
for Fm a family man myself; and it
wasn't pleasant sight, assure you, for
any father 10 see a girl like that weeping
over . red-handed assassin, who had de-
coyed his miserable wife into beer ga
loon 10 butcher her. / never thought
that the girls ipfatuation would carry
her to the extent of marrying Gottung;
but he is one Of those prescriptions, for.
ward fellows, and she-well, we all know
what she is.
'Itseems TO be falling Of the Gottung
family to contract unusual marriages
said the ex-jailer. "Gottung's brother,
who resembles him so much, ran away
with girl on Briant street, near Sixth,
I'm not sure that both brothers were
painting the house where the girl lived,
but the rurderer's brother at least was
and lie finished up the job by clipping
with the. girl. Her parents are quiet
respectable people, and had brought up
he gir! very strictly, and when she went