The evening light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1881-1883, 1883-03-30
INFATUATED MRS. SMITH.
Her Father Follows Her to ST. Louis but
Arrives too Late - Harris
Tired of Her.
The Wife of the Scoundrel Sues for
Divorce and His Brother
RenOunces him.

Mr.. c. Maule has been i'm st. Louis searching
for his daughter. Mrs. Matte Smith, who re-
Gently deserted her husband and children for
the cOmpaniOnshp of Charles Harris, q car
penter who had made her acquaintance while
employed by Mr.. Smith to work on his prem
Uses. Mr.. Maule did not find the erring wife,
but he learned several facts as to her conduct
He took with him letter of introduction to
the police authorities of st. Louis i'm which
which was set forth statement rs to his repu-
tatiOn, signed by Judge Devine, Judge
Noonan, Mayor French, United States Mar
shall Costing and several other prominent citi-
zens. This he presented to Chief of Police
Campbell Immediately after his arrival, on the
18th inst, and, mainly because of its influence
and the sympathy felt for the gricying old
man, the department gave him every assist
ance within its power. He arrived home last
evening.
"Well, I've been to st. Louis" said he this
morning, pulling his hat down over his sad
looking face, but when / arrived there" he
continued in faltering tone, 81 learned that
the woman and Harris had tlOwn-to Pennsyl-
vania ! think, l2OO miles away, but am not
sure.
that Harris worked for. He told me Harris
brother had renowned him and that his wife,
who is in Cincinnati, had brought suit for
divorce.
81 can not understand why Matte is in
fatuated with this man. Everybody saw said
he was u scoundrel and his conduct i'm st. Louis
proved him to be one. He told Sergeant Burke
he didn't want that woman following him
around, and said he wanted to shake her Off; he
didn't know why she bothered him so, and he
said he never had cared for her. Burke old
him he was a scOundrel, and then he
didn't say, anything more. My opinion
is that he don't care for Matte,
but wants to get all the money from
her he can. When she left here she had about
$500 i'm money, about $500 worth of jCwelry and
a trunk of clothes worth from $500 to $500. |
suppose he's got all the money and has pawned
the jewelry by this time. L think he will leave
her as soon as he sells her clothes.
81 was about eight days too late. They had
been running all around from one place TO an
other and had been gone from st. Louis about
eight days. They were i'm Cincinnati a while
and in Chicago. When Matte was in st. Louis
she stayed one day with Mrs. DR.. Sargent (her
cOusin). | was told she and Harris had been
separate for about week. A friend OF Harris
said she got a telegram from Harris that
if everything was o. X. to come back immedi-
ately and that she packed up her things and
went to him right away.
Matte was in misery when she was in St.
Louis. Sergeant Burke told me he never saw
a more detected woman. Somebody spoke to
her about her children once and she began
weeping as if her heart would break" There
was a suspicious moisture in the old man s
eyes as he said this, and a nervous movement
of the lips, showing how deeply he felt for his
child.
"Fm different from some men," said he, after
a pause. 'Matties my child and | can't help
loving her. | know she's done wrong but, sir,
love her just as much as / ever did. | wish
she knew this. | believe it would make her
feel better. | would like for her to know that
when she wants to come back to her father the
arms that fondled her when she was a little
babe will be open for her.
"rhey told me not to do anything till she sees
how base Harris is and thinks of coming back
to me. She's afraid of being arrested as a
crazy woman and threatened to Jump off the
bridge if they tried, | don't know what to do.
| don't feel as ! used to. Somehow or other
things don't seem the same to me. went up
there to get Matte, but wanted to see that
scOundre, too. He has ruined one of the best
women the sun ever shOne upon and I'll lay
down my life to have satisfaction for the in
jury he has wrought"