The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1883-12-22

him to st. Louis. This she refused
to do, and she went to Lafayette,
Ind. He went south. She procured
q divorce through q lawyer named
Bowditch. She had $3.50, Of which
Mills had given her 5000. She joined
him at Central City Col, where they
were married by the Rev. Mr.. White
head. For year they lived hap
PLY. Mills made q great deal of
money by supplying stores to
miners. Then he fell into the habit
of gambling. He squandered his
money and began treating his wife
With neglect and cruelty. He lost
his business, and they moved to
Utah. There Mills got a position as
clerk in store. Alter few months
he left that position and they went
to Salt Lake City. In partnership
with man named Olney, Mills
started a faro-bank, and later, a
house of ill-tame. These they coz
Quoted year, but were finally COM
PEELED to close them up. Then Mills
and Olney opened a small gambling
establishment in another part of the
city. Mills was now lost to all sense
of shame. Claiming to have joined
the Mormons, he brought woman
he called his wife 10 their house, and
installed her in the place of the
woman who had given up all for
him. A few days later he brought
still another wife to his house.
Then the writer of the letter fed
from his house. This was in 1871.
She succeeded in reaching Denver,
working her way as q servant in
various places. In Denver she OBJ
tanned a position as dining room
girl in the City Hotel. She re-
manned there until July, 1873, when
she read in a San Francisco paper
of the killing of George Mills by an
other gambler during quarrel. In
the summer of 1878 she became
waiting maid to an English lady,
who was one of a party of tourists.
She was with the party until the
Spring of 1874, when they returned
to Denver. From there she made
her way East. and at st. Louis fell
i'll with fever, which kept her con-
fined for three months and con-
sumed all her savings. This COM
PEELED her to 60 into service again,
and she was engaged by young
Mrs. Van Alta, of Morristown, N.
j :, to accompany her to Minnesota,
where she was to join her husband.
Mrs. Van Alta was an invalid, and
died near Itaska Lake in 1876. This
left the truant wife and daughter
again alone and in falling health.
She determined at last to make her
way back home. She engaged an
Indian half-breed to guide
her from the upper lakes to
Brainerd Junction on the Mis-
sissippi river. Her guide robbed
her Of great portion of her savings,
and left her to make her own way
, for thirty miles. For q year she
supported herself by sewing, max,
, ing her way eastward as she could
She went to Litchfeld, which was
out of her course, to oblige lady
who had been kind to her in illness
. and need, and it was to this lady
, that she first told her story, and
through her advice that she did
what she had long desired but
could not summon courage to do
write to her father and assure him
, of her repentance and ask his for.
giveness.
Executor Pool placed this letter
( in Mr.. Timers hands. He went al
t once to Litchfield and met lis late
3 wife. He found her in delicate
3 health, and insisted on her returning
3 with him to her fathers home. HI
. was so impressed with her humility
D and sorrow that he told her he wa!
: willing again to make her bis wife
f if she would consent. She finally
did, and they were remarked in st
3 Paul. They returned to their vii
s lage home. A child was born to then
}. year later. Mrs. Timers health
g had been so broken during her tel
) years of suffering that she never re-
r covered her former physica
3 strength, and when two weeks ag'
her child was stricken with scarle
3 fever, and few days later her hus
3 band was Frustrated by pneumonia
{. she was unable to bear up under TIT
= care and anxiety it caused her, an(
q she was forced to take to her bed
I The death of her husband and chile
r on the same day was too great ;
s shock for her to bear, and she died {;
D few hours afterward.