Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1883-11-03
SHE COULDN'T STAND PROSPERITY.
A Sad story From Kentucky.


SHE COULDN'T STAND PROSPERITY.
Sad Story From Kentucky.
Lexington, KY, Cor. Cincinnati News Jour
nall
Yesterday, on my way home,
saw sight which set me to think
ing. Some one stopped me anC
half laughingfy told me to looi
out for a crazy woman on my route
| took it as joke, but police
officer passing by thought more Sc
riously of it and walked on with
me. At the next street corner there
stood woman leaning listlesslA
against lamp-pOSt, with one arm
thrown around it. Just before we
reached her some colored children
passed by, prattling to each other
not dreaming of danger. Suddenly
she threw up a pistol, which had
been in her hand hanging by hel
side, and ,levelling it at them, snap
ped it twice. Fortunately it failed
to explode, and the officer grabbed
her and wrested the weapon from
her before she could make third
attempt to kill the children. AS
passed, one glance at her face tOlC
me who she was.
Some five or six years ago g
Wretched woman came to me with
tale of sorrow. She was thin and
angular and poorly clad. If she
had ever been beautiful, sorrow,
and hard labor, and poverty, and
WretchednesS had effaced all traces
of her fairness though she was still
young. Her story was brief and
simple, yet not wanting in a deep
pathos. Born and reared in the
hills of Garrard County, near the
cliffs of the kentucky River, she
had welded a neighbor's boy as
uncultured and ignorant of the
world as herself. His fortune and
her dowery were the children pro-
duced from their union. They set
tied on a rocky farm among the
cliffs, and two or three little ones
were born to them. Then he ceas-
ed to love her, and with d neigh
boris girl fled to Indiana, leaving
her with the little children TO sup
port. The farm was a rented one
and the stock upon it had been
mostly sold to provide means for
her husbands flight. She had
nothing, not even an education. So
she drifted to this place and, being
a devout Methodist, she found en-
ployment as cook for minister at
81 a week. On this alone she had
to support and clothe herself and
children. Some good ladies in the
congregation took pity on her, and
acting under their advice she left
her place, rented small house on
the outskirts of town and took in
sewing. She could only do the
plainest work, and could not do
that well, yet the kind ladies tried
to find her all she could do. To
compete at all with others she was
forced to have sewing machine.
She bought one on the"installment
plan," for twice its value, She had
made default in payment because
her child was sick, and medicine
must be had and must be paid for.
The machine agent, following the
terms of her "lease," had come to
her house and taken by main force
and fixtures. She had
more than half paid for it-in fact
paid more than its market value,
and must loose all that she had
paid. Such was the letter of the
bond. That machine was the main
stay of her existence; upon it rested
the burden of providing food for
her family and herself, and so she
came to me for help.
The outlook was sad one at
best. 1t seemed to me that even a
life of shame would not provide
food for her. for she was not fair,
and had barely enough clothing To
hide an emaciated from. She was
unretined, low in intel
Iectual standing, bat she was
and mother, and thereby
entitled to mans sympathy. a
suit against Il great corporation was
The entire value of
the machine would not pay a reas
enable lawyers fee, for the cOmpa-
ny would delay the trial for months
and could, even if beaten, which
was doubtful. appeal from court to
court, and make it years before the
could get her machine back
In the meantime she and her chill
1ren could starve or go to the poor
house. / thought it best to get
some one to pay the balance on the
for her and take mort
gage on it for security. To effect
his arrangement | went to the
office of the company. Here |
could do nothing. The machine
was theirs and they would hold it,
30 they said, and so insulting was
he manner and the language that
was forced into a personal diff
Guilty with two of the agents, who
seemed to forget that sympathy
with a distressed woman did not
1eceSsiarily make man cowardly.
was left but to bring suit,
and itwas brought. Months passed
before the case was tried, but the
woman won it. It was appealed to
he court of appeals, So small was
he amount involved that, though
t was elaborateIy brieled, argued
)rally, the court did not think it
worth their while to consider it.
The superior court was established
inally, and the case transferred to
t. There it was, after ii long time,
decided In her favor, but by that
Tine the company had changed its
of doing business here, and
mad no property that could be reach
ed except by expense and long de-
aged process.
In the meantime the father of her
husband died, leaving property, to
which her husband, as one OF the
heirs was entitled. 1t was but lit
lie, but would keep the wolf from
he door. She brought suit for di-
vorce and alimony, and enjoined
he executors from paying over to
ler husband his share of the estate.
The suit was troublesome and long
delayed. AT length compromise
vas effected-a portion of the prop
arty was settled on her children'and
/ portion paid over to herself. To
1 woman without intellectual ballast
Or cultured ideas, TO whom $40 of
ner own was a fortunate that her
Ife had never known, the possess
on of this money was too much.
it was a mere pittance, she