The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-04-21
GENERAL WO0LLEYS WIDOW.
A Former Well-Known Resident of Indian
apOlis Forced to Pawn Her Effects.
New York World.

New York World
The following advertisement appeared yester-
day in a morning paper
VA oOLLEY-IF THIS is SEEN BY DAUGH-
w ter of late General John Woolley please adj
dress II. B. SMITH, 1475 Broadway.
Mr. Smith when called upon was much averse
to giving any information touching the nature of
the communication he desired to have with the
daughter of such prominent general Finally
he told his story, as follows;
General Woolley was as you know, Provost
Marshal of the middle division of the federal
forces under General Lew Wallace Through
out the war was with him much of tho time
and we became intimate friends. Before the
war he was president of a bank in
Cincinnati and also lived part of the time
in indianapolis His wife was woman
of broad culture, finely educated and the
author of several volumes which attracted gen
eral attention in the South. She belonged to one
of the best families in Kentucky-the Johnsons,
who are related to the Lees of Virginia She
was intimate with the wives of Lincolns cabinet
officers during the war and held as high social
position as any lady in the land. She was we'll
known i'll Washington and Baltimore society
about six years ago General Woolley died
and lost sight of the family A few weeks ago,
by the merest accident, | stumbled upon the
widow of the General. But what a change. l
found the high spirited, undetermined lady, who
had reigned belle only few years before liv-
ing in a cellar, slowly starving to death. Even
in that damp, slimv place, however, the old grace
still chung to her. and she greeted me with all
here old time courtesy in spite of the shame she
felt that any one had discovered her absolute
poverty"
Mr.. Smith tapped nervously on the desk as he
recalled the picture of the cellar
How came she in such destitute circum-
stances''
at was the old story of a Southern woman's
unyielding pride. After her husbands death
she tried to support herself, but she was growing
old and long sickness reduced her to absolute
want. One by the few effects she had were
pawned and on these she managed to keep body
and soul together. Her cellar cost only 1925 u
mouth. An old creole servent who had waited
on her when she was in better circumstances still
remained with her and contributed something to
her support Men and officers who in former
times had been proud to touch their hats to Mrs
General WOolley now passed her on the streets,
not recognizing in the white haired plainly
dressed woman the lady they had once esteemed
it an honor to know"
And she had nothing to live ont"
Absolutely nothing. Everything had gone.
Only the wreath that had lain. upon her hus-
band'scofip and the sword that had hung by his
side remained. These She will never part with
l.asked, as turned over these relics. what had
become of her children. She answered simply:
Dead. They have been dead several years l
havesince learned that one child was dead only
to her, She has q married daughter living in
bhls Guy IN good circumstances ana L nave
taken the liberty to advertise, hoping to bring
mother and child together. The daughter eyi
IDENTIFY knows nothing of the desperate straits to
which her mother is reduced, and any aid rem
dered the mother would come most gracefully
from her child, SO l hope to hear from her
soou.n a-
A tender, pathetic letter from Mrs Woolley,
telling of one or two disappointments that she
had suffered, was shown. 1t was dated Balti-
more. Mr.. Smith admitted that Mrs Woolley
was living in Baltimore, but declined for the
lady's sake to make public her address.