St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1885-06-04
Everyday Tragedy.

Farmer Gideon A. Bedient of Horn
by, Yates county, y. Y, was blowing
in his field Monday evening, ponder
ing over his cattle and crops, when a
neigh Dor rode mp on horse. sprang
over the fence and rushed to him with
a New York Sunday paper, containing
the account of an unknown maiden
who had committed suicide Mt the
Grand Union hotel, New York, and on
whose clothing was the word "Bedi-
eDt." Poor old man! He supposed
his daughter was at school at Dundee
academy, few miles distant, yet the
description of the dead girl was very
like her. All the happy springtide
vanishes out of the farmers life and he
rushes to the house, tells "mOther,"
who is stunned by the news. and
catches the first train for New York.
He finds his Hattie at the mOrgue.
Hattie was good scholar at the viii
lage school, at the Painted Post school
and at the academy quite shy toward
men rather too ambitions of study
and morbidly religious, but happy in
temperament. The old man thought
she had Overstndied, but an Elmira dis
patch says that the husband of IA cousin
Oh MISS Dtultub ustu SutCctutu III tH-
SHARING her and that this was the true
secret of her unhappy end. 1t is sad
illustration of the evil that lies in the
way for youth aud innocence where
last suspected.
The suicide of the labOrer from de-
spair of supporting his family is alarm
ingly frequent. a German carpenter
but "A few months in this country tried
Al. IL.
day afternoon, but was seized by the
police. In his vest pocket lying on
the bridge WAS IA letter in German,
daily inquiry of his children, "Papa,
have you no money! Did YOU get
work ?" A reporter, visiting his lOdg-
ings, fOnnd neat German woman with
eight children, one babe of few
days, and without il mOrSel of food i'll
the wretched room. The carpenter
claimed that an employer owed him
$50, the employer that the carpenter
had spoiled lumber for him before de
Gliding upon suicide the labOrer had
been to the mayors Office seeking
redress, but without avail. Not many
days ago an aged German committed
suicide in New York city, because he
could find absolutely nothing to do
with which to support himself and his
aged wife. Times of distress land dis |
tress is always present to the humble) |
show the great need of employment
agencies, opened and managed by
where the absolutely needy |
can be given something to do.
The courts bring to light in the di- !
vOrce cases II great deal of unhappi- |
ness, but in the majority of those cases |
the circumstances from the first were
not such as to lead IL sensible person to |
expect Il happy marriage. One of the |
whose case is now attracting IA |
good deal of attention elOped with a |
Cornell student at ID and married him. |
Clandestine marriages are pretty sure |
to lead to suits for divorce. These
suits reveal an astonishing number of
people who wed each other, without |
the slightest knowledge of each others !
except that derived from
he party most interested in telling Il
good story. There will he fewer social
suicides and divorces when more cold !
prudence is inculcated and exercised
n marriage and not till then. At
scranton, Monday evening, two young
men who were treating two young
misses ut restaurant proposed mar
rage. 1t was thought to be very fine
Joke. An alderman of the city stepped |
in and pronounced one couple husband
and wife, but by that time the other
girl came to her senses, or part of them,
md said she preferred to be ''married
Dy minister" When parents teach
heir children ii more serious and sen
'ible view of marriage, then some OF
5hese unhappy mistakes will be avoid
I'd. Now fathers and mothers usually
maintain stupid reserve upon the
subject which is perhaps first broken
Dy the news of in engagement OF mar
'iage in the family or 10y IN esca
Dade. II Springfield Republican.