Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1885-09-06

thht paper WHO WAS sent 10 Winchester
10 Investigate tho cases
,,. WiNcittStNp va, sept /. 1875.
lhc residents Of this quiet old town.
VINO were startled some months ano
by the discovery that Rcbeccn laync,
Who had lived Tor some twenty odd
years among them M woman, was. ia
Walliy, man, are again excited over an.
other case of the same Kind and IN tho
same family, The matter GAINED public
notorlcty through suit which was TO
have been tried to-day, but which was
postponed until the next term of court
To understand the cause of the suit, lt
should DC stated that Rchccoa, now
Lawrence H. Payne, had several
sisters, of whom Sarah was the
Oldest and Leila the Youngest
sarah was married seventeen or eighteen
years ago to Mr., Hugh NJ Merritt. 4 well.
to-do farmer OF Bellnlro, ohio. Twelve
years ago she died aud left three children,
one an infant Of three or four weeks.
AZ the death of the mother The Infant
daughter was taken by is aunts 20 thuir
homo IN virginia, whore she has 10
mninod IN their care up tu the present
time They were all aunts then.
NOW fiitN Ans uNCtrs AND AVNTS,
aud that " one OF the reasons why the
llttlc girls father objects TO her remain.
ing any longer with them. The childis
name originally was Sarah Elizabeth Wiz.
piuin Merritt, but She has boon brought
up under the pet name of Bessie. Her
grandmother, n woman noted for her In.
tcllcct aud culture, took care that little
Dcssio's education was properly attended
to, hut her grandmother died last March
Thou Mr., Merritt, who married n second
wife soon after the death OF the first,
aud who, during twelve years, had taken
little trouble IN regard Ia his child, an.
pcnrcd ON the scene aud asked 10 have
her given back 10 him that he mipht take
her to his home IN Ohio, whore her mother
aud sister have always been. BESSIE Had
learned 90 love her uuntS, or her unrles
aud aunts as the case may be. She
knew little of her brother aud sister, and
hardly ever saw her father. She could
not think of leaving her relatives.
aud declared she would rather die than
80 away to ohio Her aunts wcrc as
10th To part with her aS she was 10 leave
thom, and the fathers demand was re-.
icscd shortly after he returned to Ohio
aud made a fresh demand Tor the custody
of the child, "God had probably con-
WINGED him again. said the lady 10 whom
Payne Is now married. "thni IL was his
duty tu take her. There Is some little
inheritance awaiting tho day when
Bessie VIII attain her majority The re-.
ncwcd demand was refused, but this tImr
the refusal did not, as before, convince
Mr. Merritt that he ought To- leave the
child with It's uuutS, Who had protected
her from Infancy, lie threatened process
of law, but the aunts did not Yield one
of the aunts, Mary, a few years ago mar.
riod Mr. Jacob l., Swlmlcy, aud the pair
have Since lived On It farm ndiolning
'tio ,Nr rrlh,t HOMESTEAD,
which Is stu IN the possession of Miss
Bottle and Miss Leila Recently little
Bessie has passed hor tmc between Mrs.
Swlmlcy's homo aud the old homestead
II was because Miss Leila was one OF the
guardians Of little Bessie at this old
homestead that Mir Merritt, her bro.
thcr-in.law, brought suit for tho posses
sion of his child In his bin died
by his LAWYERS he does not lay SO much
stress upon his ratetna rights as he
does upon the unntncss of his slStcr.in.
law, The whole matter Is summed up in
the following cNtmct from old Mrs.
rayuc'S testimony
Question Did Leila Payne over make
ANY admission tn you concerning her sen.
II SO, when, whore aud In what tcrmsy
Answer She told me She was male.
She told me 50 last October during her
sickness, That was tho last
time was In her house,
g. Does Leila Payne dress aud compou
herself aS u woman, AMI Is she so nc.
gardrd hy the community at larger
\, She dresses rs u woman. As for
the rest don't know, hut | suppose she
has been regarded as a woman.
O. Are you related to Leila payncy
\ I'm her grandmother,
e. "pocs Bessie Merritt steep In the
Game bed with leila raynesn
A. al don't know whether she sleeps
with her now, but know She did live
years ago"
Al the sisters combined against Mr.
Merritt aud retained Mr., Holmes Conrad,
a wrll-known lawyer Of Winchester, as
their counsel. Through him they hlrd
an answer resting on the negligence aud
unwonhlncSs of the child's father
aud bringing into question the character
OF his second wife Mr., Morrltt'S lawyer,
however, says the rcnl question at issue
~ oladcd, and claims that they VIII pro.
dncc IN evidence a statement based ou an
examination signed by nr, Maguirc, the
same physician on whose certificate Re.
hecea, NOW Lawrence iayne, procured
license last YEAR that Mlss
1 Leila u
Morn az 4 MNN titAN AMoMAN,
Ia the popular mind Miss Bcttie, next
e. the eldest IA agc, d aerased OF The
same hcrpsy as Miss Lclia, but np 10 the
present There Is NO testimony al a llkc
character, aud shc does not strike the
casual observer with an Impression "
her anlll 4 shor, conversation with her
Gives the idea fhat her only masculine at
tribute Il her intellect She - undnuei
edl, d person Of superior culture unh -
ilucd taste Her ideas aYoawAN above the
commonplace andhor language Nrry cNuice
Sho p,actirtd fer several wears very sue
r,sslnlly as \ teacher 10 several schools
aaA srlnnarice, bat, owing "a her
las, illeas, rhg gave up wsrhng
To iakr the pari ~ family nhyticmn
n Is well remembered how, IN il'r hH'
elnMluu al last year, handsome dashlne
Young wunlaN madc personal ~
plicatian tn the clcrk 81 he
county court az Winchester lof Al
marriage license, She wanted ~