The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1886-10-12
An Angry WOman's Awful Work.

An Angry WOman's Awful Work.
Parsons sun, Oct. T.
Mrs. Dan Hudgens severity cow
hided a woman named Mrs. Emma
Duff, who came here last evening from
Yates Center to see Mrs. Hudgens'
husband. The incident began ina
room occupied by Mrs. Hudgens one
or two doors west of the Abbott House,
but ended in the street in front of the
house, and caused intense excitement
in that neighborhOod. Several parties
saw the difficulty and heard the
wOman's cry for help, but before they
could get to them Mrs. Hudgehs had
used the cOwhide so vigorously that
her victim was covered from head to
foot with blood, which fairly streamed
from a half dozen fearful gashes on
the head, neck and shoulders. Mar
shall Mason separated the belligerents,
but neither Of them were arrested last
night. Mrs. Duff saws that she is a
widow and in July last came here
from Illinois with another family and
opened the Western House. They =
failed to make the business go after
a months trial and the family she
was with returned to Illinois,
while she went to Yates Center and
obtained a place as a servant girl.
While there she became acquainted
with Dan Hudgens and had some deal
ings with him by which he became
indebted to her some seven or eight
dollars. After she went to Yates
Center she wrote to him about the
money and he answered it stating that
he had not the money yet, as his ex-
penses getting a divorce from his wife
had consumed all his ready cash.
This letter started a correspondence
in which the matter Of the debt was
Overshadowed by that of love. After
two or three letters had passed be-
tween them Hudgens left the city and
the next letter fell into the hands of
Mrs. Hudgens, who kept up Dams
end of the correspondence. At last
it was arranged that Mrs. Duff should
come here and make arrangement for
a possible marriage at an early day
and get the money due her. The
arrangements were made for the meet
ing to be at Mrs. Hudgens' room,
which, efcourse, Mrs Duff sup Osed
was Dams dOmicile. Mrs. Hudgens
spent the day getting reaGy for the
coming visitor. She fitted up kettle
with hot tar and opened the end of a
pillow so that the feathers could be
got eailsy, and then secured a good
strong cOwhide. When the ,Neosho
branch Missouri Pacific train came
in it brought Mrs. Duff, and she at
once repaired to the appointed place
Mrs. Hudgens was standing in the
door, and when Mrs. Duff inquired
if Dan Hudgens lived there she said,
eyes, come In" The women stepped
inside the door, but did not 90 clear
in, as she seemed to think there was
mistake, and Mrs. Hudgens fearing
that she would turn and leave grasped
a cowhide and the blows fell thick and
fast on the astonished Mrs. Duff
who dropped her satchel and ran into
the street, screaming for help. Mrs.
Hudgens says that the woman knew
that Dan had not been divorced and
that she had been the cause of all the
trouble between her and her husband
and her intention was to get the
woman into the room, lock the door,
and after whipping her pour the tar and
feathers over her. Mrs. Duff says
that she wants to get back to Yates
Center as quick as she can, and ex-
pressed great sorrow because there
was no train until this morning.