Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1888-03-23
ROMANCE OF MARY HARRIS.
Hsw judge BRADLEY Defended and Var

rsnown. Judge Bradley was well
stricken in years, SAYS a Hsh.hGion
writer. lie vas the oldest menbur % The
bar in the district O Columbia n "a sem
Ieman OF excellent Tepulc ANA uiga slgad
lHg In tic community. HIS auluiy as all
advocalo, which always ranked well. was
put 10 a hard test AMI DID not prove lack.
Ing, In the case 90 which ullu~Ou Aas been
made and with the lc,ails ol winch The
country was ringing twenty three years
no. Along during TIE war there Was a
young unmarried man named burroughs
IN the employ OF the HoNcrnuent mere.
lie WAS u c!crN IA Linz treasury Depart
ment, aud was engaged L. he married 10 "a
Kentucky giTi named Mary liairls. Eur
coughs himself was "a henuueAlan also. l
,%ellovc. but / am NOT sure as 10 THIS point.
.Aoy had been engaged Ion y long tlnle.
and II had beer understood between them
,nat a. soon as possible u.ter he had st.nel
as oXpcc,cI c.1lksuIp al Washington, aud
ua4 got sC,tCu uhu "a tiltle "dnClu imam
c!ally. he would nOtlly uer. and Inc mar
rage would tlou lake place. Burrows got
Us position, ANA KEPT a Is long while. bal
Tx stipulated uuliuCailun W. Dot to- III
gul.iL,. .hOhtls v."p,ed, perhaps
}c.rs, ~ lie seemed hot 10 he ablc 10 ger
'-,ttod enough 10 marry ut any rate tie
AtntucRy Slri ucarl 40 news OF tae dCaitCd
tenor. although they corrcsponacd CON
StlntiN a. belgUtded !oNgrs, and niS IL iurs
ns wei Is Acrs. were al tu4t a lover Could
wish th:m 10 lie.
But. though Burrows apparently had 80
much uOuuIe IN getting tl.us> ready Tor
hs marriage with MARY Harms, he hau
fCund /; easter 10 manage Ia The case OF
another lar damsUi whom he lad Eict Ia
tt., city. and IA tAe ilgnt O.! whose smiles
SIC hid allowed tic Nl>,uu VI LIS faithful
nCEtucay girl TO fade and vanish away.
"a utAtr Wo.ds, he changed A!s mind anu
proved hcklc % Mary, alu mat, zoo, Win
out informing Ut; ui 'ne iacl. cltl.cr
directly OF mo,Teotr, and ntS marriage 10
thu other lady Was ~ last appointed Tor "a
certain day u lcOI.
Dut in an evil hour for him Mary IIar-
rs IN some way received II ornIltiuD Of
the pernuy of Burrows aud VI Inc uatc OF
AS proposed ~nupAals-uue tAne tnen
being near al hand. SHe uri MOI cOiIal sc
or spend any umc IN iaulenOitiOn or con
lerehCos Win her AludIed aud lrlCnLs. As
sOOn - SIZE heard Ibc news she stared di-
rectIy for Washington, Just as Sne was.
She did not change nor uro>s, nor did sie
stop 10 pack up NItuoUt anv b gage
or Change OF apparel sue Nenl at once
from her home 10 the runway station. only
stopping on the road to uuy "a y Oi. hnu
o the nTst Train eastward. Upon hci
arrival III THIS C!iy she went 10 no motel 81
restaurant. bull. without ANY dallyInS aud
at the same III without ANY peiccpuDlc
excitement IN her manner prutCv,lcJ
straight 20 the TIeasrry binding. WuINcd
into on, NJ The en,TauCcs, found ucr way
10 the right corridor, seut word INTO bur
rows room that sOnc one wished ~ see
him outside The uo0r, aud when he
responded in person. ailer eXclIn ,lnS a
few sentences WI ulm auI learning truln
him tha, the news WAS tTuc, she quietly
drew be- pistol aud sDot him dead, aIulos,
On the very eve OF his wedding dIy.
She then turned on her lcCi anU wa he'd
on IN . OuslneSs-iikc way. out made 10
oiiort 10 escape anu was OF cOursr soon
arreeted. The tragedy aud the unusual
circumstance attending II nude a luO
found impression on tie puullC tdr mIa
near. Il.e tual was highly eusat oEai
and attracted spectators from III parts OF
the country. Mary Harms coIusc. was
Judge Brady. anu aitAoLEn tAc evidence
was strongly against "er and the 'euuAicut
OF the puUllc. wAich might have Lttn Oh
her side II she had mol been 50 COO ABOUT
II oil. was ais TathCT against ACr. Inc Judge
brought her through tr%idnlpAantly Ou lac
theory that, Though perfectly SANE UCio re
and alter the occurrence. snc was I lHaL
time suffering from u temporary attack Of
emotional lnsan4y IIIs Was tAc rre,
Instance OF precisely his itne OF dcicaSe
anu the phrase becIne a ~ word eVerY'
where. Notwithstanding Ia popular IN.
creduiity a. 70 the eAis,i.uce OF auca u
thing a. momentIry "cm iona. ius"utlv."
and Notwithstanding H. apparent .caS-
ness a. "a plea. Il Was sucO>ssiul IN lurs
case and was Subsequently applied Wtl
frequency and success ~ SiIu,lal Gases, inc
case OF Laura ID. FiuT, WHO hiicu cX-
Senator Crittenden IN California, beng
perhaps the most conspicuous one.
But Mary Harri. did nOt set of scot
free Immediately. She Va, adJIdgcd IN.
Docent Of murder. but still Insane, aud nc.
cordlngly Sue was sentenced to colinc.
ment IN 81. ElizabttA's Asylum IN tnss
city. The scene at her acquittal was a
most extraordinary one. InuTe NaS a
great hubbub, In the midst of which
Judge Bradley kissed his fair client and
exclaimed that she WIS a uOulc woman,
aod that If there were more ANe her tncre
would DC fewer scamps IN The wOi ID
which proposition would seem to Oe IN.
deniably true.
Miss Harris was subjected TO nom nal
confinement in the asylum lor many
years. although in reality she Wa, unuer
no constraint. she coLId come ANA 20
when she liked. and ii shc had chosen to
she could have escaped at ny tame. In
tact. she often passed whole months away
from the asylum, at the Virginia Springs
or other summer resorts. Almost every.
body felt sure that sue was not il, nc
least insane.
The sequel may not he known 10 many.
but II is oue OF the most striking paris OF
the story After some years Judge Brad
icy got Mary Harris lega ~ discharged
from the asylum as restored TO sanity aud
then lie married her. And TO day the
heroine OF the tragedy Of loO4 is bending
,earfully over the dcath.bed Of tho faith.
full maD who saycl her lie then and las
Nm devoted 10 II ever silica