Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1889-02-09
Piteous Story Of a Woman
Who was Entrapped
Into Marriage.
She Was Immurcd For Three Years,
BecnEne the Dcn's Mistress
and Escaped.


HoIiCculan WHOM she met on the streets
for aid. She told the officer "A pitiful
story Of how she had become "A bergar
and pleaded tearfully to be furnished
with work SO that she might not starve.
The blue coated guardian OF the peace
smiled in derision as the woman con.
tinued her improbable tale, ard in answer
took her TO the central station. Friday
morning she was brought into the munic-
ipal court and charged with vagrancy.
There she told her story of life in the
dives OF the Wisconsin pineries, and her
escape after three years of confinement
there against her will. Her story was
laughed out OF court. and she was SEN
fenced to the work house for thirty DAYS.
a telegram from Hurley. Wis, yesterday
morning, however, making inquiries
abo.. her confirmed her story, and an eff
fort will be made TO secure her release.
A reporter called IN the woman yester-
day. She said:
My name is Fannie Bush. Three
years ago lived with my father on a
farm south Of Sank Center, MINI. |
went TO Litchfield TO work at IA hotel.
While there Z met IA young man who was
stopping at the house, and our acquaint-
ance 5. ogresscd until he made a PROPOSE
ton o. marriage Six weeks after our
first meeting | was his wife. He had
told me that he had Il farm near Hurley,
Wis, and that as soon as We
were married we would 90 there
TO live. After the ceremony We
took the train TO Eurle and from
there a stage that r. into the woods.
When we arrived ~ the lam ! found it
a house surrounded by a stockadc in the
depths Of the pine woods. Paths ledupto
the gate from every direction in the
woods and when we entered the place |
found the house crowded with painted,
shameless women-hoilow eyed girls.
whose faces were III strong contrast with
their short dresses and gay attire. A
crowd OF men wearing mackinaws, half
drunk and quarrClsome, were loatng
about the bar in the dance hall. ! was
shocked and Mortified by the scene. My
confidence had been betrayed and !
found that ! had married the barkceDcr
Of this wreiched den. / had DOT
been in the house an hour
when Notwithstanding my tears aud
protests, ne gave me 10 understand that
my duties would consist in looking after
the miserable girls, come dozen Of whom
were kcpt like slaves within the uine
walls OF iheir loathsomc prison. That
night / tried 10 escape. ! had gotten out
Of the house and was hurry ING 90 the
gate when the dog, chained in q shed lust
inside the ~stockade, began barking fu-
~riOusly. ikucw what that meant. If !
,rA l,.tfs,1, tyr4ry. r..a,y, tA:,..1- .-.,II
be put upon my track. | was too weak
and Frustrated 70 face the dan.
ger, and slipped back into the
house. Thus my life in the foulest
hole on earth began. 4 few days
later my husband, if | must call the
wretch by that name, vas seriously in
jured by a drunken lumberman, and was
taken TO the town for treatment. |
begged TO go with him and care for him.
net that any spark OF affection remained,
but because | hoped TO escape. | would
have left my betraycr dying and fled 70
my home but the proprietor sternly re.
fused, and after they had taken the
wounded man away the keeper of the
den whom the girls called Old Nick hi,
name being Nicholas, gave me 10 under
stand that | would be his girl from tina
time on.
"'Your man is as good as dead an,
you might as well make the best Of it,
he said. What could | do? Protest wa
useless-escape impossible. My onl,
course was to submit. The man who ha,
sworn to love and protect me died With,
a week, and my fate seemed fixed. | be
cane the mistress OF the den. / had (
listen to the brutal jokes and the insult
Of the drunken woodsmen. was com
PEELED to conduct the shameless bushes
by which Nichols grew rich. Ever,
night brought with it a scene of wild dc
bauchery. The men trooped in from
every direction, and within the higl
wall of the stockade vice held full
sway until early morning. Many is tn,
time that / have seen men come into the
place with the earnings Of a whole montl
and go away drunk and cursing withou
a cent. The life D o stripped the girl
Of every vestige of health and modesty
In a year | have seen innocent girls lure
into the place, enslaved by some procur
css, become bloated, blear- eyed women
lost 10 every sense Of womanhood an
decency. Many Of the young wome
were brought 10 these places under som
tempting ollero employment to be RUNE
and debauched without hope of rescue @
reform. ! have seen the county officials
a sheriff $ posse out in scare
Of some criminal whose ofense
were trifling as compared to Mich
OILS laughing and drinking at tn
bar, but these hell holes were allowed {
go on dra wing in the innocent, demoral
izing tbs camp and spreading disgrac
and death in all quarters, as if we wer
living in a land without law. Nor wer
these the only crimes. Deeds Of violence
robberies and murders were frequent,
perpetrated, and If the woods should Civ
up their secrets. skeletons would stall
about the stockades and cry for ven
geance. Nichols soon took up with
fresh victim and l was forced 10 don tn
short dress. This was too much for m,
and escaped one night at midnight an,
made my way into the country AM
worked during harvest at a farm house
Then | came here. l was looking 70
work when | was arrested"
The reporter told the woman tina
efforts were being made to suppress tn