Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1889-08-02
A LAW YER's STORY.


the saying, Truth is stranger than flc-
tion.' Back In 1851, the facts on which
my story is based occurerd One cold,
bitter night, in the beginning of winter,
l, with my then young wife, and one
little baby long since dead, was sitting
before warm fire IN our cosy little
home in Perrysburg, reading of, and
drending the civil war which then
seemed about TO break out in our own
country, and hoping that this great
evil might in some way be avoided,
when our attention was called to very
faint rap at our humble door. 1t was
late, and we wondered who could be
abroad that stormy, freezing night.
Taking light in my hand l went to
the door and opened 1t, and there stood,
covered with snow and sleet, one of the
most forlorn objects possible TO i'm
agine woman, or rather girl, per-
haps nineteen years old, with only a
Summer sun bonnet on her head, with
out any shawl, cloak or any kind of
wrap, very poorly and thinly clad. The
shoes on her feet were thin and old,
and in fact she could not have been
worse apparelled to face such storm.
She was quite good looking in the face,
but there was sort of vacant stare in
her eyes that at once led me to the con-
clusion that her mind was unbalanced
that she was then suffering under some
intense nervous excitement. OF course
invited her to come in and warm her
self, and spoke as kindly rs could to
her for / saw she was in some great
grief. My wife also, after stirring up
the fire, asked her 10 sit down. She
looked at us shyly at first and seemed
afraid, and her look had piteous ap-
peal about it shall never forget. My
wife got some warm tea and gave her
little and drank the tea she said nothing.
She made no request, and gave no in
telligent answers to our questions as
to who she was, or where she came
from, or why she came as she did. 1t
wouldn I do to let her go out again that
night she would perish in the storm, so
my wife put her to bed in warm room
having furnished her with dry clothing.
All the time she kept looking at us,
from one to the other, as if to say, edo
you really mean all this Pare you my
friends?' but said nothing, except to
reply in monosyllables to the questions
t., III
carried her some toast and coffee, but
the girl slept, and as we watched her
she seemed to dream and moan most
piteously in her sleep, In this way she
passed the forenoon, and what TO do
with her we hardly knew. About 10
O'Clock / went to my Office and meeting
my law partner Judge ID. was about to
tell him concerning the girl when in
came the Sheriff. The county seat was
then at Perrysburg. He held IN his
hand message informing him that
woman had drowned her own babe in
well at a farmers home on the pike out
near the Sandusky line, describing her
and directing her arrest if found. AS
he showed us the message at once re-
allied that the woman we had barbored
and who was then sleeping at my home
was the murderess. But she had looked
so innocent, and SO beseechingly to us, as
il for protection, hesitated in telling
the Sheriff what knew about her. /
think did not tell him at that first in
tnru nd
with Judge d. us to what it was best to
do in the case. We finally concluded to
see the Sheriff and prevail ON
him to take her into comfort
able quarters in the debtors de-
partment at the Jail and give her good
care ard await further developments.
This he did, sometime in the afternoon
of that day. The next day most sensa-
tional rumors were abroad about the
transaction. Some said she was a run
away wife others that she was a soiled
dove from Toledo an escaped Iunatic,
and all sorts of stories about her were
put in circulation, furnishing food for
all the gossps of the village and vicinity.
But little of the truth of the matter was
gained for several weeks-except that
she had been seen on the day she came
to my home TO enter farm-yard out
about ten miles. with n child in her
arms, go at once to an old well, drink
from bucket hanging from a sweep
above the well curb, and then first kiss
ing the baby, to gently lift it over the
curb and drop it into the water below
and then run away from the place into
piece of woods near by. The farmer
and his family did what they could to
get the infant out as soon as possible
from the well, and in their efforts TO
rescue the child they allowed the woman
to escape. A Coroner's jury was EN-
pannelled and inquest held and but
little except these naked facts was elic-
tied. The girl seemed to have lost her
reason, she seemed dazed. She said
| nothing, but AT the end of couple of
weeks she had violent fits Of weeping
AS though her poor heart would break.
This, Doctor Peck who WINS attending
her at the instance the Jailor, said was
sign of returning reason. Truly she
could not be guilty of deliberate mur-
der; true She had deliberately drowned
an infant true she had been the means of
destroying the life of an innocent baby,
but was she guilty of murder and
should she be punished had Mt this
time but little experience in criminal
cases. had been then about four years
at the bar but had never been called
into many criminal cases and OF course
it was sympathy with the young prisoner
and curiosity about her case which
caused me to call frequently at the Jail,