The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1889-10-17
END OF A BLASTED LIFE.
A DESERTED WOMAN FINDS RE
POSE IN DEATH.
In Her Last Hours Bitter Memories
Throng Upon Her Poor Wandering
Brain and the Mystery of a Clouded
Life Thickens into a Deeper Gloom.
LErum tie .FloreMre .Nc@cnQer.l


Mrs. Lydia Harris died of typhoid
fever at the residence of Mr.. W. ID.
Heape, in this city, last Sunday morn
ing.
There seems to bc some mystery con-
nec.ed with the life of the deceased lady.
About ten months ago she came here
with her husband. George Harris. They
claimed to have hailed from Michigan.
She was a stout. robust woman, with
light complexion and apparently about
25 years old. He was Il tall, rawbonc
man, with sandy hair and red face, and
apparently some years her senior. The
couple had no children and stopped
with Mr. d. Stewart, who was at the
time keeping boarding house. The
husband, who was Il carpenter, lelt
here few months after hss arrival,
leaving behind him his wife with an un-
paid board bill. The wife hired herself
TO Mr.. Stewart TO cook in order to pay
her board. In the month of May SHE
l;came a mother, but the child lived
oily a few days. When MIR. Stewart
gave up keeping boarding house, about
the month of June, she hired herself tc
the family of Mr.. W. d. Heape, where
she remained UP 10 the time of hel
death.
She received letters from her husband
occasionally, but never 4 cent towards
her support. The last letter received
from him, which was about week be-
fore she died, was from Maryvillc
Tenn. In this he promised to send fol
her soon, and charged her, when she
left Florence. not to let the people know
where she was going. He never wrote
her twice from the same place. When
Mr.. Heape saw that the lady's death was
approaching, he telegraphcd her hus'
band to Maryville, Tenn, but the news
came back that there was no such man
TO be found in that town.
During the lady's illness she was queS'
toned about her people as to thelrname
and placeso of resiGence-but she always
gave an evasive answer. On Saturday
night previous to her death Sunday,
while she was in delirious condition,
Mr.. Heape reminded her OF her danger
GUS condition and urged her to tell
something of her people, so that he
could inform them in case of her sick
ness resulting seriously. She said her
fathers name was Earn (or Aaron) Bur-
CESS, and then drew the bed covering up
over her head and began sobbing and
groaning, and Mr.. Heape could get no
further information from her.
Among her effects were found papers
addressed to Miss Lydia Burgess,
Clyde, Mich" There were also found
two cabinet-size photographs-onc of a
lady and the other a gentleman-appar-
emily about 60 years old each, which are
probably the girls father and mother.
The pictures were taken by Skidmore
& Artley, Carleston, Mich. The subjects
bear the appearance of refined and good
people.
Mr.. Heape says the lady was of a very
happy and agreeable disposition and
very chaste in her manners, as we'll as
industrious and neat about her work.
Whether or not Harris was really hel
husband remains to be proven, but in
either case his conduct has proved him
to be an undutiful and heartless man
and left room for grave suspicious. Mr..
Heape would be glad to hear from the
lady's people with regard to her and the
strange conduct of Harris.