The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1891-06-23
MARRIED AN OCTOROON.
Mesalliance Of q Pennsylvania
Girl-Her Wandering, Suf-
ferings and Death.

TttsOurg, "a, JUNO IL. Auete
died a few days ago, in a little house
OH Church avenue, Allegheny, one
whose life was as full of romance as
the heroine of the average novel. 1t
was Mrs. Henry Pickersgill. a de.
scendant of the pioneer Irwin family
of this county. After a clandestine
marriage, social ostracism and years
of wandering in the company Of the
man of her choice, over America and
Europe, aged, feeble, and with mind
that lived in the past. when the poor
old creature, looking like q wretched
emigrant, tottered through the station
gates, ten days ago, not even the lynx
eyed reporter discerned beauty, lineage
and romance in the Drowned face
bound with an old handkerchief, nor
could guess the story told by the old
marriage certificate, the ancient watch
and the family letters-her only
relics-secreted in her b som. Over
fifty years ago, in the days of the
Pennsylvania canal, Mrs. Pickersgill
was the pride of well.known ladies
seminary in this city, and the light of
her fathers mansion. She was Is, q
great beauty and a fine scolar.
Among her classmates was Mrs Mary
Schenley, the millionaire, now living
in London, and many q grandma"
of the present leading families. It
was at this period the pretty school
girl became enamored Of an octoroon,
who had been part of the dowry Of
one of her schoolmates brothers
southern bride One of his duties
was to bring his mistress young sister
daily to school. He was handsome,
educated and polished, having been
body servant and fellow student of
young Pickersgill, the eldest son of q
proud Charleston Is. CO family. He
adopted their name and arose to po-
sition Of confidence. The
story of the school girls
infatuation was whispered about
and soon all the Fourth avenue aris-
tccracy knew ofi,-everybody except
the girls family. Othello's owners
decided to send him back to the
Pickersgills, and their eyes suddenly
orened, Desdemona's parents entered
her at ladies school in New York.
The morning these plans were to 60
into effect both the school girl and
her dusky lover were missing. They
had left on a canal freight packet the
night before. All effort to find them
were vain. Several years after
friends discovered Pickersgill driving
a dray for the canal company. They
had come back to make their peace
with the family, but neither mar
rage cert fcate nor tie double strain
If aristocratic Pickersgill blood
in the groom's veins could soften pa
rental ire, and the unhappy pair were
disowned. Now and then letters
reached friends telling of the vile
treatment the girls husband subjected
her to on finding his marriage q e.
naucial and social failure; of his
frequent assertions and continuous
wanderings, and her own shifts 10
make a living as teacher, actress and
even domestic. While in Europe
she many times was the recipient
of Mrs. Schenley's bounty. The
worthless Othello died years ago in
France. Since then the wife's one
sole aim has been to come back and
die in her childhood home. But oil
was changed. The old homestead
was replaced by a boarding house,
whose Hebrew proprietress thought
her demented when she talked of the
past, and only took her in from racial
reverence for the relics she showed.
1t was a miserable Mecca for bel
wanderings, but it was enough, and
abe died content,