, 1891-05-10
A PICTURE OF POVERTY
Living Alone in a Tumble Down
Adobe Hut.
Hard Lot of a Once Well to Do Old
Woman.
Eking Out an Existence on Six DOL
lars a Month.

There is an old saying that lone halt
the world does not know how the other
half lives" A living Illustration has been
brought to notice. Last night. while the
thousands here in Cheyenne, where plenty
is the rule, enjoyed the comforts of a
home, there was one whose condition was
pitiable indeed In a miserable little hut
built years ago OF adobe and brick,
propped and braced to keep it from fall
ing down, there lay on a bed of rags an
old woman past 60 years of age. The
rain. though it fell so slow and gently,
found its way through the roof and
caused THE LEADER reporter who called
about s O'Clock last evening to shudder at
the thought Of how wretched the place
aud the poor old creature must be when it
rams hard, or during the winter when one
of those terrible bhzzards sweep the coun-
try. All last Binter the old lady lived there,
with no coal except what she carried from
the tracks a half mile away. For thirteen
years she has lived in the same place,
but not always in such AFFECT poverty.
The history Of her life and how she
happens to be living there may be of in
terest. In brief it is about as follows:
Her maiden name was Mary Ann Ray,
andshe was born 10 Lern, Ireland, sixty
three years ago. At the age OF 10 she
was married to Thos. Graham. a tailor by
trade. A year later the couple came to
-. ..4.Ia1 a.. DI.l4.. : ~
Thirteen children were born, only
four of whom were living at last accounts
Several years before the breaking out of
the war Mr.. Graham died. Mrs. Graham's
family were all strong rebs" as she *
pressed it, She was living at her own
comfortable home in a little town near
Atlanta when some Union soldiers camped
in the tow aud a guard house was built
on the land belonging to her.
David B. Troop, one of the soldiers,
and Mrs. Graham. whose four living chill
dren had married or left her. fell in love
aud were married. The marriage was
kept a secret, but finally the time arrived
when the soldiers must leave. Her chill
dren who had learned of the marriage
were very angry and now she must choose
between them and her husband forever
1t was a irving hour during which
Troop was excited while his wife
spoke not, but after some hours
she exclaimed to the apparently
oyerioyed man that she would 90 and
remain with him thronpb life lat what
would come Her home and
her cbildren were left bebind
forever Dnrinp the war Troon was
wounded After the war he enlisted in
the regular limited States service and
servsd for eleven vears Mrs Troor
remaining with him all the time Tb,r-
teen wears ago thew settled in CHEYENNE
at the corner of Twentieth and Rent
streets. Three wears later from deserted
his wife who. not powipg what had be-
come of him. borrowed money on which
to travel and search Tor her husband.
Buffalo in this state and other places were
visited, but at last Mrs. Troup gave up
the search and ~broken-hearted, returned
to live out her few remaining years on
the spot where she had last lived with
him who had wrecked her life. Mr..
Noble OF this city, says that Troup when
he deserted his wife went to Fort Bridger.
In June or July, 1888. he and Zach
Thompson, who had served in @ com
pany, 9th infantry, and a woman and two
children started from Bridger to go to
Montana. Some time afterward cowboys
discovered the body of a man near Pied
mont. The body had been dragged from
a shallow grave by coyotes. 1t was that
of Troop who had been poisoned by
Thompson, who was afterward lynched in
Montana for the crime. The woman
afterward returned to Fort Bridger, and it
is probable that she gave the whole thing
away. though Mr.. Noble does not know.
As for Mrs. Troup, she continued to grow
poorer as old age came on.
A mortgage on the Mace was foreclosed