The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-09-02
MANAGES HERFARM ALL ALONE
A Heroulean Connecticut Woman
Who Works Hard and Smokes Plug
Tobacco.

/ A Eerculean Connecticut Woman
Who Works Hard and Smokes Plus
Tobacco.
From the New York Recorder.
For seven years Desire Wilcox, o wo
man Of about 80, residing near North
/ Lyme Conn, has managed and worked
/ farm al alone, except in the busiest
: season. The farm Is located in o remote
/ corner Of New London county, in the mid
die Of a chestnut forest. Desires father
/ died In 1883, her mother followed three
/ years later, and Desire was thus left
/ alone in the old homestead. She is wo-
man Of great muscular power, and swings
/ a scyJhe through hot day with an ease
| that puts 70 shame the average farm
/ ia1Orer. She pitches hay and loads hay
she chops trees in the woods and cuts
them into hrewOOd and railroad ties
She plOWs, harrOWs and plants her
fields. cultivates and harvests the crops,
negotiates their sale and delivers her pro
duce like a man. She raises a good deal
Of stock. She yOkes and drives cattle
and washes and shears sheep; IN fact, she
performs all the work necessary in the
carrying on OF large farm. During the
teaming season when the farmers haul
wood and ties to the local market Desire
- lal4N vi inc tOAu utlh llLA "a SLllik VI
from three TO five yokes Of oxen as deity
Us an experienced team5ter of the opposite
sex would. She viii pick up a irst-class
tie and toss ii on the OK wagon with an
ease that would make SaudOw open his
eyes, and, although a stOcky person, she
clam bers through the rocky places In the
woods with theagllity of mountain goat.
When 10 comes 10 horses she knows all
their points, and in a trade she Is sure to
come away with the long end OF a bargain.
She is a constant smoker With this
exception her habits are as exemplary as
those Of the heightened woman. The
common clay pipe sold at the country
stores for ! penny is her favorite, and
she carries il until it breaks or is lost, no
matter how strong il becomes. She
smokes the strongest kind of plug tobac-
co, whiting it OF and rolling il in the
palm of her hand as cleverly as an old
sailor.
Desire was married when she was 10.
1t is the only romance that has ever come
into her life. Her husband was a young
fellow named Hoskins who was employed
on the farm. He rather took the fancy of
Desire, and before long a marriage was
arranged. The wedding took place, but
in the evening the bridegroom partOok
consequence was soon bowling drunk.
The bride did not cry or express
any regret. She coolly took her hus-
band out into the yard, thrashed him I'M
til he was comparatively sober, and then,
tossing him into an arbor, told him to
stay there until he was more presentable.
That was the last she ever saw of him.
He had evidently had enough Of married
life, and, although Desire is legally Mrs.
HosKins, she insists upon and Is always
called by her maiden name. She has ac-
Cumulated q considerable fortune, and
occasionally man turns up who makes
matrimonial overtures TO her, but she
says that she's satisfied with the husband
that she's got somewhere in the world,
and II he'll only stay as far away always
as be is now she will rest content.