The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1894-02-16
WOMAN Oh HER METTLR.

neither man nor woman runneth to the
contrary the fairer portion OF mankind
has been called the 'softer" sex.
Wherefore it would puzzle a Philadel-
phia lawyer to determine. Remember
ing such interesting creatures as Delllah
and Judith in the old tesla ment, and
the performances of Penthesiles and her
Amazons in the narratives of Plutarch,
and other ancient not to say veracious
chronicIers, taking no account OF notable
fests in the poisoning line from Lucrezia
Borgia to Mrs. Grinder and Mrs. May
brick, we have had an oblique idea that
the term was and is misnomer. We
could advance arguments in support OF
our theory from the past history of CAL
ifornia. but we shall content ourselves
with one of a recent date.
Sometime ago the police OF Oakland
found it necessary to arrest Mrs. Faess-
Ter, OF that place of happy San Francis
co dormitory memory. The lady had
had marital difficulties which resulted
in a separation from the bed and board
OF her husband, and the allotment OF
alimony. This last the recreant hus-
band has failed to pay, to the great re-
greet and disgust of what has certainly
proved to be in this case his better half.
She announced it to be her purpose first
to cowhide and then to kill him. I'm
bued with lively sense of the dangers
ahead the husband applied to the courts
~ 81 81 s..
protection, and Mira. Faessler was ar
rested.
This arrest simply transferred the
trouble to new arena, giving the hus-
band temporary surcease OF his misery
and endowing Judge Hepburn and his
court with all the esponsibilities for
the time being. They found that no
trifing task was before them, that of
managing this wronged lady who first
designed to cowhide and then, at a
They sought refuge in the convenient
expedient OF having her committed to
en- insane asylum. But she would not
have it. She came up with answers go
luminous and rational to all questions
that the commission de lt3ldticO inqu5-
rendo declined to immune her in mad
house.
This threw her back on Judge Hep
burn. In his despair he offered to re-
lease her if she would promise neither
to cowhide nor to kill her husband.
This she sternly declined to do. She
abounded in go many arguments in favor
OF the knife and pistol that the Judge
wss fairly nonplused. He finally ex-
torted from her a promise that she
would neither cowhide nor kill her hus-
band for week. That pusillsnimous
individual, so it was understood between
the court and himself, was meanwhile
to swear out warrants binding her to
keep the peace, which was another way
of putting obstacles in the path of this
wronged and indomitable woman.
We have in this incident a complete
refutation of the old and thrhadbare
proposition that woman is the softer
sex. Here is female who was for
years content to 60 about with the pie
L
herself the superior OF her husband, an
Alameda county court and various and
sundry officers OF the law. Any man
worthy the name would cheerfully ac-
cept martyrdom at the hands Of such an
Amazonian heroine. But this faint
hearted fellow has soul be-
low what might be his exalted
fate. What are two or three cowhid-
ings, to be rounded ont with death by
the knife or the pistol, compared to the
qualification of the penchant of Mrs.
Faessler for war to the knife, and the
knife to the hilt Faesaler, if he only
knew it, and would let the process of
the law alone, could shortly Join the
army of blessed martyrs. Instead OF
availing himself OF this precious priv
ilege he will probably cut his stick and
HE him to fresh fields and pastures
new. HE ignobe soul is not capable of
rising to magnanimous heights of sacri-
fee. lie belongs to that order of humdrum
husbands who were contemplated in the
old English common law, where hus-
band and wife were one and the husband
was that one. This degenerate man
would probably expect this epic
creature, his wife, to sew a button on
his shirt or darn his cocks. He is no
more capable OF eevating himself to the
supernal heights that are now graced by
woman than he would be OF rivaling the
canticles OF Solomon. If Joan OF Are
were around nowadays he would expect
to see her securing kettles or washing
diapers. II it had not been for the live
liness and versatility OF Mrs. Faessler
no would have presumed upon the com
paissnce of that good woman; and,
after he had worn her out in weari-
some round of debssing domestic occu-
pations, lie would have been ready to say,
with ons of Congreve's characters,
How wretched, towards the close OF life,
To drag along that weary load, wife.
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TIE death OF Colonel Jonathan D.