The herald., 1896-08-14
The Woman Suffragists Are
Much Worked Up
ISSUE A PRONUNCIAMENTO
Putting Their Sisters on Their Gusrd
Against Miss couzins
Why the Lady DOT Herself Disliked In Los
AngeIes-Some Of Her Ec-
centricltics

If Miss Phoebe Couzins could, by any
system of mind reading at long distance.
or the use of "telepathy," ascertain the
mental status of those ladies' who, at
great personal sacrifice, raised money
with which to pay the board bill of her
self and brother in this city, she would
realize that one of the happiest moments
of their lives was the hour when they
saw her safely on board of an overland
train, headed for Kansas City.
Never, perhaps, did ladies work more
persistently or under greater disadvan-
tages than the suffragists of this city
in behalf of Miss CouZins and her I'M
pecunious brother. They not only did
this without the shadow of a claim upon
their generosity by either Miss Couzins
or her brother, but under all sorts OF
annoyances and discouragements from
the lady herself.
These things came in the way OF notes
and other messages from this noted lee
turer and suffragist of the most exas-
perating and often insulting nature.
Then there were interviews with re-
porters of the local press and author
lied statements of the most ungrateful
and cruel kind about those very per-
sons who not only had, but were at the
time, doing all they could for her relief.
The following is sample of the mat
ter which appeared in the newspapers
from time to time during the progress
of this relief work.
"The woman suffragists are at last
to make an effort to remove the reproach
that lies at their door, in that they have
for many months neglected to Succor
sister, whose name has been for years
in the front rank of the champinos OF
her sex, and whose whole life has been
spent not only in the eloquent advocacy
of their cause, but in the practical DEM
onstration of woman's fitness to be
worthy of the effect. Miss Phoebe Couz-
ins for six months has been residing in
Los Angeles, most of the time absolutely
confined to her bed with a serious and
painful illness and in great financial
straits. Miss CouZins tells her own story
below without any self-pity, but with
some stern SCOTS at the injustice of the
treatment she has received"
Why should Miss Couzins have in
dulged in stern SCOTS" at the suffragists
of Los Angeles? She came to this city
from San Francisco of her own free
WILL for her health, as she has often her
self alleged and never at any time did
one thing in behalf of the cause of wo-
man suffrage in this part of the state.
Not only this. but she did not even come
to California at he instance of, or by
any arrangements of any body Of suf-
fragists in the state. On the contrary,
she came here under an arrangement
with the Bimetallio league, to lecture
In behalf of free silver
In view of all these things 1t has been
thought pertinent. If not indeed emf
nently advisable, for the campaign COM
mittee of woma n suffragists of Los An
geles county to issue an official prounu-
ciamento to the suffragists of the United
states warning them against the meth
ods of Miss Couzins, involving, as 1t is
alleged, all manner of spite, malice and
even vilihcation of prominent suffrage
women of irreproachable integrity and
goodness of heart on this coast. For 1t
is we'll known that while in this city
Miss Couzins had mania for heaping
imprecations upon the heads of several
prominent ladies in San Francisco, and
itturns out that they were precisely those
who had done the most for her before
she came to Los Angeles.
Three of those ladies had paid out $50
each for Miss CouZins to relieve her of
some 1nsistent creditors. one of whom
was burly landlord of Sacramento. All
of these things are now known and fully
understood. and have induced the la
dies here to take the action which they
did in appointing a committee to formu-
late the contemplated official declara-
ton.
One member of the committee has
since refused to act. and the matter
has been indefinitely postponed, but
there is no doubt that some such action
Will be taken in the near future.
One of the current criticisms upon
Miss Couzins is that instead of attend
ing to her knitting" when she came to
this coast, she began airing her alleged
engagement with the late Senator Fair,
which was very generally exploited in
the San Francisco papers.
While in this city she often referred
to her sentimental days with the deceased
millionaire, whom she regarded, at one
time, as about as good as hers for life
She paid great attention to the claims
of Mrs. Nettie r. Craven against the
Fair estate. and ridiculed the state
ments of that schoolma'm by saying:
These things are stupidity ridiculous
from the fact that I was practically en-
gagged to the senator while this affair
with the Craven woman is alleged to
have been under consideration"
In one of her published interviews
Miss Couzins is reported to have said:
II feel like Prometheus with the vultures
gnawing at my vitals, but am thank
full to say 1 am mentally as vigorous as
ever
The ladies who raised nearly 5000 in
this city for Miss Couzins benefit were
made to realize the "vigor" of her intel
constantly putting stumbling blocks in
the way of the committees work, and
constantly trying to Illustrate all their
plans in her own behalf. For instance,
when Rev. Anna Shaw was engaged
to deliver a lecture in Unity church for
MISS Couzins' benefit she readily con-
sented to the plan, and yet before the
GATE for the lecture she wrote to Miss
SHAW and to the committee per-
emptorily demanding that all arrange
ments be declared off at once. In her
letter to the committee she said. IT
nave also written to Miss Shaw abso-
!utely refusing any services at her
hands. The committee found if nee
essary to write to Miss Shaw telling her
that the church had been engaged tho
meeting advertised, and declarinr
1--WE shall not heed the opposition hit
go on with the benefit. We shall expect
you in spite of Miss Couzins' Offensive
conduct. and hope to have, ere long. q
sum sufficient to get her off our hands
The committee, after reviewing tho
circumstances of the proposed benefit in
a communication to Miss Couzins sail
you need hardly be told that unde.
such circumstances your letter of YES
terday was great and painful surprise.
1t was laid before the committee and
upon due consideration it was unani
mously decided that the benefit could
not be abandoned with credit to the
-s.z 1x,s- H. 1. l. L