The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1898-04-30

thC WCooCo ~ VI
this ill-mated couple anne to an end
eight months after their wedding day
by the death of the young wife. And
in those months, though her husband
abused and neglected her, not a word
OF complaint or reproach ever passed
her lips. To crown all this, her hus-
band, although now a fugitive from
wife's share in her fathers estate,
which he says is about $25, 000. The
beginning of this strange story of the
marriage Of a young, cultured white
girl, only 18 years old, the daughter
OF wealthy people, to IN ignorant col
ored boy, whose only thoughts in life
were for horses and ~crap-shooting,
goes as far back as Miranda Foote's
childhood, when she received a fall,
from the effects of which she eve re-
covered. This put her away from the
usual sports and plays of a country
child, and her chief delight was to
bring music from the organ which
stood in the sitting-room of the old
farmhouse. She went to the district
school with her brothers and sisters,
n though she received a good COM
mon school education, there was no
greater pleasure for her than taking
her music lesson and practicing scales
and exercises. On account of her deli
cate health little or nothing was ex-
pected OF the child about the house,
and as she grew to ~womanhood the
duties which usually fall to a farmers
daughter were either performed by her
mother or sisters, and in every way
Miranda's life was a sheltered one.
Stronghurst, the birthplace of Miriam
da Foote, is a small village about thir-
ty miles from Galesburg, Ill. Long be-
fore the village was there the Foote
family was known for their wealth.
Years ago B. F. Foote came to Illinois
and purchased a few acres two miles
from what is known now as the viii
lage of Stronghurst. AS time went by
and he was a successful stock raiser,
he added to his land, and when he died
several years ago this had increased
until the estate embraced some 400
acres.
The small wooden house with which
the Foote family had been content in
the early days had long since been
replaced by a big rough stone dwelling,
which is known far and wide in the
country around about as the stone
house. Long before the death of Mr..
Foote his self-earned fortune was
placed at 5000, 900, n as some Of the
younger children were far from of
age the property was to be intact I'M
til the girls and boys had grown to
manhood and womanhood. But Mr..
Foote was not a greater money-maker
than his wife, in whose management
his fortune was left. Soon after his
death she added the breeding of race
horses to that of the other stock rails
ing upon the farm. All the country
around and about Galesburg is famed
for its fine stock, but no horses for
miles about are more famed than those
raised by the mistress of the stone
house. John Crawford went to the
stone house last April to help in the
care of these horses. From the time
OF his birth, a quarter of a century
ago, he had been one of the familiar
darkies of Galesburg. Crawford grew
to manhood, doing what he liked
most, to hang around livery stables or
any place else where horses were kept.
He did not care for school, but of mu-
sic he was fond, and from his boyish
days was always able to play all the
sweet airs he heard, and play them
we'll, too. This, no doubt, was the
great charm that he had for Miranda
Foote. While "China" Crawford was
at the big stone house he received ev-
cry kindness from the family, but it
was in the eyes of Miranda he found
the greatest favor, for by the hour he
sang and played to her. The more in
MIS-