The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-11-07
REMARKABLE EXPERIENCE OF
MRS. SMITH, HUMANsvILLE.
Relates Her Matrimonial Adven-
lures and Declares That Marriage
Is Not a Failure--But Little Time
Was Wasted in Courting-How the
Various Husbands of the Past Ar
rived and Departed-The Step
children Well Cared for When
They Marry.
From the pittsburg chronicle.Telcsraph.

has been married seven times. De-
spite her IS years, Mrs. Smith is still
youthful in appearance and handsome.
She has lately married again, and the
newly welded couple are living in a
little cottage owned by Mrs. Smiths
aged mother.
Il have often thought" said Mrs.
Smith, that / could forever set at
rest that old, old problem, rs marriage
4 failurc?' would most positively
assert that it is not a failure. ! have
had seven husbands and buried five
Of them. one ran away with another
woman; the latest Brother Smith will
be home IN a moment: he is out at
tending to the COW now.
Yes, my life has been series of
strange incidents. | have had much
trouble, much of it," folding her hands
and gazing renectively out over the
hazy meadows, but" Strengthening
up more doterminedly. Il never give
up. / look the present in the face and
trust to the Lord TO make the future
brighter lie has always done it.
Tell you something about my life?
Well, there is not much tn tell but
Iii try it. You see, ] had so many
ed shat i can hardly be very exact.
Il have known Brother Smith--you
sc2, l call Kim brother from force of
habit--all my life. He was and is my
pastor. How long was he engaged to
me? Why, bless yOur soul, one day.
We knew each other ell our llfe--all
my life, ! mean. He came over to see
me Sunday night ana talked it up.
We were married ON Tuesday.
My seven husbands were all engaged
but short time. and l now have-let
me see, is step children. And they all
love me. Whenever they are married /
give them a wedding dinner and set
them up in housekeeping. There are
! three sets of them, too. They come to
sec me and whenever my husbands die
they ALWAYS offer me a home
Il knew my first husband, Mr. Vice,
a year. Mr.. Milligan six months. Mr..
De Priest | knew IS months, but Crozicr
I knew four years. and was engaged Ia
him but two months. Mr.. Dougherty
! | knew . week.
"Nem ! knew nine months. but We
| spanked only three months. We lived
| together only six months.
II was haDDy with every one. too, y
she went on in low tone, far away
| look stealing over her matronly feat.
ures. Even with Neff, | never had d
cross word or the slightest quarrel with
any one of my husbands, they all loved
me. You see | was hard to please. som,
people look nice, but they don't veal
| WELL and like the wearing kind
Yes, I've had a good many offers
| but ! always know what I'm doing
| aud when ] make up my mind | dom
| believe i'm delay. | just go ahead anC
! get the thing over with. You see ,Nef
| turned out bad, but ii wasn't my fault
| | made him a good Wife
1t has always been said i'm the com
munity that Nef disappeared and new
er was heard of. As the story goes
Mrs. Smith preserves the nuptial gar
ments of her departed spouses ant
shows them To their Successors. WheI
she entertained Neff in this way 81,
months after she became his wife
she busted the garments off and re
! marked in a teasing way: "Pll b
dusting your Off this way some time.
To this proposition Ncff is reporte,
to have promptly and energeticall,
replied: I'm de - if you do" ant
| forthwith disappeared.
DO | remember how my husband
looked? Indeed ] do. l have their pic
! lures, too,
when / married Mr.. Dougherty h
| had met my mother but once, and
introduced him to her as my husband
She said she supposed II was all right
and that she wasn't at all surprised.
According to the stories in town, Mrs
| t,1l 4,
dcring GyDsy at Brighton, Mo, year
ago. Part of the revelation was tha
she was to have seven husbands tina
the seventh would survive her an
that two of the seven would b"eaI
into the penitentlary. When aske
about this, Mrs. Smith said:
ITS only partly true. | had my for
tune told, as they say, by cards an
the Gypsy said Ia have seven hus
bands, and that the seventh would out
live me. try To make them forge
il. but they won't. | don't want m
husbands 10 die. | nursed CrOZicr siX
teen months, and Doughcrty tiftee
months, but they died anyhow. Bu
here is my new husband now. | wa
Just telling the gentleman she sale
turning to tall, austerc- looking ul
man, who entered. that | don't lik
my husbands to die"
The husband looked thoughtful for
moment and said: NO, | don't thin
she does but they do it, anyhow. Sh
marrics real sudden, too"
Yes, Brother Smith" she replieC
you was real nervous for a few day
ana | kind Of thought you was comm
around
"Brother smith," she went ON, "WOul
rather be addressed as a minister tina
as colonel He has an army rocor
though. He'll tell you about ii viii
| get supper
Mrs. smith was born in Caldwc
county, Mo, Nov. II, lSi@, and raise
in Harrison county. At the age OF
years she married George II, Vice, DE
%, 1888. They lived together five year
| when he was killed while on pick
| guard as tie first sergeant oC TrOC
| NJ. First Arkansas cavalry. They ha
one child, now Mrs sam White, al,
| living with her second husband, an
VINO has several children--tWO Of the
Iun'llod.
In less than year, on oct 10, lSf
she married William De Priest. The
had two children, both boys, Allen al
, | Albert, and after six years Of marri,
! ! life De Priest died Of spinal trouhl
Her next husband was Francis Mill
| gan, and she married him Jan. 49, IS,
, TheS had two children, u boy and
| girl both living. Milligan died Of t,
p phcid fever oct. 97. 1883.
! She became Mrs James Neff Ap
r 2, 1856, and, as told, he disappeared ST
p months later. She secured a divor,