The Savannah morning news., 1902-07-02
TnOUGHTLESs MOTuERs.

The Disbrow case, accounts of which
have been appearing in our dispatches
for several days, has doubtless sug-
gested to some of our readers that
there are mothers who are altogether
too thOughtless respecting the welfare
of their daughters. From accounts Of
this case it seems that Sarah. Law
renee a bright and beautiful girl, the
daughter of d banker had two adj
mirers. one was Louis Disbrow and
the other Clarence Foster. the latter
married man whose wife was an in
valid. They were all quite young peo-
pie and the two men and the girl were
great deal together. They were all
residents of Suffolk county, Long ISL
and, and We're ali people of means. 1t
is supposed that Disbrow was an ac-
copied sweetheart of Miss Lawrence,
but that in the course of time the girl
came to think more of Foster than of
Disbrow, and that the latter became
jealous. A couple of weeks or so ago
Miss Lawrence, with her mother, was
staying al a small hotel at the eastern
NAAN Va A<Ohb ASldllh 0lSDIOW ana
Foster were also staying at the hotel,
and the two men and the girl were a
great deal together. One night. after
they had been having a particularly
good time at the resorts at the end of
the island all three disappeared. 1t
was soon learned that Disbrow had
gone to his home at Good Ground, but
whereabouts of Foster and the girl
Three days afterward the bodies of
the man and the girl were found float
ing in the bay. An inquest was held
by the coroner, and as no marks could
be found upon the bodies il was con-
cluded that they had gone out in a
boat at a late hour of the night. that
the boat had been overturned in some
manner, and that they had been
! drowned. The bodies were buried
but there being dissatisfaction regard
ing the result of the inquest the bodies
were disinterred and another exami-
nation of them made. Then it was
thought that evidences of a wound on
the head of Foster were found. All
this time Disbrow remained in hiding,
his counsel saying that he would not
appear to give testimony as to what
he knew about the drowning of Foster
and the girl unless a warrant were is
sued for him. A charge of murder was
made against him, and, according to
our dispatches yesterday, he then gave
himself up to the authorities. What
the outcome of the case will be re-
mains of course to be seen.
But what must be thought of the
mother of Miss Lawrence? Did she not
know that her daughter, in racing
around the country with a married
man, was in danger of getting into
trouble? 1t is reported that she said,
when this feature of the case was
brought to her attention, she looked
upon her daughters association with
| Foster and Disbrow as u mere bit of
harmless Irritation. She must be a
very thoughtless mother if she took
that view of her daughters conduct.
If she possessed ordinary intelligence
she must have suspected that what
she regarded as a harmless Irritation
was making her daughter the subject
of gossip, and that should have been
sufficient to have brought the associa-
ton of the girl with the two men to
an end. 1t was certainly highly inn
proper for a respectable girl to be
tramping around from one hotel to
another with a couple of men, one of
them married. at pretty nearly all
hours of the night.
To thoughtless mothers are to be at
! tributed many of the troubles into
which girls of a romantic disposition
get. These thoughtless mothers take
the view that everything will come
out all right. They don't want to
bother themselves with their girls.
| They want to give all their time to
! their own pleasures? They refuse to
recognize the full measure Of the re-
! sponsibility which their position i'm
poses upon them. and when trouble
1 comes they put the blame upon their
girls rather than upon themselves,
where it belongs.