The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-02-09
AS TO MRS. JEFF AND MRS. JOE.

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Galloway county, speaking OF official
impartiality and such things. take my
word for it, yea cant always tell. You
cant even tell about yourself. You may
be above temptation from q pecuriary
point of view, YOU nay be honest. you
may be as lofty minded as you please.
but you can't always tell just what YOU
might do in an extraordinary situation"
He pulled out of his desk drawe~ a lit
tie box. It seemed 10 be fun # pink
cotton batting, hut when he laid the con-
tents or the table he found TWO leaden
missiles in the cotton ana proceeded.
Now lcoka there. he was nngs ring
the bullets-.there' two bullets from two
different sized pistols One is a thirty
two and one IS q forty-five. ! took 'em
from the body cf a good woman wha was,
/ suppose. murdered, and yet 1 connIved
at her slayer's escape from the harsh
measures of the law. Here's the story.
Twas away back in tho 70s. and my
cousin. Jess Bradford. had been home
about year with the prettiest ami the
most tormentin' woman in Galloway Joe
Bradford jeff brother had been married
q yea of more and had q baby that WAS
the pride and the consolation Of old man
Bradford and all OF US. We was rever
q marrying family till jeff and Joe start
question snd-law. how we did make
much over JOe's kid. Jefs wife vas
city gal, too yellow as to her hair and
too inSy as 10 her complexion Ior US
sober-going folks, but we made the most
Of her till she began a-settin' OF ner cap
At me and Joe. and as d fact, G. cry
goCd-lookin' male person in Galloway.
IF Jeff's wife had only been satisfied
to look purity and be good, she'd a had our
town all her own way, for she was Turty
and nobody knowed as to whether she
want good; but, no. After six months
neighboring she begins TO start some Of
them city ways o flirting that don't go
very coed UP in our section O the woods
As soon as Joe sees she's bit Zip he
begins TO make a ass o hisself and come
lack TO her. Well, that started quite 2
mess o scandal and, fust thing you know.
Mrs zee Is getting suspicious about her
sister in law. After that things went
from bad to wuss, and twas along in
late summer campaign, after the pres
idential nominations. that Joe allows he 5
goin to Kansas City TO hear Joe Davis
an some more spell-binders a-spe=chify-
ing What does MRS. JEFF do but put il
in the Gazette that she's going TO Kansas
City. toc--for t. buy her winter outfit
the paper says, but everybody that know
ed anything knowed that she was Oh 2sing
joe
And so. after spending some lone
some weeks to home with her baby. at
last Mrs. Joe goes down to the train 10
hail back her husband and has only the
satisfaction o seeing Mrs. JEFF all dressed
up in sealskins ard fine raiment, a-get-
tin off the kyars with the father O her
Kid. Wei, it run along like that for quite
q spell. Mrs. jeff was forever breaking
out some new millinery glory and Mrs
Joe WAS forever working round home like
a hired woman Them things is apt scarify
a female heart. and me being cousin to
both Joe and jeff, | didn't like it. knew
that Mrs. Joe didn't ike Mrs. jeff :; bit
and ! was dead sure it was becuZ Joe was
forever sreaking round, gallivanting with
Mrs. Jeff and neglectipg his own iambly:
..Fin'ly it got to he town scandal. and
if there's anything wuss than a town
scandal in a small town, ia like 10 know
Joe was always running down TO kansas
City and so was Mrs. JEFF. The trips
was always made SOS to give the scan
dal-mongers room for guessing, ard /
guess they did till poor Mrs. Joe was
ashamed to go marketing. / was coroner
when the poor little woman come IT, TO
my office one day and asst me TO speak
TO jeff Bradford's wife It's goin too
fur said Mrs. Joe, I'm ashamed 70 walk
out in the street. But the wust Of it is
Joe is neglecting OF me and the baby and
a-giving Of his earnings to Mrs. JeI.
i thought that was about the limit
but 7 didn't know how to break into such
family matters without getting row
on my own hands. so l didn't do nothing.
In June Mrs. Joe allowed that she'd take
a vacation and away she goes To Lake
rolfer with her baby. She left at IL the
evening and when she come back at -
q. IN l,af ut ~
ind installed therein but Mrs Jen.
20 course nobody knows just how the
row started nor how it worked out.
Hinkey. the jeweler. who lived next door
heard tho shooting. but didn't know il
il was one or two shots. u was called up
by telephone at Okaw aNd when l got TO
Joe's house and looked over everything
Mrs Jeff was on the second floor as cead
c $ a door nail. ] asst Mrs. Joe some Ques-
tiOns. OF course She admitted a quarrel,
said that she had scolded Mrs JeG and
admitted getting out her pistol. thirty
two, that lay in the drawer. So FAR rs
could figure il out Mrs. Joe pulled a gun.
too. and they went at il The town
woman, that's Joe'S wife, must a-been
q poor shot. because Joes wife only fred
twice and got Cuta the scrap untouched.
i testified, o course. We all agreed
that Mrs Joe was justified in defending
ner own ne ana she Alu swear tiiett +tlA =
wife pulled her gun first. IT lay beside
the body's right hand and one chamber
was empty when i picked it up. Wei. 1
wanted 10 be square. so help me. But
when I made the Iost-mortsm and found
them two bullets. I just couldn't rlake
out no report on EN- Joe's wife was ac-
quilted as everybody believed end hoped
she would. They wan so partic lar up
in Galway in them days and the prose
cution was powerful friendly with me.
IIowsomeever. III made UP my mind 10
keep still. about them two bullets ord
did Mrs Joe was acquitted. The mayor
gave her husband and size banquet and
there wasn't soul IT. the town as
wasn't joyful. not exceptiu' jeff. He
took sides with Joe and joe's wife. they
didn't want 10 murder scandal there.
So it was general jolliication when Mrs.
Joe come home for keeps.
''But the bullets? Yes. you can see for
Yourself. One is a thirty-two and che is
a forty-five. Its a plain rs day Joe's
wife used an bo-h- She done the killing
au right. an that amt no suspicion. bat
If YOU had a-been ne. whatd Won have
done" JOHN II. IiAFERtY.
Moses Gentleman.
The question. What was the general
character Of Moses drew from ore child
tn q Sunday school the reply: a gentle
man.
Not understanding. the Inspector asked
WHY