The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1903-03-20
! A 4: VERY p, NJ Nd p . N M
He Fought q Coffin for His Wife
Bstv1o EsT IEEsT Death s5:ss 81. &.
BUT SHE MADE HIM OCCUPY IT.
,1Jsn JeF HacKett, Formerly Of South
Carolina, But for Many = = XXears ;;s.,
a Virginian. suffered for IS. &;
His Sins.
His sins.

Sometime ago, says a special diE-.
patch to The State from Roanoke,
Va, a farmers wife in Floyd county
Va, who had been i'll for many weeks
grew suddenly worse. rhe family
was small, consisting uf twoslittie.
children; and the farm house itself
occupied a lonesome, out-of- the-wayl
spot, in a rugged mountain country,
a good many miles distant from the
nearest country village. For weeks
the roads had been In an almost i'm
passable condition from the effect8 Of
the continued heavy fall Of snow and
rain, and the only visitor to the sick
woman was the country doctor as he
went his weary rounds The husband,
Jeff liackett, native OF one Of the
upper counties OF South Carolina, had
drifted to Virginia 35 years ago, and
ever since locating in Floyd county
had been man known throughout
the section for his meanncSS and Mig
gardly habits, and although by such
methods he had amassed comfort
able sum of money, few ever saw the
color or 1t, and the numerous visits of
the doctor to his sick wife were viewed
with increased alarm. rs Indications
or Il good-sized medical bill grew more
apparent. just as the serious turn in 4
the womans condition came about,
the miserly husband hit on the happy
idea, as it seemed to him, of killing
two birds with ono stone.s He had
come t. Roanoke the following day
10 attend to some business, i,IiGi 10 get
fresh supply OF them expensive
drugs" just before his departure
the faithful doctor arrived to pay a
visit to the sick wife, Hackett called
the physician to one side and ques-
toned him closely as to the prospects
OF his wifc's early death. He explained
that bad as the roads were, they were
liable to become much worse, and
that If he could bling back a coffin
next day, much Inconvenience and
probable delay in the funeral, etc.,
could be saved, should his wife expire.
Ihe medical man assured him it was
his opinion that his wife could not I
last twelve hours; and that she would
In all probability be dead when he re-S
turned from the city. The next day,
bright and early, the farmer. bade tie
sick woman good bye, and started on q
his long drive to Roanoke. On arriy-s
ing there he purchased the necessary
drugs, and then sought an undertak-
Ing establishment, where he boughta a
moderate priced coffin. Congratulate
Ing himself ON his foresight, he plod-
ded homeward and no sooner was he
In sight Of his home, when the chill
dren awaiting his return, espied the
significant looking casket. Running
into the house, the little ones notified
their. sick mother, who was apparent-
ly in very weak state, Of what their
father had brought back from the
city. The wife guessed the truth at
once and summoning her now miser-
able husband to her bedside, she raised
herself by main force and despite her
condition, sliowered upon him the
walls Of her pent-up wrath. A new
resolution flashed in her eyes. She
vowed her husband would be the worst
disappointed man in the country, and
should have the coffin for his own use.
So rapidly did She regain her strength
that inside Of ten days, she was boss
ing the house as Of old, and making
her parsimonious helpmeet's life
burden. So much did the experience
weigh on the latters mind that he
fell ill and five days afterwards was
| taken to the little country churchyard
in the identical receptacle purchased
| by himself for his better and stronger
half