The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-07-17
4PtCOuS Tragedy
: Of Unhappy Life
Sad Tale of Young Woman Who Was Wife at
TenderfAge of Thirteen Years
By MARY AsHE MILLER

wretched existence 1--WE lived we'll
there, and why, was a Lady Macca-
bee there she said with an innocent
pride. Any one can tell you how
hard 1 worked. I tell you l just put
my shoulder to the wheel-and he
played poker most of the time.
He was so mean to me. he threat
ened to kill me, and he held it over
my head all the time that if 1 tried to
leave he'd have 1t on me for that first
marriage. told q lady next door, and
she said to me- Dearie, Selka's so
mean to you, you ought to get a d.
vorce from that other man so they
can't do anything to you. You get
your divorce right away"
So, worn out with Selka's cruelty,
she came to San Francisco last August
with a determination to remain here.
She earned her living at that time by
getting jewelry at wholesale rates and
selling it to the sailors at Goat island
and other places. During this time
she met Arthur Robins, a tailor on
board the Pensacola at Goat island, and
they became friends. This, she eX-
planned, was only because she had firm
ly intended to leave Selka. LAS long
q I lived with him / never met gen.
tlemen or let any one pay me any at
tention at all. l was always true TO
him"
She and Robins corresponded all the
time, however, when she went north
to her parents in Portland in November,
and she says she intends to marry him
al soon as she gets out of this diff
Guilty.
Four months ago she got her divorce
from Durand, whose whereabouts she
does not know. but thinks he is in
Mexico. After that Selka compelled
her TO return to him in Astoria. where
he has established his business, but her
lawyer explained to her that Selka had
no claim on her unless she chose to
marry him, and this she says she will
never do.
Last week she tired of Selkas pleas
that she remain with him until he
got a girl to take care of the children,
so she and her brother, 10 years old.
came here, bringing her little son and
daughter, and 3. respectively, with
her
The dispatch from Selka reached
here two hours after her arrival and
she was arrested Thursday evening.
Her brother has gone to work and
she had secured a position in a large
department store and was to have be-
gun her work yesterday.
HER LATEST FLAME
Robins she speaks of with the deep
est affection. He is such fine man.
and. oh. SO good to me. He will marry
me and take care of my children just
S soon as I can get out of here.
don't see why l should go back to
Selka. l hate him and he is cruel
says he will have me taken before the
commissioners of lunacy and told my
mother he had sworn to have revenge
on me and didn't know why he hadn't
killed me- And Arthur-he is so diff
ferent. Why, / thought maybe l might
have just a little happiness yet in the
world. I'm not very old and Durand
and Selka treated me so bad. I've
never done anything wrong in my life
and | thought perhaps this was a
chance for my work to go for some
body who would be good TO me-"
Her children are now under Selka's
care and with his friends.
Strangest of all is her utter inability
to comprehend that there has been any
thing disgraceful or wrong in her life
with Selka. She regrets it, bitterly
but she is like child who has in
advertently done bit of serious mis-
know-she thought it was all right
There is no realization of her position
in the eyes of the world, apparently,
and when the pitiful tale of her life
was told 1t seemed a merciful thing
that she was apparently so chifdlike
In her viewpoint.