The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1913-12-31
Woman Who Lived Years as Prisoner in Room
Adjoining Lawyers Office Tells Story Of Ter Life
Says She Is Glad People OF
The Town Know How
She Was Placed and De
ciares She Intends To
Leave for the West Soon

/ Monticello n. Y Dec. 3o.-Her only
JOY a photograph OF the late Melvin
III. Couch. Miss A6eliade NJ, Branch
is trying TO make plans for her future
! life without the lawyer 10 whom sic
was for years willing slave. She
will leave soon for the west blrt
fursher than that she has not divu2ged
her plans.
Il am glad the townspeople under
stand how ] was placed said Mss
Branch. who for three years lived in
q room adjoining Couch's office with
out the secret ever having become
known until his death. Knowing Mr.
Couch as they did they can appreciate
the influence he had over me better
than can strangers to him. Every
one in Monticello felt his Dominating
personality. / have no regrets or
apologies for yielding to Il, so Ions as
tfe public knows the man 20 whom
.'His will / think. controlled me
from the time first saw nltn' aifo =
was very willing to submit TO II
There was absolutely nothing he
wished that I would not have done
for him He was everything to me
and dominated me completely.
"Others knew of his magnetic ma
4rre but no one felt it as 1 did.
wished to he with MIN or near him all
the time and could never be content
elsewhere Whenever / went away,
for a visit or needed change, / became
instantly dfscontented because apart
from him and could not stay away
/ could see his face every minute OF
my absence and was restless until
again with him. Those who knew
him best can understand IHat sort OF
attachment"
Asked ia tell something OF her life
Miss Branch said:
What happened to me before came
to Rontice1I6 fifteen years ago con
Germs nobody When came here sell
ing boots ] met Mel. He was kind
to me. Ee did rsst act like a man who
ws71te.d 10 take advantage OF woman
ne s.as noble and loved him as much
as he loved me-
-. .asls1rrt lei zve.ld have -scaaA
PEELED him TO make Sacrifices, which
would have IefA son and daughter
without a father and his legal wife
without a husband.
s Love him. Yes. ] loved him vio-
lently and that great love for him
.conn0eiled me TO live as I have. The
people MAJ say things about the w1y
we have lived. hut should q. woman
loving e. man as Ifloved Mel leave
him because OF another woman was at
tached to him by law?
s'Since February, 1911, have spent
days and nights alone in that little
room. dared not go out because
feared It might scandalize Mel If I
should be seen coming out of that
building. Sometimes there was days
of agony when Mel was away in some
other county on law cases and was
left alone.
Every evening would bind the
wound on MePs foot as slave would" l
she continued, referring to the tuber
cular condition of the foot of which
for two months had so crippled Couch |
that he could only get about on
crutches. During the day would hear /
him talking with his clients in the Of |
flee, giving them advice and often |
money, when they were hard UP. He
seldom charged poor persons for his
services.
Now TIL tell you why I can no
longer talk above a whisper. In all /
these years that I have been with /
Mel, there has never been an hour /
of the night or day that we were /
not afraid I would be discovered In |
the room adjoining his office. We
trained ourselves to talk in whispers
always. In all this time never have
raised my voice. The consequences is
that have lost my voice entirely.
'1 did all this to save Mel and his
family from scandal and 1 would do
it again to save them. I always knew
could never be more to Mel than
I was, because he was married.