Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1915-07-16
The HaCkStaff
Case
A Story Showing How JUS
tiCe May Err.
BY LOUISE B. CUMMINGS

In the VILLAGE Of Atberton lived n
widow forty wears old who had a bea6
for businass She vould huv mn old
house chean for cosb nut n I'm com
pleta order and soil n M nro6t
Sometimes she would hive several
houses under process of repair Mt the
soma tima ,rho widow, ottandad 20
the finances and contracts but role.
gated rho suner,ntendenca NJ tba re-
palrs TO n young man NOT ouIte thirty
wears old. named Jack Hackstaff
One day II was onnounced that tho
widow Ind morrled her emnlovee Tho
women EXCHANGED chances. ma much ma
to saw: "What n fool she ia 70 flo IN
with man ten wears Younger than
herself. She'll rue the day she did IT,"
The men agreed that any Young fellow
of thirty who married n woman of
forty for her monev maid n high nr,co
for tying bimself nm with nm old vo.
man.
Uowavar rho Uackstotr counIa saon,.
cd 70 pet on very we'll ot leost tIu Mrs
Hackstaff got tired of renairinp houses
and found n better field of oneration
But even then there was no cause to
suspect that they were not getting On
was entertained by persons who noticed
that Huckstaff, having been deprived
OF active occupation, showed some dis
content.
"She had better have kept him busy"
said the women. "He owes his living
to a woman" said the men. Hell
either try to get the funds into his
own hands or If he has a proper pride,
Will dig out and shift for himself"
When Mrs. Hackstaff stopped turn
ing old houses into new ones 1t was
observed that she had not sunk into
idleness. Had she explained what new
method OF making money she had TAX
en- on It might have saved great deal
OF trouble
1t was noticed that the Hackstaffs
were absent from home great deal,
Out That they never went together.
When Mrs. Hackstaf was away her
husband was at home, and vice versa.
IL leaked out through banks with
winch Mrs. Hackstaifs accounts were
kept-arter her marriage she continued
TO DO business ana keep accounts In
her own name-that she was steadily
accommodating funds and was not only
using her capital, but all the credit
she could control.
During the autumn the Hackstaffs
were observed to be away n great deal
When winter came they remained at
home together and appeared to have
very little to do. In the spring one
sometimes both-started out very ear
ly and remained away till summer
came. Once when Mrs. HackstaT
bought her ticket a neighbor stood be
side her and noticed that she purchas-
ed a long string OF tickets on round
trip through the southern states. This
the observer reported, and 1t added
largely to the interest OF the people
OF Atherton In the IIackstaff affairs.
The Hackstaff place was on the out
skirts Of the village and surrounded by
woods. One day Mrs. Hackstaff, walk
Ing In these woods, encountered II
skunk and received the contents Of
its OdOr bag on her dress. Returning
to the house, she took Off the dress,
put on another and, giving the first
to her husband, asked him to take It
to the woods and bury II for the pur-
pose OF deOdOrizlng II. This he did.
A few days later the wife conceived
a business scheme OF Importance, and
both she and Hackstaff forgot all
about the buried dress. For several
days she was busy arranging her
financial affairs, making arrangements
Tor the honoring OF numerous drafts
she proposed to make on her bankers
Having arranged for prolonged alb
sence, she and her husband talked over
matters Of domestic nature. Sufficient
means were locked In a safe In their
house for his use until her return, and
to provide for any contingency she
signed checks In blank that he might
ill In TO any amount he chose These
minor affairs having been arranged,
Mr.. Hackstaff took up n New York
newspaper that he had bought that
day for the purpose Of learning the
sailing dates Of outgoing steamers
and learned that n steamer would sail
via the Mediterranean and the Suez
canal for China the next afternoon.
An oxafnInafion NJ a raflrood tirna IA