Year: 1879

-S~~SSA-


The publication of the hanging reminis-
cences yesterday, led to the revival of stories
current in this city many long years ago.


There was quite romance connected with
the life of John Damon's widow. Ostra-
cised by society she became to some extent
the associate of the free negroes, as they
we're then called, living around the falls.
Among these people there was family
named Wilson, who had acquired consider
able wealth. One of them owned the large
farm and erected the building now known as
the Stoy place, two and q half miles down
the river road. At that time it was said to
be the finest house in the county. The
widow Damon married the king bee Wilson,
and lived with him for a number of years.
The manner in which they obtained license
to marry was peculiar. In those DAYS the
laws for the prevention of amalgamation
we're very strict, and they were rigidly en-
forced in most cases. Wilson and the
widow Damon went to Clark county to pro-
cure the license, and in order to come within
the statute, she opened a vein in her pro-
posed husbands arm, drank some of his
blood, and then swore she had negro blood
in her veins. Of course this was violation
of the spirit of the law, but as it fulfilled the
letter, it was suffered to pass unnoticed, in
the same manner that the fact of boys put
ting the figures 81 in their boots and then
swearing, for certain purposes, that they
were cover 21,'' was passed over by the
officers of the law.


Wilson and his wife afterward lived in
New Albany in the same house where the
remains of her former husband had been dis
sected. They had children, and in time one
of them, beautiful girl, was sent to college
at Oberlin, O., then, as now, the retreat of
the oppressed race who desired to educate
themselves. The white blood SO pre-
dominated III her that it was not
known she was of the then despised race to
any, save the principal of the institution. She
became not only a proficient scholar, but
developed those traits belonging to a few
women, which caused her to become go
ciety belle. Beautiful, accomplished and
possessed of considerable wealth for those
days, the stories of which are of course
magnifed, she soon had suitors in abundance.
Finally her heart and the promise of her
| hand we're given to a wealthy young gentle
man, leader of society in Ohio. He was
of course, ignorant of her past history, and
the stigma attaching both to the blood and
| the history of her parenets. Then it was,
like true woman, loving her ahianced hus-
! band, fearing to lose that idol of her affec-
tions, and yet dreading to marry him with
the dreadful secret hanging over her, that


she knew not what to do. In this dilemma


she wrote to her mother for advice, who


looked at the matter from practical stand


point, and thought it would be much better


for him to know the truth before mar
riage, even If it broke off the match, than
for him to be deceived into union which
he might abhor, with the almost certainty
that sooner or later he would learn the truth,
and so advised her daughter. Taking the
advice of her mother, the daughter told her
story to her lover. He could not brave pub
lie opinion, and so withdrew from the en-
gagement, offering, however, to make ample
pecuniary provision for her support through
| life. This she refused, and returned to her
| mother, where she shortly afterWald died.