Year: 1873

Young Girl Writes n Gushing Lctter 10


Respectable Merchant.


We condense the following thrilling ro-
nance $50 to call it) from the Greeneville
Sentinel upd Reporter:


A family of the name of Keyes living at
Johnson City have daughter called
"Pet,n who conceived, some five or six
months ago, violent passion $50 called)
for very respectable merchant of that
place named Thomas Ellison. She went
to his store often, displayed herself in his
presence profusely and began to write let
ters to him. To these he made no answer.
She would request a meeting and then she
would write for money. And on one luck
less occasion she selected piece of paper
upon which to indite him note, upon the
back of which her mother had previously
written a begging letter to Mrs. Myra
Gaines, the famous lady claimant of New
Orleans, with whom Mrs. Keyes was at
tempting to claim kinship.


THE LETTERS. .....
The sheet of paper now in our posses
sion had been cut into two pieces. On one
side of the sheet belonging to this case we
find the following from the elder lady
Keyes to Mrs. Gaines:


"he rot to me you had no money then. i



ar living in johnson city Ant if you pleas
Civ NEE monney enought to by Il lot two
hundred and fifty dollars. i think we can
bid hos on it ant rot befOr my relation
ship sited you to Ant salley which is now
dead lid will site you to Cosin John s.
Gaines and wifi her mother was uncle Ed
mon sister my father mother was his sister
lucy Childress my name is Lucy Ant Mier
want you if you pleas anser my letter no
l.
wod sertenne help me


your tro neice


Lucy [ Keyes


Direc your letter to johnson sitty, Wosh
ing Co Tesee."


Upon the back of this rare document,
over which a pen had been gyrated to erase
the written words, was penned tie follow
ing:


Johnson City.


| will write you Il long letter l am u
shame to call upon you for this amount of
money but as it is the last time l ever eX-
pect to ask you for money, do not think
that you will deny me shurcly My Dearest
friend have in the world or ever expect to
have l want to 60 my visit up where we
can enjoy our sells and without you lend it
can not get to go for it will take $3.50 to
get what l will have to get before L get to
go. If you will give it to me right Off they
will not now it, come to the spring when
you see me go and bring it with you, if
YOU will this time will make sacrifice TO
you ever privilege that you can request
and meet you at any point. l will write
you how to do when we go UP there if you
will give ($2 50) to day ono signature.)
This letter "Pet" sent to Mr.. Ellison
The fact became known to parties about
town and created DO small amount Of gos-
sips and sensational rumors. Mr.. Ellison
was approached by parties who told him
that the whole matter could be settled by
the payment of small sum of money.


This Mr.. E. very properly refused to do.
TlYereupon the father of "Pet" circulated
the information about, that this matter was
all "lie;" that Mr.. +. had stolen the letter
of his wife to Mrs. Gaines from the Post
office and forged the note Oh the back, at
tempting to palm it off on his daughter.
This was expected to fetch" Ellison, but
he was too old to be caught that way. His
store being in the Postof1ice building, the
story had an air Of probability, to say 10
more, and Mr.. Ellison and wife, were ar
rested upon the charge preferred of rob-
bing the mail. The case was tried, the
handwriting of the note fixed upon the
girl, and the whole matter thoroughly in
Vestigated. The result was the honorable
acguittal of Mr.. Ellison.