An Eccentric Maiden in the Shadow of a Mother's Sin

The Cortland News, Friday, January 21, 1887.

CORTLAND AND VICINITY.

   The amount of school moneys apportioned to Cortland county for 1887 is $24,109.90.

   Martin Edgcomb will sell his house and lot, No. 30 Grant St., at a bargain. Call at once.

   The electric light and telephone wires came in contact Monday evening about six o'clock, causing the burning out of the instrument in Rooks & Brown's bakery and the annuciator in the central office. The light was shut off for about an hour.

   Thomas Dutcher, a laborer, who resides on Maple avenue, was last week arrested while acting in a violent manner. Physicians declared him insane and he will be sent to the asylum.

   Assemblyman Tisdale has been placed on the committees on Banks, Public Education, Trade and Manufacturers, and Sub-committee of the Whole. This is better treatment than Cortland county is in the habit of receiving.—Marathon Independent. Right you are, brother Adams, but Cortland county sent a better man to Albany than is usual, which accounts for it all.

   Mary Corl was arrested last week upon complaint of Ruth Corl tor attempting and threatening to stave Ruth's brains out and kill her the first chance she had. Mary claims that when she went into the Corl family by marrying Lucius Corl when she was 14 years old, she then had a good reputation but that she had been ill treated so much since then, that she is not very particular what she does now. She is a plump, fair looking woman of 22 years. The Corl report says the trouble has grown out of her intimate relations with a married man of this vicinity, of which intimacy her husband accused her, and called upon his mother to verify the fact. Whereupon Mary become wrathy [sic] and made the above threats and said further that she thought by the way she had been treated that she had a right to be in the company of said married man if she chose to or any other man who liked her. Upon giving bonds for her good behavior until the next Court of Sessions of the county, she was discharged.

   Hugh O'Neil, whose trial for arson a year ago created considerable excitement, was in town last week.

ANOTHER FIRE.

   At 11:42 Tuesday forenoon an alarm of fire was sounded calling the members of the fire department and citizens out in a snow blizzard then raging. The cause was fire in the house near the corner of Hubbard street and Clinton avenue, owned by J. Hub Wallace and leased by Fremont Seager.

   Owing to the long distance to the engine house and the difficulty in drawing the apparatus it was evident that the house was doomed to destruction. However. the steamer was attached to the fire well at Pendleton street and one stream put on the burning building. The flames were finally quenched but not before the house, with the exception of a portion of the upright part, was destroyed, and that was in a condition of innocuous desuetude.

   The loss on the building was about $1,000; insured for $700. Mr. Seager's loss on household goods is about $600 with no insurance. Only a few of the goods in the front room were saved. The fire originated in some paper rags which Mrs. Seager had been drying on the stove and had put into the rag bag.

DIED WITH HER SHEEP.

An Eccentric Maiden in the Shadow of a Mother’s Sin.

   SYRACUSE, Jan. 18, 1887.—The small farm house occupied for twenty years by Miss Albertine Hevener, six miles from here, was burned this morning and Miss Hevener lost her life in the flames. She lived alone and had always been considered very eccentric.  A payment on her farm was due to-day and from a letter left by her it was learned that she lacked $14 of having enough money to meet it. She had starved her cows and sheep and suffered privation in trying to get the money. Several sheep were found dead in the barn and the wool had been eaten from the backs of some of them. The cattle could not stand.

   Miss Hevener left a letter disposing of her property and a request to be buried on her farm. She described how she proposed to set fire to her house and destroy herself. She says:

   "Do not bury me in the graveyard. I do not wish to be buried anywhere near my mother. I have no respect for her. For her sin I am here and there is another world. I hope I may never see her. I want to be buried with my cows and sheep that I have worked for and loved so much."

   She directed that her body be placed in the barn in a box till warm weather. She had tried to poison her stock and took four sheep into the house to perish with her.