SHE WENT ASTRAY

The Cortland Democrat, Friday, August 22, 1890.

SHE WENT ASTRAY.

Trouble Has Come Between Mr. and Mrs. M. F. Wooster, Formerly of Tully.

   Some twenty years ago. Miss Flora Crofoot, the sprightly daughter of a Tully blacksmith was united in wedlock to M.  F. Wooster, who was then a clerk in the village drug store. The couple continued to live in and about Tully in apparent happiness until eight years ago, when they concluded to go West to grow up with the country. They settled in Iowa for a short time, and subsequently removed to Council Grove, Kansas, where special inducements were offered to the husband, who had become a competent druggist, and who had managed to accumulate some means by industry and economy. The Kansas City Sun of Aug. 3 gives the following particulars of recent troubles that have come to Mr. and Mrs. Wooster:

   "The M. E. church of Council Grove has among its members the representative wealth, beauty and respectability of this city. Up to within a month ago, everything was moving along smoothly and quietly, but now the members are whispering about a scandal with bated breath, and sounding the old refrain, 'they loved not wisely but too well.'

   C. L. Long is a well-to-do capitalist of this city. He is an owner and breeder of fine horses, and speculator in real estate. He owns a fine residence on 'Murray Hill.' Besides luring a staunch member of the church he has sinful characteristics and is one of those persons who are constantly wondering why God don't kill the devil. Long never put a brake upon his earthly and fleshy proclivities, but relied upon the working of a divine providence to keep him intact, but in this it didn't work. Long is a married man and has two children, and up to the present incident was highly respected and much sought after.

   "There lives in this city a prominent and affluent druggist, named M. F. Wooster. He is not a very large man in stature but makes up in quality what he lacks in quantity. Among his other possessions is a most beautiful wife. Wooster, his wife, Long and his wife, are active members of the Methodist church of Council Grove. Mrs. Wooster, though over thirty years of age, is a handsome woman, full of chic and sprightliness, and well calculated to shake the religious bulwarks of Long from turret to foundation stone.

   "Mrs. Wooster sang in the choir and was adept at making church lemonade for their entertainments. Although Druggist Wooster, her husband, was an ardent member of the church, he was too preoccupied with the pestle and mortar to attend to all the entertainments and 'times' given by the church. Long, the capitalist, and Mrs. Wooster, the druggist's wife, being thrown together so often soon began to be attracted by that mysterious brotherly and sisterly bond that sometimes appears among active church workers.

   "A few weeks ago Long announced that he was going to leave the city on business for several weeks. He stated that he was going to Denver. Soon after this announcement of Long, Mrs. Wooster stated that she was going east on a visit. Long started out on his Western trip with a detective as an unseen but attentive traveling companion. He did not ride very far West. He made connection with a through bound train on another road and the next day after he started for Denver he was in Kansas City. Soon after Mrs. Wooster appeared and the pair took rooms at an hotel in Wyandotte, where they remained over night. Wooster was informed of the situation and wrote his wife that all was over between them. She answered denying all the charges and professing undying affection for her husband. Wooster was inclined to believe her, but was induced to go to Kansas City to investigate which he did and became thoroughly convinced of her guilt. He will at once set about obtaining a divorce."

EXCITEMENT IN BINGHAMTON.

The Cigarmakers Strike There Leads to Many Complications.

   BINGHAMTON, Aug. 16—George McGuire, one of the leaders of the striking cigarmakers, was arrested last evening on a Supreme court writ, issued by Justice Forbes of Canastota, on complaint of Barlow, Rogers & Simpson, cigar manufacturers. They charge McGuire and others with conspiracy to injure their business.

   C. F. McCormack, James E. Hireen and O. J. Coughlin of the Leader were arraigned yesterday to answer to a charge of criminal libel, preferred by Recorder Downs. This is in connection with the strike. It is reported that warrants are out for all the leaders in the strike and for the members of the Leader's editorial and reportorial staff in the conspiracy case.

   The trial of the five striking cigarmakers, who were recently arrested for doing picket duty, has been concluded. Each was sentenced to 100 days in the Albany county penitentiary.

NEIGHBORING COUNTIES.

   CHENANGO.—The Oxford Times office is being enlarged.

   Bainbridge claims to have a good brass band.

   After 31 consecutive years, Oxford has no fair this year.

   Alexander Ross of Sherburne has received twelve carloads of new machinery for his cotton mill.

   New Berlin is having trouble with her water works reservoir, the water being low, and the supply short.

   During the heavy thunder storm of Saturday, lightning did considerable damage. Mr. Martin Barnes, whose farm lies about two miles and a half north of McDonough village, had one of his barns struck by lightning and set on fire; this barn in burning set fire to two more, which were also consumed, with his entire crop of hay, which he had only a short time before harvested. Through the prompt efforts of neighbors some smaller buildings between the barns and the dwelling house were torn down, thus saving the house from the flames. The loss will be a heavy one, as there is no insurance.

   MADISON.—Lightning killed two registered cows for S. L. Hoxie of Leonardsville.

   Mrs. Annie Bacon of DeRuyter has a fuschia, one year old, that has 480 buds and blossoms.

   Matt Moochler of Cazenovia, sold one hundred and twenty-two mowers and reapers this season.

   Mrs. M. Van Valen of DeRuyter, trapped a rat in her cellar the other morning, which was so large that harness-maker Spear took its measure. The rodent was just eighteen inches from tip of nose to tip of tail.

   An unusual event happened in P. H. Burdick's hay field near DeRuyter, some two weeks since. A whirlwind suddenly swept across a portion of it where the hay had been bunched up, lifting five or six bunches high in the air and spreading it over a neighboring pasture. One bunch remained intact and was watched until it reached a great height and disappeared in the distance.

   There is strong talk of forming a stock company with the view of sinking the Chittenango gas well several hundred feet further into the earth. It is now down 3,026 1/2 feet, said to be the deepest well in the State with the exception of one at Ithaca. The escaping gas from the well is still burning, and sends up a flame ten feet high, which is a pretty sure indication that gas can be had further down in paying quantities.

   TOMPKINS.— Ithaca has ten election districts.

   Machinery for Ithaca's salt block is being manufactured.

   The Tompkins County Patrons of Husbandry will picnic at Glenwood the last Saturday in August.

   A young man has entered Cornell University for the sole purpose of fitting himself to become a Congressmen.

   There is promise of a large attendance from Groton at the Lansing Town picnic, at Ladoga Park, Saturday, Aug 23.

   The Groton Brass band has been engaged by fire company No. 7, of Ithaca, for the annual parade in that city Sept. 3.

   The Groton Brass band will hold a grand concert and ball, Friday evening. Aug. 29, '90. The concert will be in Nye's hall and the dancing in the [roller skate] rink. Supper will be served in the hall.

   The fifty-first annual fair of the Tompkins County Agricultural and Horticultural Society will be held in Ithaca on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, September 9, 10, 11 and 12.

   Mr. Platt Knickerbocker and wife, of Freeville, were driving by J. B. Wilson's near Dryden village, Saturday, on their way to Virgil, when their horse became frightened at a hog and completely overturned the wagon, both occupants being thrown out, but neither one seriously injured. The carriage was damaged somewhat, but the horse did not get away.

TOWN REPORTS.

LITTLE YORK.

   There is a tent on the Markham point occupied by some young ladies from Syracuse.

   The Ice Company have emptied two compartments of their house, but as the third was the fullest they will more than supply Cortland.

   Since our merchant advertised that "old trust was dead"' we notice that many of his customers followed the corpse to the grave and have not yet returned.

   Robert and Rollin Wright, as battery, won an easy victory for East Homer over McGrawville, last Thursday, on the grounds of the first named place.

   H. W. Blashfield is in New York this week as representative of the Homer

Lodge I. O. of O. F. By years of serviceable work he is well worthy of this distinction.

   Mrs. Gay's party at the Lake House hall last Friday evening was a very pleasant affair. The evening was cool and 54 numbers were sold. "Brad" was happy in his selection of music and everything passed pleasantly.

   The family living in the [D. L. & W. R. R.] depot were attacked by some malady which one physician pronounced diphtheria and another mumps. The superintendent ordered them to vacate and had the building fumigated. It turned out to be measles in a mild form.

   A. B. Raymond took a load of fourteen of his boarders "over the hill to the county house" last Saturday. Mr. Gruber sang a song for the insane department which greatly pleased the hearers. They all speak highly of the order in which they found all departments. Superintendent Cutler seems to have got the right men in the right place in the choice of his assistants.

SCOTT.

   In the columns of the Cortland Standard we find a piece headed, "Betsey Greens Lunacy Proceedings." The brilliant Attorney of our town has emitted therein a dose of succotash gush that really seems frightful, if not inspiring. He speaks of several things the people knew before, and some things they did not know before, and don't believe now. We will not ask for space only to answer a portion of the gush. First he speaks of the sale of the house and lot of Betsey Green under mortgage and deeded to Mary E. Huffman for $600, but that certain men of this town said it was worth $800 to $1000 dollars. That Mrs. Huffman "hearing these reports and being a strictly conscientious woman, disliked to keep the place bought for so much less than it was worth (provided these men spoke understandingly) from a helpless, insane woman, and asked to be allowed to deed back the place to Mrs. Green upon the return of the hard-earned money the place had cost her—nearly a month had elapsed since she paid for the place and there seeming to be no way in which she could get possession." What a mixture!

   Too conscientious to take the place, and wanting to deed it back to Mrs. Green because she could not get possession, but Mrs. Huffman has taken possession, and without any hindrance whatever and might have done so any day after she received her deed. He further says—"There being a chance to save from two to four hundred dollars on the place and a quantity of personal property which the jury decided worth two hundred dollars and (report says house and lot in Allegany Co.) belonging to Mrs. Green, and no one to care for the same it was thought advisable to apply for a commission that there might be a committee appointed to care for the person and estate of Mrs. Green.''

   Well, now, how is $200 to $400 to be saved on the place after it has been sold at sheriff's sale for the amount of the mortgage or a little less and a deed given? And what jury has seen or has had any knowledge of the amount of the household property? She certainly has less than the law will allow her against an execution as we think they will find when they come to sell them to pay the cost made by the sharks.

   We will not ask for space to tell how the "Attorney" managed to get the affidavits. We will only suggest that people continue to ask them about it and wait and hear the swearing over it. In regard to the alleged "fight made against a committee" we will only say that it is next to impossible to find a man in town who was not ashamed to have anything to do with or helping to carry out the outrageous proceedings.

   He further says "upon investigation it is rumored that much of Mrs. Green's personal property had been ruthlessly spirited away, and that all her property had been treated strangely." The latter part we think is true. He says also that we think the hand of Justice should not stare but move in the other direction. Who ever before this heard of a hand that had eyes that it could stare. Surely this is an age of wonder.