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favorites in the school, so long as the mother was able to
maintain them there. A young man, the nephew and clerk of a
wealthy but miserly merchant, became acquainted with the
daughters, and was specially attentive to the older one. The
uncle disapproved of the conduct of his nephew, and failing
to control it by honorable means, resorted to the
circulation of the vilest slanders against mother and
daughters. He was a man of wealth and influence. They were
almost unknown. The mother had but recently come to the
village, her object having been to secure to her daughters
the educational advantages which the academy afforded.
Poverty, as well as perhaps an excusable if not laudable
pride, compelled her to live in obscurity, and consequently
the assault upon their characters fell upon her and her
daughters with crushing force. Her employment mainly ceased,
her daughters were of necessity withdrawn from school, and
all were deprived of the means, from their own exertions, of
sustaining life. Had they been in fact the harlots which the
miserly scoundrel represented them to be, they would not
have been so utterly powerless to resist his assault. The
mother in her despair naturally sought legal redress. But
how was it to be obtained? By the law the wife's rights were
merged in those of the husband. She had in law no individual
existence, and consequently no action could be brought by
her to redress the grievous wrong; indeed, _according to the
law she had suffered no wrong_, but the husband had suffered
all, and was entitled to all the redress. Where he was the
lady did not know; she had not heard from him for many
years. Her counsel, however, ventured to bring an action in
her behalf, joining the husband's name with hers, as the law
required. When the cause came to trial the defendant made no
attempt to sustain the charges which he had made, well
knowing that they were as groundless as they were cruel; but
he introduced and proved a release of the cause of action,
signed by the husband, reciting a consideration of fifty
dollars paid to him. The defendant's counsel had some