Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 38, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 December 1905 — More About Mrs. Marion’s Sad Case. [ARTICLE]

More About Mrs. Marion’s Sad Case.

How great were the sufferings of the poor old lady, Mrs. Sarah Marion, during the 20 hours of her wanderings which preceded her death last Saturday, will never be known. It can only be hoped, however, that her undoubted more or less deranged state of mind may have greatly dulled her sense of physical pain. Otherwise, one can scarcely conceive of how much she must have suffered. Had the weather been bitterly cold her death would have been much more merciful, for in that case it would have come quickly, and preceded by a painless stupor. That there was no such complete unconscious ness in this case is now known from the fact that she was heard moan ing, late Friday night, and in the same locality the next morning. The person hearing her was M. P. Warren, who delivers orders for Moody & Roth and takes care of Mr. Moody’s stable. While engaged in this latter work Friday evening, he heard a succession of long moaning sounds like a long drawn out “Oh” down towards the river from Mr. Moody’s barn. He at first thought it was someone in the river, and called and asked if help was wanted. No answer being given and the moaning being continued, he concluded that the moan, must come from some drunken person and he paid them no further attention.

And the next morning he still heard the same sounds, more faintly, but, as before, paid them no special attention, and not at that time attributing them to any human source. Had the sounds been investigated when first heard, the old lady’s life could doubtless, have been saved, and even perhaps, the next morning, but that is more doubtful.

There has been some tendency to criticise her children for the fact that she was living by herself, instead of with some of them. But this is entirely undeserved, as they would always gladly have given her a home, but, like many other old ladies, she preferred living by herself and in her own way. Her soa Britt and family, in town, would especially have been glad to have given her a home, and did keep her during her several weeks’ sickness in the fall. But as soon as she she insisted in going back to her rooms in Mrs. Hopkins’ house, where she was very comfortably situated. Her death, distressing as it is and doub ly so to the children, was due to one of those unforeseen combinations of circumstances which will occasionally occur, and for which no one can be held blameable.