PHILLIPS, Sadie Martin - Fountain County INGenWeb Project

Last evening about 8:30 o’clock Mrs. Sadie Phillips committed suicide at the home of her father, James Martin, of New Richmond. James Martin has been for years one of the best head sawyers in this county and is known to nearly every citizen in it. The story of his daughter’s life is a peculiarly sad one, and one which teaches more lessons than ordinary. Deprived of a mother’s care, at an early age, she grew up under her father’s care and was always considered an exemplary girl, modest and straight forward. About thirteen years ago the family moved from near Yountsville to Crawfordsville. Here they lived for some time and nothing suspicious was ever harbored against Sadie Martin, until she one fine day gave birth to a daughter. The affair caused a profound sensation here at the time as the lady’s character had been irreproachable. She from the first declared that she would never betray the author of her ruin although he had taken a most outrageous advantage of her innocence. She never did lisp the name of her child’s father either, although to this day points to a wealthy and eminent citizen of Montgomery County. She named the child Gracie and some time after her father removed to Waynetown. Here she united with the Baptist Church until transferred by letter to the Christian Church of which organization she was an acceptable member up to the time of her dramatic death. Energetic and hard working, she kept house for her father until about a year ago when she finally yielded to the importunities of Joseph Phillips and became his wife. Phillips was too easy going for his better half, however, and was kept hustling to such an extent that he finally tired and left her about six months ago at their home in New Richmond. Since that time he has been dickering around at this and that on the farm of James Tribby, while his wife kept house for her father, who is now sawyer in Maurice Lee’s New Richmond factory. Some time ago, Charley Higby, an old friend of Mrs. Phillips, arrived in New Richmond from Waynetown, and began to work as a carpenter. He was a great friend of Mrs. Phillips and her father and frequently called at their house. His first visit was a signal for the stringy wicked, leather tongued old scandal spreading females to raise their pure hands in holy horror and set their antiquated heads to wagging, as they had not done since the venerable Ben Swank called on a certain widow there to obtain her deposition in a hog case. The gossips continued their pleasant chats and several weeks ago Mrs. Phillips received an intimation of what they were saying. She was at first very indignant, but became quite despondent and soon left for a visit with her sister, Mrs. James Walters, of Covington, and friends in Danville, Ill. She returned yesterday, and to her father gave no intimation of her intended death. About 8 o’clock the three retired for the night, and before half an hour little Gracie came running into her grandfather’s room, crying, “Mamma’s dying! Mamma’s dying! She swallowed poison! Poison! Poison!” Mr. Martin sprang up and rushing to his daughter’s room found her in titanic convulsions, brought on by swallowing a large dose of strychnine. Dr. Black was summons at once, but at the expiration of the first convulsion, the poor creature died before the antidote could be given. She of course said nothing concerning her rash act after she was attacked by the poison, but little Gracie gives and account of the affair. She says her mother had threatened for two or three days to commit suicide and had procured the strychnine for that purpose of Harry Wilson, telling him she wanted it to poison rats. Yesterday when not in the presence of her father, she was particularly despondent and wept bitterly over the cruel talk of the New Richmond gossips. At eight o’clock when she retired to her room with Gracie, she prepared her poison in a cup and entreated Gracie to take a dose of it also and thus end her life which would always be under a cloud. Gracie, who is an exceptionally bright and pretty child, refused, whereupon her mother swallowed the dose and was in a few minutes in a terrible convulsion. She died a victim to criminal and unchristian lies spread by New Richmond females who have before this time broken up happy homes and brought useful lives to sad endings. There may be no such thing as a hell, but sometimes it seems there should be.