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Show Page 40 Chapter 7 Murder in Brown's Park While still a teenager Ann had announced she had no intention of being "side-hobbled" to any man. Marriage, she decided, was not for her. Apparently she backed off from that decision. When she was twenty-two and once again living full time in Brown's Park, she became engaged to a man called Madison M. Rash, known as Matt. The wedding never took place. Matt Rash didn't live long enough. Ann had known Rash most of her life. He had arrived in the area of Brown's Park in the mid-1880s, when Ann was still a child. He soon attached himself to Elizabeth Bassett. Ann's mother was the type of woman who inspired loyalty from those who knew her. She was always ready with a meal, a bed, or a kind word, and for many lonely, homeless (and sometimes lawless) young men the Bassett Ranch became "home" and Elizabeth Bassett became the object of their loyalty. One of Elizabeth's devoted followers was Matt Rash. |