“Friends, I have wronged my wife!”

  • Della and Stella McCoy at the Dawson Telephone Exchange in 1908
    Della and Stella McCoy at the Dawson Telephone Exchange in 1908
  • Della McCoy with her daughters Ruth and Stella, circa 1904
    Della McCoy with her daughters Ruth and Stella, circa 1904
  • 1891:Wedding portrait of Della Purcell and Parker McCoy, taken at Mahan & Wallace in Pawnee City.
    1891:Wedding portrait of Della Purcell and Parker McCoy, taken at Mahan & Wallace in Pawnee City.
    The French have a saying, “Plus c’est change, plus c’est le meme chose.” It translates roughly to “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” I think that applies to this story from long ago. It is about Evelyn Adele McCoy, a plucky single mom who went by Della. Della was a Table Rock girl who gave up the name Purcell when she married the dashing Parker McCoy in...

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