Virginia free press & farmers' repository. [volume] (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1827-1832, 1831-11-03

| The following petition Cor . divorce VA. sl.,i
in the cshee 81 tia clerk ii the Suprcu- Co,nt 81
this kos-l Couosy, At the June term, % 1921 h,
a gui,hei lawyer OF this town. Il is prop,r
that We should iserc state, that to this pstitcs
regular den'ivrrr hi.d:--lsut upon sol. nm,
Argument II was ovcir,lcd b, the court and the.
petition, Though eAeeed'ng,y "iUqfc IN its style
sn'l Ihiaseo!og, nevertheless. full, sis,aiur,
and the parties legally Divorced by the cou,t-
We publish ~ - Lsgdi literary oioJon,fu, IN TN,
belief that IL " in prove amusing 10 the public
gcncr'ily, rs IL has been interesting to u<
SeiotG GG-cts.
Ross snprerre C,'rt-Ju,,r Terra, 1921.
/ ELEANOR Mrnrnr,1
EDwAnD Sivnrur,
To the honorable The Judges of The Su
| preine Court Of The State Of Ohio, in
and for Ross County:
The petition NJ Eleanor Murphy of
said county, respectfully show eth unto
your honors. That little upwards Of
three years since, your petitioner in.
termarricd with one Edward Murphy,
! she then being q widow, " it'll family
Of several children, and possessed of
considerable property the said Ed.
ward being a native Of ireland. and
somewhat OF 4 stranger 10 your pcti.
toner.
Your petitioner holds these truths to
be self-evident:-'rhat all women arc en-
dowed with certain unalien able rights;
that among these are life, liberty, and
the pursuit Of happiness that to Sc.
cure these rights, marriages are insti.
tuted among them, deriving their Just
powers from the contract Of the mar
ried that whenever any marriage be.
comes destructive Of these ends, il is
the right OF your honors to alter, or To
abolish 1t. and to institute new mode
OF support for an asgricvcd woman
laying its foundation on such princi.
Piles, and organizing its powers in such
, form. as TO your hODors shall seem mos,
likely to effect her safety. peace, and
and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will
dictate, that marriages, long cstab-
lished, should not be changed for
light and transient causes and, &C.
cordingly, all experience hath shewn.
that women are more disposed to SUI
Ter, while evils arc siderable, than to
right themselves, by aboIishing the
forms TO which they are accustomed:-
But when long train of abuses
pursuing invariably the same object,
evinces design to destroy all the
peace aud happiness of a wife, and to
reduce her to state Of poverty and
wretchcdness-it is her right, il is her
duty, TO throw of such a husband,
and TO provide new guards for future
security, Of herself and children
Such, (may it please your honors, has
been the patient sufierance Of your
petitioner; and such is now the neces-
sity which constrains her TO alter her
former mode Of life, and TO apply to
your honors for divorce from the said
Edward Murphy. The history Of the
reign OF the said Edward, in the family
Of your petitioner, is a history Of re
peated injuries. abuses, quarreis, aud
lights; all having in direct object the
destruction Of y our petitioner, and the
establishment Of an absolute tyranny
over herself aud children. To prove
this, let facts be submitted to your
honors:
lie has at sundry times since their
intermarriage, stricken, beaten, wound
ed & abused your petitioner treating
her with extreme cruelty.
tie has refused his assent 10 measures
the most wholesome and necessary for
the good OF your petitioner and family.
lie has forbidden your petitioners
children to do acts and perform servi.
ces oil immediate aud pressing i'm
portance to your petitioner and family.
unless his assent should be obtained,
and when so obtained, has abused the
children for attending 10 them.
! lie has refused to do acts for the
accommodation OF your petitioner and
family unless your petitioner would re-.
llnGuish TO him the right, and almost
the affection for her chiIdren--a right
IuestImable to her, and formidable TO
savage only.
lie has called your petitioners chill.
dren 10 places uncomfortable, unusual
and distant from their home. for the
sole purpose Of abusing and fatiguing
them into q compliance with his inca,
surcs:
For cutting of the friendly inter.
course OF your petitioner with all her
connexions and relatives
For taking away and wasting her
property, abolishing the most valuable
institutions Of the family, and altering,
fundamentally, the forms Of its govern
ment:
lie has declared your petitioner out
OF his prutee ton, and is waging a per
petual war against her:
lie has plunhered her house, ravaged
her farm. b1rnt her property, and de
stroyed the peace Of herself and chill
dren
Tie is at this time Transporting on
all the property Of your petlfioner and
ohildreD,and disposiDg Of. and destroy.