The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1839-05-29

ioder, told him to take her cut A the
cook seized the petltioner, her son sprans
forward aud said TO him, If you touch my
mother, will knock you down. Upon
that his father grasped him by the collar,
thrust him against the wall, aud with the
aid Of the cook, whom he called off from
the petitioner, put him out OF The door, aud
locked him out. Your petitioner, in the
mean time, sunk with terror beneath table
near her daughters feet. Her husband
and the cook then returned and found her
ihere-and her husband grasplng one arm
and the cook grasping the other, they
dragged her by force along brick floor
through the half and two rooms, nnd at the
last dropped her insensible upon the floor
Of her own apartment, calling for the wu-
men To take care of her. This occurred n
bout o o'clock in the evening, in the moath
of January, when the weather was extreme
~ cold. About midnight, he sent TO her n
message, that unless she censed weeping
and went to bed her son should not be ad-
mltted into the house. She obcyed imme-
diately, aud her son was then let ia from
the entry, or passage way opening into the
street, where all this while he had been
weeping at the door. lie is since dead
and the remembrance of him has ever been
associated in her mind with a recollection
of his sufferings through that horrid night.
After this her husband ordered her To keep
her own apartment, and locked her out from
the rooms occupied by himself, and the
governess and the family.
He excluded her from his table for some
weeks and placed the goyerness nt the head
of it in her stead.
But II may not be necessary tn go further
into detail. His cruellies have continued
to the present hour. They have been re-
peated during the past summer with Pc
culiar aggrnyation, when her children have
been witnesses of the humiliating scenes.
For some months past she has been COM
PEELED to wear tight bnndage around her
wrist from the effects of his violence in at
tempting to thrust her from the room in
the presence of her children. lie charges
her with insanity and tells her that she is
unfit to be their companion. He has given
the charge of the KEYS of the house to her
second daughter, and installed her in au-
I lhorty over her mother. He has aban-
doncd your petitioner as husband, having
kept a separate sleeping apartment for
many years. As far as he could, without
exciting public observation, lac has declined
all intercourse with her; refusing even to
speak to her, except in the presence of COM
pany, or to minister rebukes. Although
he is worth, rs she has reason to believe,
more than one hundred thousand dollars,
he refuses her all supplies, except those on
his table, at which she is permitted TO sit in
silent neglect and her father has for n
| long period furnished her with the means
of procuring the principal part of her dress.
! Even to the postage Of letter, the funds OF
her husband have been denied her. lie
told her about six months since, that there
would soon be nothing for her in his house /;
for that matters were ripening for n sepa-a-
ton; thus intimating that he should short
! ly tnrn her out of dosrs.
| Indeed, she is no longer the wife of her
husband, but is already divorced except by
( the forms of law. Ia addition to these do
mestic injuries, he has lately availed him
self his high standing as scholar aud II
clergyman, and II man of wealth, to circu-
late most wrongful and injurious reports for
the purpose of turning against her the cur
rent of public opinion.-These reports, from
her retired and private station, size is who'll
ly unable ts correct with the publicity wnh
which they are circulated.
He has lately called together the female
members of his church, and still more re-
Gently the male members, and in her ab-
sence, and without her knowledge, made
her the subject Of public odiuin, and to de-
prive her of all sources of pity and conso-
lation.
These unmanly and outrageous attacks
upon her person, her character and her
peace, have reduced her TO a state of wretch
edness which can be endured no longer.
Her only hope is from your Honorable
Body. She therefore prays this General
Assembly to take her case into considera-
ton, and upon finding the facts herein
.tatcd TO be true, TO grant her a bill of
divorce from her said husband and to ap-
proprlatc to her such part of his properly
as is necessary and proper, and usual in
such cases, and to grant her the society aud
guardianship of her two youngest children
and the petitioner, as in da,y bound, will
ever pray. SARAH NJ. JARVIS.
Middle,own, January 3lst, A. ID. 1889.