The Oxford intelligencer. (Oxford, Miss.) 1860-18??, 1861-05-22
OXFORD, MISS, WEDNESDAY, MAY %, 1861
THE Doctrine of Coercion Illustrated.

Louisville KY, is in a sore strait touching his
duty in the present crisis Evidcntly, he is no
believer in the doctrine Of secession, while it is
equally manifest that coercion is utterly abhor-
rent to his views. His position seems to- be
that of hostility to both doctrines, rather than
that Of neutrality between them with decided
leaning against the latter. BY way of illus
trating the impolicy of coercion, he tells his
readers the following suggestive anecdote:l
Our view upon the subject of war to pre-
serve the Union, which is now so popular in
the North, may be Illustrated by case which
has lately occurred within the range of our OBJ
/ servaton. About sixteen years ago, we mar
ried couple in a distant part of the State.
Both parties were members of the Presbyterian
church, the man being a New EnglsRder by
birth and education, aud the woman a Kentuck-
ian. He was shrewd, cold and calculating, pos
sessing an indomitable will and dogged perse-
yerance in carrying out whatever he undertook
She was warm-hearted and impulsive, quick of
temper and easily irritated, and as ready to for
give as she was to take ofense Their discern
ing friends feared, at the time of the marriage
that it would not prove happy one, but moth
ing was certainly known as to their disagree
ments for some years after the marriage. She
brought to her husband, at her marriage, a
dover consisting Of several thousand dollars
besides number of servants The manage
ment of these, il was whispered about amongst
their acquaintances, was constant bone of con-
teniion between the husband and wife, Matters
went on in this way for years, the contest be-
coming hotter as the parties grew older and be-
came more irritable. There were three sons
and two daughters born of their marriage, and
under his thrifty management they prospered
until they became quite wealthy. The wife and
her friends, on several OCCASIONS when, as they
thought he became intolerable in his bearing
toward her, proposed separation and division
of the children aud the estate He, however,
would not listen to such proposition. It was
her duty to obey and submit to his will, as the
head of the family, and he intended to sec TO it
that she did her duty. She repeated her threats
but he paid no regard to them, looking upon
them as mere ebullitions Of passion, that would
be forgotten as soon as the mOmentary irritation
had subsided. lie left home, to be absent sew
eral weeks, on a visit to his native place. He
took his sons with him, and left them at school
On his return, TO his surprise and deep morth
cation, he found that his wife had taken her re-
naming children and servants, and what money
she could find in the house, and removed TO her
brothers residence with all her personal effects,
leaving message for her husband that she had
left him for life and that all attempts at recon-
caton would be useless. lie rayed like
madman, vowed to take vengeance upon her
brother for allording her protection, and assert
cd that he would take her by force and compel
her to return to her position in his family. lie
sought an interview with her, but she refused to
see him. lie demanded, then that she should
send back the children, servants and money,
that she had taken away with her, but she re-
fused that also lie charged her with stealing
and called her all sorts of hard names but she
coolly replied that the children were as much
hers as his, and as for the servants and money
she nad Drought uIIem 10 nm MS ncr marriage
DOVER hidt ttey 9eere gicen him By her .fdther
tor hcr benefit, and that if he would consent to
a peaceable separation and equitable division of
the children and estate, she would account to
him for everything she had taken away with
her. He refused her proposition, and declared
that nothing would satisfy him but her return
TO his house with all the property she had taken
with her, and an unconditional surrender to be
governed by his authority, as the head of the
family. When her friends demanded that he
should give her guarantee that he would not
repeat the ollenscs of which she complained he
refused, declaring that he had committed nor. q
that the blame was all on her side, that e she
would come back and behave herself he would
/ treat her as he conceived husband ought to
treat a wife, but further premises he would not
make. At this point ne called to consult with
us as TO the course which he ought to pursue
! We prompt, told him that he ought to go back
ard ask ner pardon for everything he had done
that was wrong, and make her promise to alb
stain from it in future, and ask her to do tn,
same thing TO him. In other words, that they
should compromise their differences. He replied
that he would die first that she was his wife
and that the law of both God and man required
her 10 submit to his authority, and he intended
to see that she should do it We asked, "How
arc YOU going to do 2" "Well," said he, ii
cannot do it in any other way, | pW 90 GnC
take her and The serrdats By Jorce and bring
them back, and II she resists aciU thrash her,
Thrash your wife," said we, "the partner o
your bosom, the mother of your children, th'
sharer of your Joys and sorrows, her whom yot
solemnly swore at the altar to cherish and pro
tect through life?" ayes" said he, Il viii
thrash her if she resists my authority Goo
requires her 10 submit and size shall do it,
cannot make her do it in one way | will il
another. Whipping a wife is a terrible evil,
admit but there are worse evils than that ]
every wife is allowed 10 Pick up her duds anc
20 off and leave her husband whenever sh
chooses, and take along with her whatever sh
thinks belongs to her. there can be no sucl
thing as family government. | intend to ties
inc tlue>NlOD NnelilcT ut9tu VI lam
ily or not" "Well," said we, lit is reporte
that her brothers are armed to the teeth, and
you go there to thrash her they may thrash yo
back, and make your wife a widow and you
: children fatherless 1t will be strange if the
do not Besides all that, you can never max
, your wife love you by thrashing her. Even
She were to be forced back to live with you, b
such process as that it would be as you
slave, and not as your companion. All famil
{ government would be at an end, by your thrasf
; ing process, just as effectualy as it will be b
l letting her go Our advice to you is, to go bac
and win her over by kindness and affection, an
if you cannot do it in that way, then agree
separate and make an amicable division of yor
: property That will save bloodshed, and bot
parties will be better off in the end than if yo
: attempt force" II will never agree to sep
! rate" said he, "while the world stands. YO
0 married her to me for life. She has no right
: leave me and take away my property, withol
e E my, consent | viii spill the last drop of m
blood. but she shall come back. will teaC
z her brothers that they shall not aid and encou
age her in her rebellion if it costs me all that
E am worth and nv life besides" We admit,
u that she had acted hastily, but told him for
: was not the remedy for it. He refused to tai
= our advice, and the next report we had fro
: him was that in a rencontre, he had killed ol
y Of her brothers, and been wounded by anothe
y and that, instead Of regaining his wife, he h;
I received bullet, to be carried in his bosom
: his grave, and had stained his hands with &