Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1869-04-09
An Inhuman Monster,

The st. Johnsbury Cdledonian thus
tells how brute named Luman Owen,
residing at st. Johnsbury Center, has
been immortalizing his name
Wednesday of last week, as his wife
was going up to the village on some er-
rands, he requested her to buy him some
tobacco. She replied that she had but
fifteen cents, and that she wished with
that money to purchase some kerosene,
as they had nothing in the house for
lights in case the children should be tax
en- sick in the night. He repeated his
demand for tobacco; but she bought the
kerosene When she returned he quar-
relied with her, and struck her several
times with his hand. Either before or
after this, he cut large stick from the
bank of the river, and brought it into
the house. Late in the evening Mrs.
Owen took off her shoes to warm her feet
by the stove. Her husband told her she
need make preparations towards going
to bed, as he had not done with her yet
and fastening all the doors and windows
he remarked she /" would never 90 out
of that house until she was carried out p'
Mrs. Owen feared for her life, and watch
ed her opportunity, sprang in behind the
stove, and removing the fastening from
the door, escaped from the house and
fled in her stocking feet and bare-headed,
to the nearest neighbor's, some fifty or
sixty rods distant. The next day war
rent was issued for Owens arrest. After
considerable resistance, he was arrested
and taken before Justice Ephraim III.
Stone, when after full hearing, he was
put under 5000 bonds to appear at the
next term of the county court, in default
of which he was taken to jail.
The complaints on which he was bound
up were these +; Assault, with intent to
kill his wife; assault and battery on
Horace Brockway, one of the officers
posse comitatus impeding the arresting
officer, J. M. Miles.
The aboveare the main facts as brought
out at the examination. To these the
neighbors can add much damning testi-
mony to the general worthlessness and
criminal neglect of this man. He has
been married to his wife fifteen years.
They have two children, boy Of four
years and baby of about one year
Mrs. Ovens maiden name was Douse,
from Peacham. She has the name of
being an upright, Industrious, honest,
hard working woman. Although her
husband is strong, able bodied man,
Mrs. Owen has gone home to her moth
er's for three winters, to keep from starv-
ing, and says she would have done the
same this winter if her mother had been
living. There have been days together
the present winter in which there has
been nothing eatable in the house but
dry beans and the only provision in the
house when Owen was arrested, were a
few potatoes-no flour, meal, butter, sug,
ar, or any of the necessaries of life.
Some of the rough and stormy days oi
the present winter the little girl of foul
years has been up to the village dhey
live off in the meadow about q quarter
of mile below the village) after milk
for the family, and at her tender years
and with insufficient clothing, she ha.
toiled through the snow on an unbroker
|. road while her father, the natural pro
tector and provider of the family, ha
been sitting in the house smoking. Th
, fifteen cents that Mrs. Owen bought ker
osene with on the night in question, wa
, all that was left of little money Mrs
Owens brother left her to keep her ant
the children from starving. All tn
: criminal neglect and abuse of this maj
has been mainly kept from the publi
: during these years, and would not nov