Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1870-06-07

Horrible Treatment of a Wife.


On Sunday morning, a man giving
his name as Patrick Breen, applied
at the Coroner's Office and requested
that official to come to his house, at
No. 461 Columbus street, and take
charge Of the body of an infant, of
which he (Bre6n) was the father
At the appointed time he vent to the
house, where the official found the
body of a still-born infant. The room
contained no furniture Of any descrip-
ton, with the exception of an excuse
for a bed, on which lay the unhappy
mother Of the dead child. Upon in
quiry, the girl, for she was scarcely
nineteen, and very small), told the
Coroner that she had been quite sick,
but was at present getting better
she had been working in cotton fac
tory, where she had overlifted and
hurt herself, which had caused the
miscarriage. The Coroner continued
to question her, and drew from her
the fact that she had had moth
ing to eat for several days, but she
said her mother was with her now,
and she would be well taken care of.
The girls voice here faltercd, and be-
ginning to weep, she fairly broke down,
and told the officer part of her IN
happy story. She admitted that the
man Breen, her husband, had treated
her cruelty and had frequently beaten
her; that he had sold the furniture
when out of work: and refused to
give her anything to eat. She said
she had left him once and returned to
her mothers, in the northern part of
the city, but at The entreaties and
promises of her husband, whom she
still loved, she had come back to him
only to be more cruelty ill.used than
before.
The Coroner at once arrested the
man, who had listened to his wife's
story quietly and without interrupt
ing her, but as the girl, at the arrest,
became 50 much excited and utterly
refused to testify against her husband,
he was released. The Coroner then
proposed to send her to the City Hos
pital where she would have proper
attendance and nourishment, but she
refused to 90, and said her mother
would take care Of her. Being unable
to do anything more, the gentleman
left, and heard nothing further of the
case until called upon on Wednesday
night to hold an inquest upon the girl,
who had in the meantime died.
The facts, as ascertained at the in
quest, are briefly these: The poor
girl was the daughter Of respectable.
comfortably situated people, who are
now living in the northern part OF the
city. Previous to her marriage her
name was Lizzie Flaherty. Her pa
rents were opposed to her marriage
with Breen, but she paid no attention
to their wishes, and married him up
on the 9th Of August last. Her new
home was at first comfortably furnish
ed, but her husband refused to work,
and after spending the little money he
possessed, he commenced selling the
furniture, and one by one the articles
were disposed of. He actually sold
every article of furniture in the house,
and finished with the bed
He then took his wife's clothes and
pawncd them, leaving her only one
old dress and scarcely any under
clothing, and afterward sold her last
pair of shoes, leaving her barefooted.
The wretch had frequently and cruelty
beaten the woman, who was small
and delicate, as well as at this time
in a delicate situation. He forced her
to work in the cotton mill, and took
the money she earned from her, and
gave her nothing to eat.
The evidence showed that she had
frequently risen before her husband
in the morning, and walked three
miles to her parents house and back,
in order to get bread enough to keep
her from starving during the day
Upon the night of her confinement
she complained to her husband of be-
ing sick, and requested him to send
for a midwife, which he refused to do.
During the night the pains of labor
came upon her, and she awoke her
husband and begged him for Gods
sake to get up and make fire, hut
he refused to do so, and with the most
horrible curses and language threw
her off the miserable pallet, and told
her to make the fire herself.
The miserable sufferer dragged her
self to the fireplace and succeeded in
lighting a feeble fire, by which she
lay upon the hard floor till nearly
morning, where the hound finally left
her and went for a midwife, who found
her still lying there upon her arrival.
and placed her upon the bed.
Many other instances of most IN
heard of barbarity were testified to
during the inquest, and over the ema-
eiated body of the once lovely girl
the jurors wept like children.
The man Breen, as before stated,
had left the city in time to avoid the
vengeance of the Infatuated citizens,
and is now supposed to be at his
mothers house in Quincy, III.
The jury returned a verdict to the
effect that the woman, Lizzie Breen,
came to her death from diseases arts.
ing from cruel and barbarous treat.
meut received at the hands of her hus.
band.-St. Louis Democrat.
III L &c / l