The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1871-05-11
Injured Husbands.

Ihe following item of news is maxim O
the grand tour of the newspapers with
out eliciting any special comment from
| the virtuous editors thereof:
SERVED Him RIGHT-At Gainesville. Hi
nOis, much excitement was created on the 23d
of February by the killing of John Crowdy
by James Eet. Ellet has been married but Il
few months to handsome and accomplished
young lady of Springfield. Crowdy had been
an old flame of hers and, a week before his
death, visited Gainesville on some CONNER
cial business which is believed to have been Il
mere preteXt for seeing his former sweetheart.
He visited the house on several occasions dur
ing Ellets absence, and when the latter learn
Ell the fact he promptly shot him dead on the
street. There is little doubt, even if there was
no criminal intimacy, that Crowdy's designs
were of the basest character and the injured
husband stands fully justified before the COM
munty. lie has not been arrested.
If we were looking out for healthy
place of residence, with 4 view to max
ing our days long in the land, we should
in view Of this notice, give Gainesville,
Illinois, an extremely wide berth. The
untimely tate of Crowdy is not calculated
to lure timid tourists to that charming
village. Mr.. Ellet is evidently q man
Of strong produdices and acts upon his
convictions of duty with most unpleasant
celebrity and without the tedious prclmi-
nary process of accunulatng facts. For
aught we know we may have had the
pleasure of lovely Mrs. Ellct's acquaint-
ancc in the days when she bore her maid
en- name, with which the newspapers
does not favor us. 1t is far from unlike
ly that the irascibile Ellet, might behold
against his domestic peace" and the edo
of N h.,
tanned at all hazards Truc-that lofty
ing, discover his little mistake and apol
ogize for it, but apologies addressed to
corpses are as impotent as ilattery to
''soothc the dull cold ear of DEATH"
The fact is that the ''iniured husband'
business is growing to be an intolcrable
nuisance and should be abatcd by q few
| examples Of stern and summary .ludg
ment against these chartered murdcrcrs
who neglect their wives and 90 about
cunning after the people who don't ne
| glect them. We don't believe IN the ''in-
iured husband" In ninety-nine cases
out of every hundred he is Il fraud. The
Hon Daniel T. Sickles was the first con-
spicuous person III these States who as
sumed that role and everybody knows
that he shot u better man than himself
for the practice Of precisely the kind OF
arts in which Daniels own virtuous soul
delighted to disport itself, The acquit-
tai of that wretch was a precedent of ter
rible consequence. 1t has been stretched
by the arts of pettifoggers and the tender
mercy OF sympathetic judges until it COW
ers almost every imaginable case in which
q married gentleman, smarting under
| fancied attempts against his domestic
peace" may choose to elect q victim from
among his wife's acquaintance and blow
his brains out The class of fellows who
avail themselves Of this benignant prece-
dent are not, us rule, persons OF strong
domestic tastes addicted to tiresidc enjoy
ments and fond Of nursing the baby. On
the contrary the wives for whose ''honor''
they get so savagcly solicitous when il
begins to tarnish and grow shabby. often
times only discover the unsoundcd depths
of love in the hearts OF their precious
husbands when these worthless 90 to mur-
dering their neighbors by way of setting
their own hearthstones on comfortable
foundations. A blackguard who kicks
the partner Of his bosom habitually, blacks
her eyes threshes the infants and breaks
the furniture, is the man Of all others tC
vindicate the ''honor" of his honsc with 4
slx-shootcr. And when he has killed hi,
man everybody sympathizes with the he
roic unfortunate. His trial is Il farce
his acquittal Il certainty. Ladies wcel
as they did in the Mcfarland ease, and
throng to kiss the big hog who pushes
his triumphant snout back into society
and grunts victorious.
There is no kind Of excuse, in thi, coun
try of all others, for permitting men to ac
as private eXecutioners Of those who have
incurred their vengeance. The ''honor
of the married ladies who have to be set
right before society with gmpowdcr, is
not worth fighting 1or-;nd the perfect
ease with which the "iniured husband
can get p divorce and turn his iaithless
consort adritt, opens to him peaceful
remedy for his wrongs that leaves him nc
preteXt tor substituting murder in its stead
We strongly advocate the hanging Of
the very next ''inured husbandn who
turns up. a salutary execution or tive
would work wonders in reconcling that
homicdal humbug to the loss of his edo
mestic peace lie only shoots now be-
cause it is quite safe to do 50 and makes
him famous When he has to choose be-
tween deed that leads, straight and sure,
to the gallows, and 4 suit for divorce, rs
balms for his wounded honor, our word
for it, he will prefer the tame and secure
litigation to the lively but perlous pisto
an( the bronchial difficulties of 4 public
execution. Eastern Argus.