Oregon Republican. [volume] (Dallas, Or.) 1870-1872, 1871-05-13
LAW HERSUS LOVE.
rom the MarshalItown aowa, Times. !

tfrom the Marshalitown tlowa1 Times.
His Honor, Judge Chase, was called
upon last Monday to enforce q decree
of Court. which, to his honor be it said,
he commanded obedience thereto, while
his heart pleaded for those who were
made subject to it. Stern, unrelenting
duty as Judge, and the silent, earnest
pleading of the heart in sympathy with
distressed mother, who was required
by law to give up the custody OF her
children, and be separated from them.
Hhe scene was the most affecting one
We ever witnessed in a Court room, and
there were but few dry eyes among the
spectators.
The man, the part that is human and
divine, would crop out in the Judge
while telling the poor heart-br1ken
woman with her three children clingiug
to her, and crying to remain with their
mother, that he could do nothing but
command her to obey the decree. until
the Judge himself, conscious of the
unnatural act, choked, whilc bis eyes
mois tened at the p:tiabIe picture before
him. We honor him for that evidence
of humanity, and kind humane heart,
while executing the stern mandates of
the law
The case was this: A Mrs. O'Hara,
ten years ago, obtained divorce from
her husband aud the custody Of her
| children. The Supreme Court affirmed
this decision hut this husband, this
human fiend, spared by He'll to torture
| those he had sworn to love aud protect.
has followed her up in the Courts until
he found some fool of judge 10 modify
or change the decree, so as to give the
monster control of the children; and
this poor woman, with her three chill
drcn, from eleven to fifteen years of
age, was dragged into Court by a writ
of attachment, to be compelled 10 sur
render her darIings, to her dearcr than
her own life. to human monster. The
case is without parallel in Iowa II
reminded US of the fugitive slave law,
| when the poor runawats were brought
into our northern Courts, their chains
clanking as they walked, to be remand>
ed back to the hell-holes of slavery.
This law that stifcd the affections and
outraged Deity, itself, was soon disre.
.arded, aud but few Courts could be
found that would outrage humanity and
defy God, by remanding Them back to
| torture.
But here came human fend, with
the smoke of the bottomless pit curling
around him, aud the fumes of the sui
ohurous realms on his garments, and
asked a humane Judge to give him bis
children, that he might torture them as
he had done both them and their
mother, when he owned them under the
| law.
! The bar of Marshall County, to their
honor be it said, rebelled against the
mandate, while admitting that there
was no other way than TO obey.
The oldest child, sobbing as if her
heart would break, asked his Honor not
to do so monstrors thing; her father
cared hothing for her, ard when she
was a mere child. he had abused aud
kicked her until her life was despaircd
Of She could not, and would not, leave
her mother, who had cared for her from
infancy mp, and now she was big
enough to help her dear ma, to be torn
from her; her brothers, younger than
she was, said they would not 60 with
their father they would stay with
their mother; and their sobs filled the
Court house with sympathisers; and
the low mutterings of an outraged au-
dience became audible, and the fendish
father soon saw, that with law or with
out law, those children could not be
taken from that mother in Marshall
town--then he agreed that she might
keep them, allowing him the privilege
Iof visiting them. This timely conces.
sion sased him from the vengeance oi
an outraged community.
| Let il be forever understood that
Marshalltown IL no place to come to to
enforce an odious degree Of some pusil-
luminous Judge, or tear the heart
] strings-human wretches are not want
, ed in this. community We have nc
threats to make, but we do not want tt
witness any more cases like this.