The democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1868-1874, 1872-07-15
Governing u Wife.

"A IlttSDurg paper has Inc lOllOW'
ing One of the mayors patrol had his
attention drawn to u bare. headed, lightly
daped woman, who had heavy chain
padlOcked to her neck, and large metal
weight, weighing fully thirty pounds,
attached thereto, Thinking she was
an escaped lunatic he ut nee took
her into custody aud lodged h in the
lookup. She gave her name as Eliza
Martin, and stated while they were re-
lieving her OF her bonds that the chain
and weight had been placed on her by
her husband, and that his cruel treat
ment had been such that she left home
with the intention OF drowning herself.
She was met OH Market street by a
couple Of young men who dissuaded her
from the rash act, and she was, when
captured, wandering about the streets
in an almost exhausted condition.
Mayor Blackmore instituted an in
yestigatiOn, and then she informed that
her husbands name is Arthur Martin /;
that he had been in the habit o treat.
ing her in the way INT was seen the
night before. She also said that he had
Deliberately heated poker red hot, md
burned her with it, and that his object
in doing so was to prevent her from
drinking liquor The woman's appear.
ance was miserable in the extreme, Rnd
II her statements are correct, we have
here sample Of cruelty in our miust
hardly second to that practiced by the
most savage barbarians.
Martin waJ arrested. Areporter visit.
cd him in his cell at the loyk.up, to see
what manner OF man it was that conld
chain his wife and abuse her as he is
alleged to have done. We found him to
be rather large, respectable.looking
individual, of probably fifty years Of
age, and giving no outward signs Of be
ing such brute as was supposed. lie,
in short, looks like n sober, well.tO.do
dnyman-that is we understand his
business and one not likely, so far as
We could Judge, to be guilty OF the con.
duct presumed against him But, nev.
erthlGss, appearances in this instance
were deceptive,
His statement is briefly this: He is n
drayman, and with his earnings sup.
ports family including him ,elf, wife
and eight children. .For a long time
back Mrs. Martin has been so addicted
to drinking that she has not only been
perfectly useless in taking care OF her
children, but has made away with con.
siderable Of his money and brought re-
proach on his good name, In order to
stop this he concluded to take the law
into his own hands, and in order to do
30 effectively purchased chain and Sc
cured her to bed every morning be-
fore going to his abors, It did not ap.
pear to work well, however, for nearly
every time she managed to break away,
and would be absent when he returned
10 dinner-in short, would not he ut
home again until he would send the
children around the noighborhood for
her, when she was generally picked up
in some out oi-the-way place in M in
toxicated condition. lie had applied
this treatment for several days back
We don't know how long, and he will
not state the length OF time. He says
the injury on her mouth was occnsioned
BY a fall though in relation to his burn
ing her on the mouth with poker he is
reticent.
The chain with which he secured her
is heavy enough to hold n dozen women
II is Just long enough when doubled, as
he was in tho habit OF rigging 1t, and
being attached to her neck, and the
weight TO hold her in very uncomiorta-
bic STOPPING posture while sitting down
The outrage, in thus binding her, was
one that not even the serious cause
which he alleges can excuse, and it is
more than likely that Justice will make
such IN example Of him that similarly.
inclined individuals will adopt some
other method Of family discipline.