The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1875-04-29
Ninety Years without a Word.
Ar5or Hill, Ia.

TROY HUSBANDS BRUTALITY TOWARD HIS
wIFE-REUNIoN IN TIE PRESENCE OF
DEATH.
The Troy Press tells the following strange
story concerning the husband of lady who
died recently i'll West Troy:
The lady and gentleman referred to were
| niarriNl about twenty veal ago, and came to
West Troy shortly after and lived there togrtl,-
er until the death Of the wife, The latter WAS
a most industrious, highly respectable and re-
| ligious woman. For the first ten years Of hel
| M rlad life, during which period live children
were born, she did everything possible for a
woman to do III order to please her husband
but to no purpose. When she did her best, hei
! husband WAS sure to make out that she hal
| done er worst. He gIlimbed continually,
but at times he would break out and pour upon
his wife the most unmerted abuse, continuing
| it for several days together Then would i'll
| tervcnc silence broken only by his seeking al
opportunity to give his wife a beating when
nobody was in sight, and when she least ex-
pected it. After he had abused her, he would
bring in the neighbors and sayto them that his
wife had fallen aid hurt herself, poor creature
how sorry he was for her; and he would adj
dress her as My dear, :" and ask il she was
badly hurt, and he would run fer doctor
He was so plausible aud kind and aftectionate,
that nobody would believe his wife when she
told told that it was her husband who had
caused her the injuries The neighbors thought
her crazy, or at least hysterc2l, when she made
any statements Of this kind. For 4 long time
he managed to beat his wife, and to conceal it
in this way. Indeed, it had reached 4 point,
the wife taking those fits so Often that the az
rangements were all but completed to send the
spoor woman to an insane asylum. One day,
however, the broken-hearted wife was sitting
by the cradle, in which WAS her youngest child,
baby, rocking it, and e.-dlng to some sew
ing at the same time. Her husband was i'll one
Of lis silent moods at this time. While she
was sitting us described, the husband entered
and passed through the house into the yard
He returned within a few inmates, but i'll the
intermission neighboring lady had entered
and gone into an adjoining bedroom This Ia
dy observed him walking up quietly behind his
wife, and. without lttering Il word or giving
the least warning. doubled his fist, and struck
her tremendous blow OH the back OF he head.
leaving her spraw!ing Oh the floor inSensible.
This done, he at once ran out to bring the
neighborS, as usual, and affected the greatest
concern abont his wife. wondered how lni;Gh
she was hurt, and finally proposed to GO forthe
doctor. The lady wis. had secrcted herself i'll
the bedroom accused him OF the assault, and
when he Mas gone for the doctor she went for
the police and had him arrested His wife APP
pearcd in court and told the whole story Of her
husbands cruelty toward her. bit, woman
like, begged the Court to forgive him, HERE
quest, however, was denied. aud the cruel hus-
band had to lang,lish several months in Jail
On leaving the dock after receiving sentence,
he turned to his wife aud said that she had
wrnnged him by what she had testified t. i, but
to remember tina. he would never speak to her
again on earth. This scene occurred nine years
ago. The man served out bis sentence Il. d re-
turned to his fmily. From the day of his re-
| T. e. e.
took place recently. he never exchanged q
word with her directly. 1t was necessary,
living together as they were husband and
wife, the parents of the same children, TO
have all interchange Of sentiments regarding
the affairs OF the household occasionally. This
was done in the following manner: When
they were sitting in the same room the hus-
band would .ell one Of the Children to say so
aut; so to the mother. The mother would an
swcr directly. which, if required further an
swer would be done thram the chill as be-
fore. But it was only when he was in par
ticularly happy moods that he wond ever coln-
municatc IN this way. His most usual mode
Of communicating to his wife what he wan ed
to say was for him to retire into separate
room. and thence issue his mandates through
one Of the children, Two days before the
wife died, after she had been sick for some
weeks, her condition was made known to him
when lie was working in the garden, by the
doctor in attendance and the clergyman WHO
had been called in. He was told that his wife
was on the verge Of death, and tl,at he must
make his peace with her while she was yet
conscious. The idea Of death seemed to stag
SCI him. He was silent for a moment and
then burst into tears, repaired to the death-bed
of his wife He bant over her and begged her
forgiveness in bitter plants aid tears. The
dying woman c|asptd his hand, calling him by
name said she freely forgaye him all, and add
ed that she was now prepared tp die, being at
peace with the whole world. a few hours be-
fore death the wife saitl-and they were the
last words she was heard to nticr-"that the
last two days. with her husband never away
from her bedside but when he left it ia serve
her, lac been the happiest days Of her lie,
and that she only wished that they might be
tins hasyinnino. ~ Ire;iov IN ,s 10 hel. }s.slnIs