Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1876-12-02

His life by her side was made a hell
and worse than a living death. New
causes for jealousy continuallyarose;
but we will refrain from giving de-
tails, and hasten1to the browning
scene Of misery and despair which
naturally followed the events we
have narrated. Ecarly in the spring,
when all nature was bursting into
life, Anna Whit conceived the idea
of visiting some of her relatives in a
distant town, and knowing the power
she held over her nominal husband,
she demanded that he procure for her
a certain amount of money, which
she knew to be out of his power, or
she would run off with a young man
who was at that time much about
the house, and of whom Louis was
already extremely jealous, and no
doubt with some cause. Most men
would have told to her go and never
show her face again. But she knew
her influence too we'll, and when told
that he could not supply that mnch
money she Indignantly replied, "can't
You write? You can initiate the
hand of your employer, and his
credit is good. Get mt this money,
or l will leave you forever." Imagine
the horror that crept over his soul
when this cool, hellish proposition
was made to him. lie prayed, he
wept, he begged her not to make
such a demand. Up to this time he
had lived honestly, but the wild ex-
travagance of his reckless wife had
wasted his substance, and now her
demand was for him to commit a
crime. The thought filed his soul
with horror and he resolved to COM
nit a crime, but not the one his un-
natural vile suggested, but one more
dreadful-to kill her paramount
should he come to the house that
night. He did come, and had it not
been for the damp powder in his re-
volver Louis Whit would have been
a murderer instead of q forger. On
second thought his heart, unaccus-
toned to crime, failed him, and he
resolved to commit the forgery de-
manded by his wife, and with her
fly the country. Next day tho money
was procured, and, a felon, he fled
the State, and after a years. absence
the matter was hushed up and moth
ing further heard of them until, al
lured to her old haunts of wickedness
Mrs. Whit, still a pretty woman,
came back to visit her fathers fami-
lily, rs she claimed, but many knew
the cause of her return. She had
not committed the forgery, SO the
law could not reach her, yet Was she
not The real criminal Such was
the opinion of all who knew any,
thing of the unlimited influence she
welded over her husband. But "a
short time after her return, Louis,
infatuated as ever, returned also,
regardless of the danger he was run
ming into. As he afterwards le-
marked to US, he would rather in
habit u felon's cell than be separated
from her. In fact, nothing but a
cell could separate them long at a
time.
My readers may think this an
overdrawn picture which only exist
ed in the writer's imagination, but
such is not the case, and the records
of a certain circuit court will SUBJ
stantiate much Of what / am going
to write. In but two weeks after
Louis Whitt's return one of the in
dictments found by the grand jury
contained in substance this state
ment: "Guilty of forgery, S. l..
Whitt-a felony" Ere the rise of
another sun he was arrested, and
when court commenced was brought
in, but on motion Of his attorney
was committed to Jail until proper
steps could be taken in his defence.
Dwell upon the picture we have
given, and imagine if you can the
feelings that filed the thoughts and
soul of this really innocent man as
heheard the iron door clang behind
him for the first time. He prayed
for death to release him from his
bondage. In the brief space of twen-