The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1877-11-23
Driven 10 her Death.

\ suicide which occurred Monday il
New York city is lifted above the or
dinary level of suicides by the position
of parties affected and by the circum
stances leading to it. The victim of sll.
icidal impulse was Mrs. Robert Stuart
wife of the step-son of ex-Congressmar
Elijah Ward. The husband was SOL
of Lieutenant Robert Stuart of the Uni.
ted States Navy, who died in 1862, his
mother marrying Mr.. Ward for her Sec
ond husband. Mrs. Ward inherited
great wealth from her father, Robert
Stuart is the younger of her two sons,
about twenty-three years old, and his
wife, whose acquaintance he made
while travelling in Europe, was Evcline,
the adopted daughter of Abicl Marks, q
retired merchant. by birth she was a
niece of Mrs. Marks. "A beautiful wo-
man, blonde in complexion, tall and Gle
giant in form, and twenty or twenty-onc
years of age, with wealth at command,
her prospects in life would seem to have
been bright. She was married to Mr..
Stuart in April last, since which time
she has lived with her husband in hand
some apartments on Fifth avenue. Sub
scqueut to her marriage she found that
her husband, inhcriting taste for Ii
quor. had become slave to the passion
of drink, and his yielding TO it was the
occasion of bitter sorrow. He held q
position in bank, which he was oblig-
ed to resign OH account of his habits.
He drank himself stupid repeatedly and
only lately it was that he began to man.
ifest violence. His wife was the victim
and his rage grew from the fact of her
pleading with him against the demon
possessing him. Beaten, and OH one
occasion stricken down with blow, the
poor woman could stand such things no
longer, but went on Sunday with her
sad tale to her mother. The latter adj
vised her to return to her home, and
she did so with determination to die.
Calling the chambcrmaid she exclaimed,
'I would rather die than live as | am
living!" She told the girl to tell Mr..
Stuart, if he came in, that she had gone
out for few moments. She went and
returned, sitting down at her writing
desk. At half-past four o'clock that af-
ternoon Mr.. Stuart came home maudlin
drunk and went to his room. Nothing
was heard from that quarter till shortly
before six o'clock Monday morning
when sharp summons was sent for a
a physician. DR.. Hubbard, of West
Ninth street, came in haste and found
Mrs. Stuart lying on the floor, wholly
inscnsible and nearly dead. The hus-
band was holding her head, and in an
insane way trying to revive her. Close
by her lay a four-ouncc bottle of laudan-
um, nearly empty. Mrs. Stuart was in
full dinner dress of light silk and lace,
and her ornaments were still upon her.
That nothing could be done with any
hope of success, the physician saw at
once; yet every means was tried to save
the fast-cbbing life. All was in vain.
Mrs. Stuart died at half-past eight. The
husbands condition was pitifnl from
the effects of drink. grief and terror.
He said he had entered the room on
Sunday evening and had noticed his
wife lying on the sofa. Thinking her to
be only sleeping, he lay down on the
bed. just before six o'clock in the
morning he had wakened. Seeing Mrs.
Stuart still on the sofa, he went 10 her,
spoke to her and 'took hold of her.
She fell upon the floor, and when he
found she could give no sign of con-
sciousncss he rang for a servant and
sent for Il physician. That was all the
young man could say. lie grew maud
lin and furious at times, and has re-
manned in n half-crazed condition ever
since. The story requires no comment.