Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1878-07-21
PASTOR VOSBURGH.
His WIfe's Statement that he Did At
tempt to Poison her, and TINT he
was I'm Love with Miss Mary
ParshalI.
His MOther-in-Law Tells of his Dis
gushing Weakness for Women,
and DeBOunces him for Ly-
ing. VIIIainOus Preacher.


and DeBOunces him for a Ly-
ing. VIIIainOus Preacher.
New York Star: The statement was made
in the Office of Nj M'Gill, at No. AZ Mont
gomery street, Jersey City, and there were
present at the time of making it, beside Mr..
M'Gill and his strenographer, Mr.. James
SIckles and his wife. Mrs. Vosburgh was
very reticent about making the statement af
ter Mr.. Sickles had informed the district at
torney OF the facts in the case, and her state
ment was intended as the ground work on
which the prosecution should rest. She be-
ga. by stating that she knew she would be
IN admissible witness on either side, because
Mr.. Vosburgh and bis counsl had told her
so. She did not think that either side could
force her to testify, because the law did not
compel her to go on the stand unless by her
own volition. When informed that there
might be difference of opinion in regard to
that, for the reason that the law made an ex-
ception in case personal violence was offered
to the wife, she said: 81 may be forced to go
On the stand; | feel that | am peculiarly sit
uated; the thing is so bad that if | should be
called upon the stand would De forced to
convict my husband. As far as | know, all
that could 90 would be to corroborate the
statement made by my family. The medi-
cine given by my husband did taste bad; was
bitter; created a great deal of burning In my
throat; continued thirst, and great desire
for water. | don't want my husband to know
that you got any points from me to cross ex-
anime him on She sat in thought for a
moment, and then continued: ''Fe will know
that it comes from me, because there Is no
one who knows the trnth beside me except
my own mother; told him that | had told
my mother, and probably it would get out. "
Sue confirmed the statement of her priestly
husband loving Miss Mary Parshall,
- Lo Nnl -
her. Mr.. M'Gill then, with a view to learn
what the defense were doing, asked her about
the visits of Drs. Carpenter, Flint, Wilkinson
and Foreman, who were sent to examine her
oy the counsel for the defense. She said:
Each OF these doctors asked me for the
symptoms. ] told them that | had nausea,
vomiting, and burning IN my throat after
took the medicine; that | was sore down in
my chest, that my tongue was very sore; that
| was very warm, and at times cold. | was
burning up for water all the time. They
asked me about frOthlng at the mouth. They
asked me if | had such and such symptoms,
and | told them as | remembered them. |
never had an attack similar to this before: |
nave never had any sickness at the stomach
at all. / never was sick until got rheuma-
tism at Cooperstown. The first time | ever
vomited was when the glass of lemonade was
made by my husband one evening In No.
venber last. He made another one about
week ldUeT anu Id prOuuCeu Jne same RESULT
After that, from time to time the vomiting
continued. 1t seemed very strange to me
that the rheumatism would make me sick
that way. (The lawyers on the other side
are gong to prove that had rheumatism of
the stomach, and account for the symptoms
in that way.) | asked DIR. Carpenter while
he was there if l had taken poison, and he
said | had not. While / was sickest | told
him that | would like to live. Said he to
me: Don't you know that you are very sick,
Hattie?' l SAID, No, did not; thought
was pretty badly off. He said: You are
very sick, and the probabilities are that you
cannot live Of course, | burst out crying,
because | had no idea | was dying. | had
hopes of getting better. | tried to talk about
living, but he always turned the conversation
to dying. George never accused me of COM
hitting an abortion, and he never spoke to
me about the barkeeper. He told Spadone
and Seidler that had procured two abortions
with the and OF nv mother. He told them
that | used to keep company with a bar
keeper, and had received a ring from him,
but he never spoke to me about it till this
morning. He was afraid, knowing what he
said about me, that | was going on the stand,
and that | was going to deny all this He
asked me very coldly if l denied it, and l
said, Yes He said: Why? and | an
swered: Because it is a lie He said: DO
you deny expressing it to me?' and | said:
4 do, for it is a lie Of course he had a
motive in telling these stories, because they
would affect my reputation, and people would
think such low things of me-" With this
statement in his possession, Mr.. M'Gill felt
confident of securing conviction, especially as
Mrs. Vosburgh said afterward. there were
many more facts she could produce.
VOsburgh's Mother in-Law DenOunces
Him.
New York World: Mrs. Sickles, the moth
er of Mrs. Hattie Vosburgh, related yester-
day what she knew about Rev. George Vos-
burgh and of his treatment of her daughter.
She alleges that Vosburgh is tickle in his at
fechons, and that previous to his marriage to
his present wife he had engaged the affec-
tlons of two young women, and had gone so
far as to set the wedding day. ''Vosburgh's
weakness for women aroused my disgust,
said Mrs. Sickles, 'he could not pass a wom-
an of more than ordinary attractions without
making unbecoming remarks" Mrs. Sickles
detailed at length the story of Vosburgh's
infatuation for Mary Parshall. Vosburgh,
Mrs Sickles said, was in the habit OF. calling
his wife 3D." which meant dear" if he
were in a good humor; but if he were angry
it meant devil" She also said that when
Vosburgh accepted the call of the Jersey City
church he had long and passionate farewell
interview with Mary Parshall. When he got
babe Mary good-by," and he then described
how fervently they had kissed and how sad
they were at parting. On the same day Mrs
Vosburgh detected her husband concealing
letter under the cushion of his chair. She
succeeded IN getting the letter, but he
snatched it from her hand. A quarrel en-
sued, and ne took her by the throat and
choked her until she tainted. When she re-
covered she was lying on the floor, while
Vosburgh stood over her laughing. Mrs.
Sckes said also that in Jersey City, while
Mr.. Vosburgh paid courteous attention to his
wife in company, at home he treated her
caIdly and insolently. The allegations which
Vosburgh made against the character of his
wife, her relations with a certain barkeeper
and her procuring an operation upon herself,
with the knowledge and assistance of her
mother, are Indignantly denied by Mrs. Sick
les. In conclusion she said, 81 regret that
my daughter Hattie did not marry Pete Acker
instead of George Vosburgh, when they were
both seeking her hand, then she would have
had an honest working man instead ola lying,
villainous preacher.