The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1878-03-27
BAD DAY FOR WIVES.
THE wEsT ALEXANDER BRUTAL
lTY.
The Alleged Wife Murderer I'm Jail at
Washington, Pa. - What He
Says and What Others
Say About the Case.

1t will be remembered that several
days ago the REGISTER published an eI-
clusiye account OF the arrest OF John N.
Day, at West Alexander. on q charge of
numbering his wife, and his subsequently,
waving an examination and be.
ing committed to Jail. We after.
wards gave short account of
how the crime came to be committed.
Thinking that fuller details of the affair
should BY sll means be obt,ined, Reg.
IsTER reporter interviewed Day at Wash
ington, Pa, yesterday. Having received
the necessary permission from the legal
authorities, the reporter was shown into
the cell where Day was confined, and
proceeded to pump him dry of all
thst he knew or thought in connection
with the matter. AS the cell door open
ed and then closed as the scribe entered,
the prisoner came from the further cor
ner OF the little, boI-like room, and asked,
in husky voice, what his visitor wanted.
He is five feet six or seven inches in
heightn; strongly and rather heavily
built, with look about him indicitlve OF
considerable staying power" and grit
He has light, sandy hair, and pleasing
open face that does not look like q muir
derera, or even like one who ia controlled
by evil impulses. His eyes are blue,
large and prominent, and we're bloodshot
from almost continuous weeping and rub
bing with his knuckles or dllapitated
last years handkerchief. He was evident
ly easily moved to lashsymore state.
"Well, Mr.. Day, have come to have
little talk with you about your trouble.
VIII you have cigar1'
He Immediately signified his willing.
meas to partske, and after getting good
"light" be said cheerfully:
"Well, Mister; l amt got much to
say, but I'll tell you what there is, If you
only ask me some qustlons."
After informing him that the news
paper business consisted chiefly of ask
ing questions, the reporter said:
allow old are you, Mr.. Day."
81 was forty-two in November last,
but look older, for I've done q power
fu sight OF hard work in my time"
"How old was your wife, and what was
her name before you married herI"
"She was just thirty-fve years old.
She was Miss Jane Toland, OF West
Alexander, sister OF John and Thomas
Toland, who made the lying charge agin'
me. We have been married more n
seventeen years and have six children.
She was q good wife 10 me until lately
and we didn't have many cross words
together. She was mighty handsome
woman, (crying and wiplng his eyes with
the aforesaid hsrdkerchief). There
wasn't as good looking woman in all
ths. country. She stood five feet four in
her stockings, vas slightly formed, but
was strong in the arms and could do
heap OF work Her complexion was dark
and her hair and eyes were as black as
coal"
"How did the presen: difficulties be-
gin?"
"Well,' said he, stammeringly, Il
hardly like to. Well, l sup
pose l might as well tell you
About a year ago l was Out At
the barn at work with James Will
liams, young fellow of twenty-one, who
lived Lear our house. When we were
starting to 60 TO the house, he said some
thing to me about my wife that he hal
10 business to. We had few words,
but he said ne didn't mean no harm and
l let it pass. About month after this,
be was sitting in the house when l came
IN, and said, "iour wife snd me are get
ting to be very good friends"
| didn't pay soy attention 10 1t at the
time, but shortly l heard stories about
Williams and my wife being improperly
intimate. told her about it. and she
didn't say whether it was true or not, but
told me not to make any fuss. Two or
three months after this, the same stories
came out again, and spoke to her q sec
oud time with the same result as before.
The day previous to the last quarrel
George Williams, q brother OF James.
told me q lot of things that James had
been ssyIng concerning the way ne and
nv vile we're carrying on, and l told
her next morning that II she did not
stop going with James Williams, l
wouldn't live with her any longer She
got very mad snd so did l, and We had
some hot words. Presently she grabbed
up s heavy spin. trOom and hit me Two
or three time. over the arm. See here -
.sd Day. rolling up his shlrt sleeve, dis.
PLAYED two ugly black and blue marks
on the feshy part Of his arm When
she stopped hitting me she ran TO the end
Of the porch; which wss nearly two feet
from the ground and jumped of. As
she jumped she fell and struck her 'tom.
.cn on a big stone that lsy there. l
Ii keiather as she va. jumping, but
I missed her. l didn't touch her 81 all.
Sac ran few feet and then cried out:
II going TO have one Of those hu; Il N
g,ing 10 fsint.' ran out and caught
her and carried her into the house and
nut her 10 bed. ! went Of and got young
Dr.. Bl..chley 10 come and see her, but
he didn't know what 20 Do, and had
hi, fs,her come. They couldn't DO any
thing for her and she died on Monday
morning about ten o'clock"
Here Day began to weep bitterly sud
,,y ,hA, he was Inuc cent, and hsd "never
MT Jane in his life"
"Did you ever suspect your wife OF IN.
nd.li,y before Williams began taking"
Il didn't know for certain, eu: / sn
afraid for several years that Jane uasnt
doing exactly right. l never 'sld
word 20 her about u
until the time l spoke Of think |
va. arrested out OF spite, and l only
mk tbs. they DO me justice. l ANT Dill
afraid"
The reporter took hs leave sftsr say.
ing .good .Dsy' 20 the prisoner ana
boarded the train for West Alexander.
Here be learned that the testimony
against Day wAs very strong. Dr..
Bs.chley swore in support OF he IL
formation of Thoms Tolsnd, tha. Mrs:
Dsy c.ne to her death from flooding
witch WAS caused BY her being kicked or
struck in the lower part OF The 'tonscn
in very violeut manner. Severn! VII
uesses have been subpensed, b! the Prc'e-
,ecu,ion and both john Snd Thomas
a - al