The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-07-22
THE FACTS AS RELATED BY THE HUSBAND
Extraordinary Letter from the Wife
Produced in Court.
HE OBTAINS THE DECREE.
His Wife Gets Two Hundred and Fifty Dollars
AlimOny, To Be Paid in Five Years.


revived in this far Northwestern Territory. 1t must
be fresh in the minds of your readers that Mr. Vos-
burgh was placed trial that time for his life on
the charge of having poisoned his wife. The trial.
all will remember attracted unusual attention
until the very close, when Mr. Vosburgh was
acquitted. 1t is not generally known that the
gentleman came to this place on the 18TH or
18th of March last, and has since been preach
Ing large congregations Ever since his arrival
here Chaplin Hall has been crowded with Baptists'
forming the largest congregations that have ever
been witnessed in this vicinity. The people here
abouts are apt to listen to what in your section
of tho country might be called good preaching and
so when new clerical importation comes to the
surface everybody focks to hear him. Our citizens
here, with that generous heartedness which dis
tinguishes the people of the Northwest, are quite
disposed to give every new conner fair chance ana
TO an eloquent clergyman ga hearty shake" Mr..
Vosburgh came here preacher and preacher
he was judged and not found wanting. and week
after week his congregations became larger and
larger until complaints heard that Chaplin Hall
ought to be abandoned and larger hall engaged to
accommodate the many worshippers who were so
anxious listen to the Word of God as expounded
by the newly arrived Jersey Clergyman. In this
the months Of April May and June were
passed. with the popularity of the preacher growing
stronger Sunday after Sunday
THE PREACHER AS AN INJURED HUSBAND.
To the great astonishment OF people the city
of Fargo got excited morning when It bruied
about that Mr. Vosburgh had instituted suit for di
against his wife, Hattie A. Vosburgh. and that
he pushing along his case with all the energy at
his command before the judicial authorities of the
Territory People then remembered having heard Of
him at Yankton. in the southwestern part OF this
Territory last winter, and that he made efforts there
tn get n INIT was info Sham
non was averse to such proceedings. He to
Fargo on tho date mentioned above, and on the
ninety third day after his arrival here he out
his complaint against his wife. The law of this Ter
ritory requires to be resident ninety days, and
the reverend clergyman it is now pretty well known
here only ninety days. exclusive of the
which he arrived and the day on which he made out
his papers. Let this pass however. for what it may
be worth. showing the object of the reverend gen.
tleman in coming among u.s.
APPEARANCE IN COURT.
After few days delay the trial of before
Judge A. H. Barnes in the District Court of Cass
county (Third Judicial distrct), Messrs. Toyel and
Ball appearing the plaintiff and 6. G. Roberts
and II. +. Miller appearing for the defendant. am
sending you herewith an extended report of this
trial. which, your readers we'll imagine
cited intense here. To say that during the
entire ordeal through which the reverend gentle
man had to pass he maintained his nervous equi
Lbrium would be short OF the truth. At times,
must admit. he appeared quite nervous, and espe-
cialy so when the question was asked him, "Did
you poison your wife?" He was startled by the
question plainly put to him. and among those in
the court there several spectators who noticed
unmistakable trembling of his hands, quvering and
hesitation when his mind revolved in shaping the
answer that finally conveyed to the ear of the
Court. Then again. when he related to the Court
the extreme ignorance of his wife and her family.
he betrayed extraordinary nervousness. Tears rolled
down his checks. and his emotion was such that he
could scarcely utter word for some time.
PREACHERS TRIUMPH.
1t was only when the Judge stopped him at the
time that he was relating his own excellent deeds
the manner in which he esteemed by clergymen
everywhere. how he welcomed by this and that
noted man i'll Chicago and elsewhere-that he showed
considerable temper and became quite indignant be-
cause the Court would not allow him to proceed in
his fashion. He succeeded, however, at the
close of the trial in obtaining the divorce he asked
for. Mrs. Vosburgh has been allowed $3.50 alimony,
to be paid at the rate of s25 every six months until
paid. This will give the reverend gentleman five
years to pay $3.50. He has furnished Messrs. S. G.
Burdicks and j. s. Campbell sureies for the faith
full execution of this Decree
TRIAL BEFORE JUDGE BARNES
The proceedings of the trial proper are however,
SO full of interest that give You full account of
the evidence. which your readers for
themselves how he relates the story of the poison
ing:-
John A. S. Toyell opened the for the plaintiff,
and said the suit was for divorce under provision
of the revised Civil Code of Dakota Territory under
the title of personal relations, which allowed di-
to be granted for any of the following
causes:-First, adultery; second. extreme cruelty;
third, wilful desertion; fourth, wilful neglect;
nth. habitual intemperance; sixth, convection of
felony. This application. he said, came under the
ment. which was defined in the code as tollows:-
Extreme cruelty is the infection OF grievous bodily
injury or arlevons mental suffering upon the other
by one party TO the marriage.
The following Is the testimony
George IL. Nosburgh, being duly sworn, testified in
answer to the following interrogatories follows
q. You are the plaintiff in this action? A. Yes.
sir.
O. State to whom you were married, where and
when. A. was married to Hattie A. Sckles at
stuyvesant, Columbia county. State of New York,
q. BY whom A. The Rev. E. Nevins. pastor of
the Reformed Church.
O. What was your age at that time? A. Twenty
@. What was the age of your wife? A. Twenty
O. State where you commenced living and your
mode of lie fully at that time. A. At the time
was married was just about TO enter Madison Uni
versity. in the state OF New York. and she to
have resided with her parents
q. Where did you live when you first mar
ricd and how long did you live there? A. We did
not live together she with her folks the largest
portion OF the year and was in Hamilton she was
with me about six weeks.
q. When did you go to Coopcrstown to live? A.
On the first day of juno, 1874.
q. Your life had been apparently quiet up to that
timer A. No, sir
O. After you went to cooperstown what happcned9
A. Mrs. Nosburgh first began tamperng with poisons
III 1876. when moved to zoo Derstown.
Defendant objects. Objection sustained.
HIS POISONING.
O. state what her conduct was. A. was living in
Cooperstown, and ON every slight provocation Mrs.
VosburRh would take poison and threaten to kill
herself, and did take laudanum: the night that
was Installed in the Odd Fellows lodge came home
quite late and found bottle Of laudanum the
bureau. which knew to have been fun when
started IL was then half empty. and note lying
beside III thecontents of the to the effect
that she had take a fatal dose u laudanum.
y. Was there any reason assigned in the note? A.
No reason at all; worked her until nearly
morning for FIVE or six hours; didn't sleep until