The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1879-06-26
WHEREAS ETC.


A century ago, when a wife had
grown so weary Of hard service without
wages, OF 80 thoroughly afraid Of brutal
treatment from the hands Of her sover-
eign lord and master, that she fled from
his presence TO escape the burdens that
had become unbearable. the newspapers /
would publish "whereas" over the /
signature of the injured (?) husband, In
which "all persons" were not only eau
toned against "trusting my wife, who
has left," etc, etc, but they were
warned against "harboring" her, under
/ pain Of the severest penalty Of the law,
which made it as much a criminal Of
fense to give refuge to fugitive wife,
even during the inelement bitterness Of
a New England Winter night, as to
harbor a runaway "wench," who was
advertised to be sold on a certain day
with a certain Puritan's saw-milli said
weneh being described as "likely and
healthy, big with child, and never laid
up more than three days in ehild-bed -
the present owner of the commodity
agreeing beforehand to purchase the
child at its birth, and pay therefor "five
pounds, If boy, or two pounds, ten
shillings, six pence, if a girl"
Under the legal ruling that jeopar-
dized the liberty and property Of a man
who gave an hours shelter to a runa-
way wife hundred years ago, it is not
much to be marvelled at that such runa-
ways were at that time comparatively
rare. But the march Of the century has
50 far weakened, or rather heightened,
the chains of women unfortunately
married, that when one Of these decides
that her human nature can endure no
more Of the tyranny Of absolute owner
ship, and she dares the odium of public
opinion, and, leaving behind her the
tolls and aecumulations Of the best part
of a lifetime, goes forth penniless to
grapple single-handed with the world,
her youth and health and hope all
wasted in the unpaid service of her mas
ter, that master now can only gnash his
teeth in impotent rage, and rush into
Whereas" and declaring that "my
wife, Kate Turk" or Nancy Lands, !"
as the case may be, "has left my bed
and board without just cause or provo
cation, and all persons are hereby eau
toned against trusting her on my ac-
count"
Now, reader, turn to the telegraphic
news on the first page Of the Daily ore
gonian of June is, and the second page
of the NEW NORTHWEST of June 10, and
you will read Of a man 10 San Francisco
named James Bowlan, who, failing to
compel his wife to live longer under his
brutal rule by either threats or
"whereases," finally followed her to the
house of a man for whose family she
was at work for her daily bread, and, ex-
ercising his imaginary prerogative of
ownership, shot her in the back, caus-
ing her death. When the husband was
taken into custody, he said "She was
, my wife, and had right to shoot her.
, ought to have shot her long ago"
We once knew a man who owned a
I patient horse, which he overloaded
, without reason, and in his fits Of temper
would beat without mercy, till finally
the faithful brute grew obstinate and re-
fused 10 pull. The owner tried every
q invention Of torture which his temper
; and ingenuity could devise to force the
q animal to serve him longer in return for
: blows, and, falling, deliberately took his
o rife from the wall and shot him dead.
! That man was actuated by the same
, spirit Of physical superiority over the
flesh and blood that law and custom had
: placed within his power-the same
Identical spirit Of ownership that justi-
fed James Bowlan in his own eyes in
shooting his wife. And the same iden-
tieal spirit OF ownership is the agency
that impels a man under like circum-
+ stances to follow his runaway wife into
, print with a Whereas" when he can
no longer compel her to be his unwill-
ing drudge and covering slave. Any
, man who would advertise a fugitive
, wife would kill her il he dared, and he
would dare TO do it but for the avengiug
T spirit Of the law. We venture the pre-
diction that the copy of the OregoniGn
= of June IS, 1879, aud this copy Of the
r NEW NORTHWEST Of week later will
q be as curious relics of the barbarism OF
= this age a hundred years hence as the
/ copy of Journal Of hundred years ago
now is, which we have in our possession,
in which "wench" is offered for sale
! with a saw-mill, and men are threat
ened, in the depth of a New England
o mid Winter, with ''the direst penalties
. of the law" If they permit pompous
: Dutehman's fugitive wife to warm her
, perishing body beside their kitchen
. fires. The world is moving on toward
liberty and justice, bat verify its prog
|, ress is slow.
p
IL J. / whitney the Inactive prosecut.