Nebraska advertiser., 1880-08-26
Beating His Wife.

The story was all over town. Ev-
erybody was talking about it. 1t was
too bad, they said. What was too bad ?
Why. the new minister had been beat
ing his wifei Was it possible? Yes
there could be no doubt about it, Mrs.
=, who lives next door, heard a shrek
about 10 o'clock last night-a woman's
from chamber in the parsonage.
She looked across, and through the
curtain she could. see that a man and
woman were running about the room
in great eXcitment. He was flourish
ing a stick, and striking with it. The
blows We're plainly heard and as he
struck she screamed.
Mrs. S. could hardly sleep that night
she was so excited by what she had
seen. She was up early next morning
She hurried through her breakfast, and
then started QUITO see the poor abus,
ed ministers wife, and comfort her
Not bit of it. She went to Elder A. s
found the family at the table, and told
the news then she footed On to Elder
BIS and Deacon C.'s, and over half the
town. The half that she had not time
to call on soon heard it from the other
half, and before noon there was great
excitement in Ballville.
The officers of the church discussed
the matter with heavy hearts. Such
diSgraceful conduct could not be en-
dured Something must be done. But
what? Call at once on the minister and
his wife and inquire into the matter
Oh, no: that would not be dignified
and official. Beside, there could be no
doubt about it. Did not Mrs. S. see the
beating with her own eyes? So they
called a meeting of the session; and
summoned the minister and his wife,
he to answer to charge of unminis-
terial conduct, and she to testify in the
case.
They came greatly puzzled and sur
prised. The case was gravely stated
by the senior elder, when the culprit
and witness burst into a langh. Check
ing themselves when they saw how
serious and sad the session looked, they
explained:
The minister's wife, though an eX-
cellent woman who loved everybody
especially her husband, did not love
rats. But the house having been va
cant for some time, the rats had taken
possession. When they went to their
chamber, a huge rodent ran under the
bed. The wife screamed; the husband
caught up stick and tried to kill the
intruder. Every time he struck at and
missed the rat the lady screamed again.
How could she help it ? 1t was an eXcit-
ing scene, and must have looked very
funny to their neighborS, who were
watching through the curtained Win
dow. They laughed heartily when it
was all over and the rat was dead, and
they could not help laughing whenever
they thought about it.
The session were in fix. They
were down on Mrs. S. for making fools
of them. They asked her, "why didn't
you go over to the minister's and make
sure about the matter before you repOr-
ted it?" And she retOrted, "Why didn't
you go and inquire into it before you
called meeting?" And all the town
that talked about how the minister
abused his wife is talking about what
an awful gossip Mrs. S. is and how she
fooled the elders of our church.
| am mortified and disgusted. Is
there any way to cure these mischief
making g0ssips? Would it be right to
hang them? 1t seems to me that the
passage in the third chapter of James
about the tongue ought to be printed
in big letters on a card and hung up in
all our churches. Don't you think so :?