River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1880-09-30
ATALE OF MARRIED MISERY.
One of the W orst Cases known in the
Dublin Courts.

The bells of st. Peters church, in
Dublin, rung out JOYOUS peal ON
bright May morning, eight years ago,
| on which Miss Caroline Thorp, the
daughter of a solicitor, was led to the
altar by George Bacon, who there VOW
ed to love and cherish her all the DAYS
of her life The bride of eight years
ago for whom the marriage bells then
made sweet music appeared in the wit
ness chair in the matrimonial court,
| yesterday, and told the story of her
welded life. She is now broken
| hearted looking woman, with three
children who came to ask the Judge in
the name of humanity, to undo the
marriage that was celebrated in ST.
Peters church. The poor woman, in
the midst of tears and sobs related her
piteous history to this effect: Soon after
| George Bacon became her husband he
| took to drink and commenced the career
of neglect and cruelty which he CON
sistentlv adopted toward her in various
parts of the world. Upon the death of
her mother she became entitled to Il
sum of f400 With this the husband,
wife and family proceeded to Quebec
| On the voyage out George having much
leisure time on his hand, devoted it
chiefly to worrying his wife according
to his custom. One day he stole her
purse containing some money, which
he expended in whisky and gambling.
He had IL four days spree; he was
drunk all the time and got into deliri-
um tremens, in which state he landed
| at Quebec, where, owing TO his inca
pacity to do anything but stagger and
swear the luggage of the entire family
was lost From Quebec they went to
san Francisco, where, if possible, his
treatment of his wife was worse than
it had been in Dublin or Quebec 1t
wasn't Georges fault that he
wasn't the mere murderer of his wife
and child in San Francisco. When
drunk one day he let fly at her from a
revolver and barely missed sending
bullet into her head; he discharged an
other barrel at one of his children, but
missed his aim. He drank straight on
until delirium came as usual. He next
resolved to remove the family to Lon
. don, England and took ship according
ly. During the voyage across he kept
up high state of delirium and in one
of his fits of frenzy it seems to have
struck him that a practical way of end
ing the matrimonial trouble would be
to throw his wife overheard He pull
ed her from her berth by the hair. the
passengers interfered, and took her
away; but George swore he'd do
it yet before the end of the
voyage. In London he obtained
situation, and gave her but
IS week, sometimes only 1Sd, for
the support of herself and three
children. They lived in dark cellar:
she was half naked, for he pawned all
her clothes and every portable article
to get drink All this time he didn't
forget to abuse her. He usually beat
her with poker, until he pawned it.
In September of last year he dragged
her out of bed by the hair and kicked
her brutally. Al last she summoned
him before the police magistrate for
his violence, and he was sent for y
months to Clarkenwell prison, where
he is at the present time. The wife in
stituted a suit III the Dublin matrimo-
NAL court for judicial separation from
the brute. When the judge heard this
tale of eight years suffering he gave a
decree for separation, observing that it
was about the worst case of married
misery that ever came before him.