The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-01-06
Beating his Wife.

The story was all over town. Every
body was talking about it. 1t was too
bad, they said. What was too bad
Why the new minister had been
heating his wife Was it possible
Yes; there could be no doubt about it.
Mrs. S., who lives next door, heard n
shrek about ten o'clock last night-a
woman's shrick-from q chamber in the
parsonage. She looked across, and
through the curtain she could see that a
mar and woman we're running about
the room in great excitement. He was
hnurishiug stick aud striking with it.
The blows could be 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 abused min
ister's wife, and comfort her? Not bit
of it. She went to elder AS, 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 be-
fore noon there was Il great excitement
in Balvillc.
The church officers discussed the mat
ter with heavy hearts. Such 1isgraceful
conduct could not be endured. Some.
thing must be done. But what? Call at
once on the minister and his wife and
inquire into the matter? On, no; that
would not be digniied and official. Be-
sides, there could be no doubt about it,
Did not Mrs. S. see the beating with her
own eyes? So they called meeting OF
the session, and summoned the minister
and his wife. He to answer to charge
of unministerial conduct, and she to tes.
tify in the case.
They came, greatly puzzled and sur
prisec. The case was gravely stated by
the senior elder, when the culprit and
witness burst into laugh. Checking
themselves, when they saw how serious
and sad The session looked, they ex
plained.
The ministers wife, though an excel.
lent woman who loved everybody. and
especially her husband, did not love rats.
But the house having been vacant for
some time, the rats had taken possession.
When they went to their chamber, Il
huge rodent rat ran under the bed. The
wife screamed. The husband caught up
stick and tired to kill the intruder.
Every time he struck at and missed the
rat the lady screamed again.. How could
she help it? l: was an exciting scene,
and must have looked very funny to
their neighbors who were watching
through the curtained window. They
laughed heartily when it was all over
and the rat dead aud they could not
help laughing whenever they thought
about it.
The session were in fix. They were
down on Mrs. S. for making fools oI
them. They asked her, "Why didn't you
go over to the minister's, and make sure
about the matter beforeyo reported it?"
And she retorted, "Why didn't you 60
and inquire into it before you called a
meeting?" And all the town that talked
yesterday about how the minist er abused
his wife, is talking to-day about what an
awful gossip Mrs. S. is, and how she fool
ed the elders of our church.
1 am mortified and disgusted. Is
there any way to cure these mischief.
making gossips? Would it be right to
hang them ? Itscems to me that passage
in the third chapter of James about the
tongue ought to be printed iu big letters
on a card, and hung up in all of our
churches. Don't you think so?-1he
Dnc;deuf