The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-07-25

AN EL0PEMENT.
A Couple from Minonk
now in Jail.
Joseph Onion takes his
wife's advice.
He departed with his Sister
in-Iaw.

The County Jail received two new in
mates Sunday morning who gave their
names as james Onion AMI Lizzie Walter
from Ninonk,a little mining town in Wood
ford county.
They were arrested last Saturday night
by Sheriff Ankrum and Marshal Miller of
this city, for adultery. The arrest was eff
fected at Gable, where the couple were
living as man and wife.
InformatioA was fled against them by
the wife of the former who is also sister
of the woman or girl, and it is probable
that they will be taken to Woodford county
this evening or early tomorrow morning
HOW 1T HAPPENED.
The man is husband and the father OF
two children His sister-in- law, the pris
oner has for some time been an inmate of his
humble home. He has watched the young
girl grow up from childhood and has taken
more or less interest in her. His wife, no.
ticing this brotherly affection which was
lavished upon her sister, became jealous.
ty, but also inflicted corporal punishment
upon the younger sister. This created mu-
tiny in the Onion camp which only increas-
ed the alliance between the husband andsis-
term law, and separated the husband and
wife The husband took the girls part in
every quarrel and in fit of anger the in
furiated wife told the guilty parties that
perhaps it would be just as well if they
made themselves scarce. The couple APP
peared to be only too willing to follow
such advice, as that night they disappeared
and were not found until last Saturday,
when their arrest was effected in Gable.
THE MODERN JOSEPH.
A representative of the ARGUS visited
the jail and Intercepted Onion as TO what
he knew about running off with sister-in-
law
Onion is a man apparently about 40
years old. He is miner and has been
engaged in Minonk in the different mines
for something like II years. He is a ger
man and has been in America over IA years
He married girl by the name of Martha
Walter who is also of German birth, about
ten years ago. Their marriage has been
blessed with two children, and in addition
to this number they have adopted little
girl which they found in the poor house.
The household has also sheltered Lizzie
Walter who has been the cause of the I'M
pleasantness which resulted in the arrest
last Saturday.
WHAT HE SAYS.
Onion was questioned as to what in
duced him to elope, and in his own pecu-
liar style he said:
"Well, we couldn't agree, and so l
thought l would leave her. The old wo
man was always fussing with her sister
Lizzie, and I took Lizzie's part. This
made her jealous and she would make
things too lively for me at home. A week
ago last Friday the old woman said if we
liked one another so much we had better
go away together. / thought that was
pretty good, SO told Lizzie and we did go
away"
Did your wife have any reason to be
jealous9 queried the Journalist.
'fOh, no." said Onion, mot until we got
up to Gable. She was always abusing,
and was not good wife to me-"
Onion appeared to be anxious to see
his runaway partner and know how she en-
ioyed the turn which affairs had taken. He
also thought his wife was very Inconsistent to
advise him to run away with the girl, and then
after he had followed her advice, to have
them arrested. He expressed himself as
perfectly willing to make up with his wife,
If she would not press the suit against
him.
Lizzie Walters the woman in the case, is
a young German girl, about sixteen years
old, although she claims to be
eighteen years of age. She stated
that her sister was always quar-
rclling with her and she supposed that
sJoe" was the cause of such slsterly un-
pleasantness. Lizzie is not handsome, al
though Joe" may have considered her an
Improvement on her older sister.
Lizzie denied that there was any cause
for jealousy as long as she remained at her
sisters house, but after reaching Cable her
innocence was not so positively asserted.
The two prisoners viii depart with the
sheriff of Woodford county for Minonk
| this evening.