Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-04-27
1 Husbands wretched Experience.

~
1t is not often that more remarkable story
Is heard IN courtroom than was told last week
by Lawyer G. j. Lansing, Of Eureka, New, On
trial for the killing Of his wife, When he took
the witness-stand the grief In his face hushed
the bar and the spectators into plying
silence. He began by declaring that he con-
sented to say what he would have to say about
the dead only upon the urgent requirement OF
his counsel, and for the sake of his daughter.
Then he gave the Jury the history of his mar
ried IIfe Ever since 1854 Il had been, he said,
wretched III an ways. His wife tookto liquor.
She was powerful woman-fully his equal in
strength. When drunk she was violent fero-
cious. she repeatedly attacked him. threaten
ing TO kill him, and, as he believed at the time,
meaning to carry out her threat She threw
rocks at his head, poured boiling water on him,
tried on several occasions to stab him with the
carving knife, once at least drawing blood.
She followed him into court, making such
disturbance that the police had to remove her
by force. She burst into his Office and beat
him over the head with a, srawhide till the
blood streaned down his face. She beat his
little daughter with an iron poker. ~ felt
like, letting loose all holds" he said, land
I drank heavily, too, Once or twice he de-
cided to leave her; once he bought poison,
and was on the point Of swallowing it when
he thought Of His daughter and threw it away.
Last year mAtterS grew worse. until a night
came when he did not dare to sleep under the
same roof with her, and called in a neighbour.
They tied her wrists and ankles with silk hand
1kerchiefs. 'sPll XIII you for this. sure" she
screamed. AT daylight she promised to be-
have, and they unbound her. At her request
he sent out for two bottles Of champagne for
her to s'sober up OF" He wandered about all
day. stunning his acquaintances, trying to
straighten himself up. 81 could not be still in
any place." he said. |" I could neither stand
up nor sit down-had to walk all the time" At
dusk he went home. The ,Chinaman had fin
ished his work and gone for the night. His
wife came through the Kitchen and went down
cenar-as he supposed to get, whisky; "she
often hid q bottle down there. When
she came up he spoke OF going down.
town. ''You wretch" she said.f"Em fixed
for you, and you shant leave this housed"
He tried the door; it was locked. He turned
around; his wife was right in front of him.
her hand pressed to her hip. I'm kill you,
Pli kill your she screamed In afrenzy of
utter nervousness and terror he caught up
something-it was q kitchen chair-and
struck her He saw her lying at his feet.
Then he found himself out in the. street.-the
has no remembrance of how he got there
looking up at the dark windo Wstof his neigh
bOr's house and deciding not to wake him up.
Then all Is blank again in his mind until a
later hour. when he, was standing in front of
the Sheriff and uttering the words: have
killed my wife. 'i1Tit'T on5 ssI n91Tof
The jury were out twenty minutes. When
they came back it was with q verdict of mot
guilty. ''-H1stford COarOlat. gzs sest.s