Arkansas weekly mansion., 1883-11-17
Temperance.
THE ACCURSED CUP.
The Ruin Whisky Made in Once Happ,
Family.

drunk and disorderly. but in her testi
mony Mrs Ella Rex, who resides at No
$50 Washington avenue, Morrisania
told an extraordinary story. Mrs. Rea
Is a charitably-inclined lady of dimin-
utIve stature, and is a member of the
Morr.sania Methodist Church. She
with others, formed a Helping HAND
Society. having for its object the assist
| ance OF tho poor and needy in Nor
risania, and it was while on one of hel
charitable missions that she witnessed
the brutal conduct of the prisoner in
East One e-hundred-an street.
near Elton avenue. While Mrs. Rex
was telling her story the prisoner. whose
features bore traces of long continued
dissipation, listened with flushed face
and trembling limbs. He is said to be
of very respectable family.
Mrs. Rex said that she had known the
prisoner and his wife for the past nine
years, the latter being one of her init
mate friends. During that time she did
not believe NEEDING had been sober for
Il single day, and he had at last brought
his family, consisting of a wife and four
| children, to the verge of starvation.
Sometimes he would bring home few
| dollars and give to his wife, but in an
| hour or two afterward would demand
| it from her, and, if she refused, would
| beat her until she gave it up. For
months past, up to the time of her
sickness, Mrs Meding had supported
the entire family by her sewing ma
chine, and he had done nothing. The
Helping Hand Society had been taking
care of his wife during her sickness
and providing the family with food. As
Mrs. NEEDING was soon to become Il
mother and was in a very weak state,
Mrs. Rex frequently sat by her bedside
to attend her She had been with her
friend last Tuesday afternoon, as it was
believed that she WAS on the eve of con-
tincmcnt. The husband had left the house
in partial state of intoxication, and the
invalid had been made as comfortable
as circumstances would permit. AT
seven O clock in the evening Mrs. Rex
was about to 60 to her own home for
an hour or two, preparatory to sitting
up all night with her friend.
when the uncertain footsteps of
the husband were heard on the stairs.
Entering the room, he staggered up
to the bed, and, looking first at his wife
and then 1T Mrs. Rex, said huskily:
''Ain't vou dead yet? thought YOU
would be buried before l got back
Then, according to Mrs. Rex, whether
Intentionally or in drunken abandon. he
flung himself upon the bed and upon the
body of his wife. Mrs. Rex says he
also tried to take his wife by the throat.
Mrs. Rex SAYS she siczcd NEEDING, and
b. cxerting all her strength managed
to pull him from the bed and fling him
upon the floor. a doctor was al once
summoned and every attention was paid
the suffering woman. Before the ply
sician arrived the witness said that
NEEDING threatened to kill her, and
started for 4 small bedroom to oct his
razor. Fearing that her own life as
well as that of his wife was in danger, |
Mrs Rex rushed out of the room and !
ran to the One -hundrcd-and-sxty /
street police station. Two policemen |
were sent back to the house with her,
and Needing was arrested. He was |
crazcd with drink. Mrs. Rex found he /
razor on the bed of the room the |
prisoner had entered, and showed it to :.
Justice Morgan.
In reply to the questions of the JUS |
tice, Needing said he was not drunk, and
intended no harm to his wife The !
razor he wanted to shave himself with !
Policeman James +. Conklin, of the /
mounted squad. who made the arrest. |
ties lied that NEEDING was drunk when he ,
'Conklin) was called 10 The house. and
tnat he appeared to be out of his head. |
This is the most extraordinary and !
ini,uman case that has been brought be- j
fore me during my entire career as u /
nol ce magistrate, "a Il Justice Morgan,
rs re looked at the prisoner. "Thc !
charge against YOU is only for beng
drunk and disorderly. On this | will |
fine you ten dollars, but l will also hold |
YOU in the sum of one thousand dollars !
to keep the peace for six months. in de-
fauIs of which you go to the island for
six months. There is just where you |
belong, and by right ought to have been |
scnr long ago, and | am very sorry that /
the law prevents me from sending You .
there for a longer period. This is the .
most brutal outrage | ever heard of. /
Take the prisoner away !
a reporter of the Hcrnld who inquired |
for Mrs. Mcding's residence in East
e-hund;cd-and-s -sixty-tirst street later
in the day found that the family Occu-
pied two rear rooms on the second. ston
of a two-story frame cottag' in excited
avenue. When ,SS5brter S5brft what had been
torres tones ,n OF thHS her husband, and was in
formed. the sick woman slghed:
..But | am glad he has been sent ava!
A., ISLAND > she said. ''llc can not
harm me now OF injurc the chlidreh'
t,,o lived in constant terror OF my ne
for wears past, but now 1t Is over anu 1
can rest. Drink has mauc MN i'i9",
I know. and | wish he might oe SEM
where he could be treated LOT Iha' i''
full maladv. My friends will try to OBJ
49,, f:r 81. ms, 81 III any 1onfse'ff +
ittin Ivy little he has gone down until
now no one respects us, and l and my
children are forever disgraced. HIS
people have done all they could ior him.
but it was of nc. use. He lost one position
of trust after another, until now ne can
not obtain work anywhere. L have kept
starvation from the door for us all until
I was taken sick, but now L don know
what will become of us -,
Mrs. Mcding's parents will remove
her to their home. Up to late hour
Yesterday afternoon her husband reia-
lives had not been Informed or the
trouble he had brought upon himself
and familv.-N. T. Herald.
Swallowed In.