The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-10-20
WHAT DRINK WILL DO.
The Ruin Whisky Made In a Once Happy
Family.

Family.
New York Herald, Thursday.
Richard Needing, thirty years of age,
was arragned in the Harlem Police Court
yesterday morning. He was charged on the
returns with being drunk and dsorderly,
but in her testimony Mrs. Ella Rex, who re-
sides at No. 985 Washington avenue, Morris
ania, told an extraordinary story. Mrs Rex
is charitably-inclined lady of diminutive
stature, and is member of the Morrisania
Methodist Church. She, with others, has
formed Helping Hand Society, having for
its object the assistance of the poor and
needy In Morrisania, and it was while on
one of her charitable missions that she wit
messed the brutal conduct of the prisoner in
East One-hundred-and-six street,
near Elton avenue While Mrs.
Rex was telling her story the
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 intimate friends
During that time she did not believe Needing
had been sober for a single day, and he had
at last brought his family, consisting of a
wife and four children, Co the verge OF starva-
ton. Sometimes he would bring home
few dollars and give it 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 NEEDING had
supported the entire family by her sewing
machine and he had done nothing. The
Helping Hand Society had been
her sickness and providing the family with
food. As Mrs. Needing was soon to be-
come mother and was in a very weak state,
Mrs. Rex frequently sat by her bedside to at
tend her. She had been with her friend last
Tuesday afternoon, as it was believed that
she was on the eve of confinement. The
husband had left the house in a partial state
of intoxication, and the invalid had been
made as comfortable as circumstances would
permit At I o'clock in the evening Mrs.
Rex was about to go 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 staggard up
to the bed, and, looking first at his wife and
! then at Mrs. Rex, said huskily, "Ain't you
dead yet? l thought you would be buried
before 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 seized Needing and by ex-
erting all her strength managed to pull him
! from the bed and fling him upon the floor.
A doctor was at once summoned and every
| attention was paid the suffering woman. Be-
| fore the physician arrived the witness said
! that Needing threatened to kill her, and
| started for small bedroom to get his razor.
| Fearing that her own life as well as that of
I his wife was in danger, Mrs Rex rushed out
of the room and ran to the One-hundred-
and-sixty- irst-street police station. Two
! policemen were sent back to the house with
! her, and Needing was arrested. He was
crazed with drink. Mrs. Rex found the
razor on the bed of the room the prisoner had
] i L. = - r,14
| In reply to questions of the justice, Med
| ing said he was not drunk, and intended no
I harm to his wife. The razor he wanted to
| shave himself with. Policeman James E.
| Conklin, of the mounted squad who made
| the arrest, testified that Needing was drunk
) when he (Conklin) was called to the house,
and that he appeared to be ont of his head.
This is the most extraordinary and inhu-
! man case that has been brought before me
during my entire career as police magis-
trate," said Justice Morgan, as he looked at
the prisoner. 1.-The charge against you is
only for being drunk and disorderly. On this
1 will fine you $40, but will also hold you
in the sum of s., 900 to keep the peace for six
| months, in default of which you go
| to the island for six months
There is just where you belong
and by right ought to have been sent long
ago, and am very sorry that the law pre-
vents me from sending you there for long
| err period. This is the most brutal outrage l
ever heard of. Take the prisoner away"
| A reporter of the Herald who inquired for
Mrs. Meetings. residence in East One
! hundred -and-si1 ty- first street later in the
day found that the family occu pied
two rear rooms on the second story of a
two-story frame cottage near Elton avenue.
When she asked, in excited tones, OF the re-
porter what had been done with her hus-
band, and was informed, the sick woman
sighed;
but am glad he has been sent away to
the island" she said. HE cannot harm me
now or injure the children. | have lived in
constant terror of my life for years
past, but now it is over and / can
rest Drink has made him insane, l
know, and 1 wish he might be sent where he
could be treated for that fearful malady. My
friends will try to obtain separation for me,
and desire it, for cannot live with him
any longer. Little by 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 for him, but
it was of no use. He lost one position of
| trust after another, until now he cannot OBJ
tain work anywhere. have kept starvation
from the door for US all until l was taken
sick, but now l don know what will become
| of as"
Mrs. Meetings. parents will remove her to
| their home. Up to late hour yesterday
afternoon her husbands relatives had not
been informed of the trouble he had brought