Omaha daily bee., 1883-01-18
Mrs. Melville in Her Own Behalf.

PHILADELPHIA, January lin
the Melville rria'. to-day, MIRO. Mel.
vile WAS put on the atand. Her teu-
timony wss very affecting. Women
became hystericsl, men turned pale,
and daring q eympsthotic recital OF
sorrows and We ngs the judge was
like a girl. After o few uuimportsnt
witnesses had been examined Mrs
Melville was called to the stand, A
plain, delicate, little woman, dressed
in black, and apparently so feeble
from norV rus emotion that che had 30
DC helped to the stand, cams forward,
and from 5:l5 until the adjournment
OF court at $3.50 she was subjected to
examination. After describing the
early years of her married life, she
went on to say that her husband was
tho first who ever placed a glass of
liquor in her fathers hand, and
at their homo in Philadelphia
she saw liquor for the first time placed
upon a table. After breaking up house
keeping and taking a room in q board
ing house, her husband gave instruc.
ton to a party of young engineers in
the adjoining room, and when retir-
ing, sometimes as late as 2 o'clock in
the morning, he would bring in q glass
of liquor and induce her to drink 1t.
He would also leave liquor In the
%oloeet, telling her to get it in the
morning. When her first babe was
IA days old she left Buffalo to Join her
husband In Philadelphia, In obedience
to an imperative telegram saying that
he was going to sea. He did not go
to sea, however, and only resorted to
THE expedient to got her away from
her mother, whom he didn't like.
"When my daughter Maud was one
, gear DID," she continued, 81 went tc
Nortork TO see my husband. On the
way tbs passengers grew more or less
intimate with each othar, and / told
them OF my husbands long alb
ssnce at ses, and of the birth
!, of my little child, and how
| happy l was at the though
Z of seeing him, ard how rejoiced hc
would BIO to greet me. When W,
arrived at our destination all eyes wer'
conferred on me, anxious to catch
glimpse Of the nesting of HUSBAND
: and wife. As I stepped across tn
deck Of the vessel, instead of hurryinl
/" forward to meet me, he advanced
slowly with a cigar in his mouth, ant
8 never removed it, and at hat momen
Z 4 felt more wretched than l have word
o to describe" After an apparen
Z effort to Danish recollection of tn
o scsne, the witness proceeded: I'll
then went away 10 the Lancaster, an,
when he returned Maud was fou
years old. Because / found I coul
Q not live on $40 q month he Above
me, and wrote him 20 that effect, h
replied In the most cruel letter l ha
- ever read and threatened ms with
3 divorce; bat oh! how much NOR
n cruel have his letters been zinc
10 then" The amount of none
which Mr.. Melville had give
to his wife she ~contended wa
not $500 In gold, but only $50. Sh
added that among the letters stole
90 from the house during her recent il
10 generation in the asylum were receip'
y for some of the money which he a
he leges is still unpaid. When Mr.. BE
g. Vile was expected home from tt
e. Jeannette expedition, his little cir
a, plucked grapes end ounces, and p'
VI them with other fruit ia a little baske
DO on which they placed three card
he marked "Maud, Elsa, ard Meta
"They gave the basket to their father
,h said Mrs. Melville. He gave only
grunt in acknowledgment"
From that time on the witness W
y 80 overcome that her testimony
times wss incoheren'. she detail
To- Melville's return to Sharon and d
r. stormy scel.es that were enacted. III
isI story Of her incarceration in theinsar
lea asylum created confusion in the coul
We and the judge was compelled to e
no forco order twice.
WFH -