The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-11-26
VIRTUE INDICATED.
NR. SPENCE wiNsrAEoA DAMAGE SUIT,
Tho Jury PronounclnE Him Not entity
ofAllenatipg MRS. Hobensack's Anee.
lions from Her ErstwhiIe Lord
aud Mastcr-The Closing scenes.

and Mastcr-The Closing Scenes.
The Hobensack. Spence s25 900 damage suit
was concluded Saturday in the Common Pleas
Court at st. olairsyille. The testimony Of
witnesses was continued Saturday, consider.
able time being occupied by the reading OF
letter claimed by the plaintiff have been
written by Mrs. Hobenssck to Mr.. Spence, in
which she referred to having been guilty OF
SONS crime with him. This letter was with
held from the newspapers as usGt for publ
cation.
Several witnesses were examined as to the
handwriting, and II was given TO experts TO
compare with letters OF Mrs. Hobensaek's.
They decided that 1t was not written by her.
This letter, too obscene for publication, had
Mrs. Hobenaacks initials to 1t, but she
whan put upon the staad testified that she
meyer signed her initials to letters, only the
narne "Stslw when writing TO particular
friends.
The testimony OF most OF the other wit
nesses had no especial bearing on the case.
Some Of the former witnesses were recalled,
smong them Jason Hobersack, who was
pretty badly used up on cross examination
on some talk and boasts about getting things
down tine"
TEE DEFENDANTS WITF.
Mrs. Spence was considered very import.
mt witness by Mr.. DAnford, as sne would
naturally be tue first to be suspicious Of her
husband II he was doing anything wrong.
She atified that she never saw anything out
OF place between Mr.. Spence and Mrs. HobeI-
sack.
An the testimony was IN and the argu.
ments began about II o'clock Saturday.
The court room rapidly filled TO hear the
final remarks and the resume OF the testi.
mony by the opposing lawyers. w. 7. Hays,
OF steubenyille, began the argument for the
plaintiffs dwelling at length on the deposit
tons and testimony Of tho owners and at.
taches OF the housts OF ill.iane. He spoke
in tho most glowing terms OF Mrs. Reeds
assistant, Annie Smith, saying he would
rather bs the Niger than Deacon Spence"
He dwelt on the testimony Of Robert jun
kins and the evidence concerning the
Aarops house; denou aolng the views OF ex.
perts on hand writing, and stated In loud
and emphatic terms that Mrs. Hobensack
wrote the letter. He became very violent at
times, and tore his necktie from bis ntcs.
He spoke very bitterly about Mrs. Hoben-
sack aud ssked: who the devil Is spence p
He denounced him as the wrecker OF DR..
Hobensack's happinesI, and tbulldozer Of
witnessed. Closiug his remarks about IL
: o'olccE, he hastily tade the judge and one OF
two others good bye and left for the train.
Il JUDGE CHAMBERS tPEAKs.
Judge Robert E. Chambers, OF st. Clairs-
vile, a. one O'Clock began the argument for
t1e defense, laying down the law fiom the
books, that adultery must be proven and
the circumstances must be such as 10 lead the
guarded discretion OF q reasonable and Just
J man u the conclusion that the charge Is
true" He reviewed the married life OF DR..
and Mrs Hobensack; how It began pleas
antly, continuing 81 for eighteen months,
then growing iaharmonious through the
conduct OF DR.. Hobeneack; told OF the sepG.
ration-how his home was broken up, and
how he s)aght 10 heal his wounded aud
i. broken heart with S25, 900; how he went 10
, Nj. shilling's at four O'Clock In the morning
10 get his wife IN come back to him, and
how, finally, she did make conditional
reconciliation, the conditions beiag thst the
, Doctor should quit drinking, sell out and
move away from Martins Ferry, which con-
, ditions he never carried out. He showed in
very eloquent remarks how utterly impcs.
sIble and against human reason and expert
ence for nau TO believe that man de.
! bauchod his wife, dishonored his home and
, dragged his mama down 10 shame, then to 80
| W tQAL u1dll, tld hub44uL VI all LILO
time after time, and implore him 10 bring
about reconciliation. Thera IVES not such
a caso in all the history Of Jurisprudence,
ancient or modern, and DR.. Hobensaok did
not then, and does not now, believe his own
charge.
A LITTLE IRONY.
!, The Judge drew n glowing picture OF the
part Lawyer Black, Of Cincinnati, Lad tsksn
In the case, and paid an ironical tribute to
this attorneys ability. He said Black was
In Duncar's Office, and helpsd In the dirty
work OF this case; thSt he went vito Dr.. Ho.
bensack 10 show Mrs. Hobensack's photo.
graph 10 the inmates Of the houses OF ill.fsme
In the alleys OF Allegheny and Wheeling
"to Annie Smith aad her gallant protector,
Robert Junkins" He referred to W. P.
HAYS eulogy Ct the assistant TO Mrs. Reed,
Annie Smith, Annie. sweet Annie" What
kind remarks he made about her. Then he
commented on the fact that none OF the wit.
nessss from Martins Ferry, summoned By
either side OF the case, showed anything oui
OF JlacB between Mr.. Spence and Mrs. 10
bensacE; this was sworn to only by the wit.
nelsls from the assignation housts and sweet
Annie's protector, Robert Junkins, OF whose
testimony he could only think In the Ian
, guags Of EMelid's reply TO lGgO:
'-iou told q lie!
An odt0uS damned liel
Upon my soul, q lie, wicked lie!"
Judgs Chambers spoke OF the letter intro
J duced by the plaintiff as "a dsmnable fraud '
and com pared the spelling In this letter with
some OF Mrs. Hobensack's, the spelling being
correct In her letters but wrong In this forged
one.
| Hon. Lorenzo Dantord followed in an
hours speech, rehearsing the testimony and
the character OF the WITNESSES introduced by
, the plaintiff, and made most logical and
convincing presentation OF the facts in the
cese. He told in g.aphic terms how Dr..
Hobensack, with
TIE LIGHTED TORCH or HATRED AND MALICE,
had lsshed 1t into the alleys and byways oil
Wheeling and Pittsburgh, the ebodes oil
pimps and prostitutetj how all the witnesaes
, testified that every thing between Mr.. Spence
and Mrs. HobeXBRck wGs In broad Daylight
done openly and honestly, Just as relatives
and friends generally do; how Hobensack
blamed his wife's leaving him on some one
else until few months past. He showed
! how Mrs. Reeds and Annie Smiths test
mony were completely ut variance with each
on Robert JunkinB' testimony, etc. The let.
ter seemed 10 be the link necessary to the
chain OF circumstances. He believed the let
ter was fraudulent Truth always pre-.
walls and lies do not held together.
With final appeal to the Jury the
argument for the defense closed, and Mr..
Duncan took up tho case for the plaintiff,
!. followed by Mr.. Rees, both of whom went
. over the testimony, the former paying more
attentioa to the law In the case. Both made
! good speeche'. The case was given 3ts the
jury, which was very Intelligent looking
set Of men, who in about two hours returned
verdict Of not guilty. This probably ends
; this case, which leaves Mr.. Spence and Mrs.
,, Hobensack guilteS before the world. Other
cases growing out Of this are likely to follow,
one by Mrs. Hobensack for divorce being
alrt a1y set for trial about the middle oil next
month.