The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1884-04-15
The Repudiated Husband of Poor
Elcy Chace Sues for
Damages.
The Unhappy Sequel to An Unflial
Daughters Love and Olandes-
tine Marriage,
Incompaubility of Disposition Which Led
toDesertion Of Home, and Ended
in Self-Destruction.

occurring in this city in the past decade
has eQualed the tragic death OF Elcy Ann
Chace. Elcy, the only daughter OF an old
and well-kuown Quaker couple, lived with
her aged mother in little old cottage on
road leading from the Taunton turn
pike. Brought up on the quiet, Sclf-Sacri.
hcing tenetS OF that faith, few, if any, Sus.
pected that she could possibly figure in a
tragedy which which would excite so
much attention. EIcy lived with her
mother on 4 farm, which had
been titled by her father for many
years, and after his death it be.
came necessary for the family to pro-
cure the services of male help. 1t so
happened that Swede, Niles Nell
son by name, applied for work and was
engaged Love chooses strange COM
pauiouS sometimes, and in this case
drew together in the bonds of friend
ship, which ripened into more delicate
feeling, this uneducated Swede and the
only daughter of the household. There
is evidence that the courtship ran on
smoothly, but unknown TO ElCy's
mother, and that the couple be-
came very loving The courtShip
carried on clande>tinely, terminated
on sunday, October 2i, 1850, in an
elopemtut. Elcy, preparing for the
hasty marriage, sent Niles out for Il
carriage, and meeting him at the
FOOT OF THE Old LANE,
having first told her mother tina. she in.
tended 10 20 70 the city on an errand, got
into the buggy and rode to East Provi.
tenCe, where the services of the Rev.
Leyerrt. ; Woodwork were secured and
they were married After they were
married E,cy asked Niles 10 keep their
wedding i secret for a few months. She
expected that their elopement would
cause trouble, but believed that in the
end the affair would blow over and they
would live happily together. Three days
later, or on October p, l>>0, Elcy left the
Chlce farm, and was not 10 be found by
her husband That morning they had
parted In good spirits, and he had gone
10 his farm work lght.hcarted and
coucenced When be returned she was
zone, and he did not see her
again until the latter part Of 1850, when
she was brought into court on writ Of
hlbeas corpus, on his complaint. There,
much 10 hi. chIZriu and disappointment,
she reuOunced him aud the marriage, and
declared that she did not desire % live
with him 81 his wife Later they went
back To the farm and 10 her death. IL IL
aiCerward proved. On the morning II
January y, ISL, she arose ana Ate break
fast L. usual, but between eight md ten
O'Clock grew rapidly ill., At TX o'clock
that night, after suffering
UNTOLD AGONY, she DIED.
When the funeral was held the husband
sought 10 attend the services, but q
police officer, stationed at the door,
refused him Ambulance 10 the house,
and under threats Of arrest he quilted
the farm. An inquest was held, and
it vas thus learned that the wife had
taken enough arsenic to kill dozen
people. There were covert illusions
and destinations, some Of which we're
50 wicked and outrageous that a
second post mOrtem was held, be.
cause 1t Wa alleged by Interested
persons that the arsenic found in the
wife's vital organs was surreptiOusly
placed there To thrOWa suspicion OF murder
on others. The result Of the inquest VS.
the discovery that Elcy met her death by
arsenic poison In the meantime the
wife's will was flied in the Probate Court
Of this city. She gave all the property re.
ceiycd from her fathers estate 10 hcI
mother. Nelson contested the probatine
Of the instrument, and Judge WescOtt
sustaining the will, an appeal was taken
TO the Supreme Court, where full tria.
was held. Evidence was presented tC
prove that Elcy was controlled by an in
explicabie and irresistible influence
which Nelson had over her--a sort Of an
evil eye-and that she was led, despite
her feelings and desires to the contrary,
into the trap which made her his wife.
THE WILL WAS SUSTAINED.
and then Nelson brought suit against DR.
Welcome o. Brown, lIuldah VI. BccbC
and Elcy NJ. Chace for $4,000 damages
on account Of the alienation Of his wifc's
affection, for not allowing him to attend
her funeral, and for causing her death by
harassing her mind and driving her tC
suicide. This case was entered at the
October term Of the Supreme Court anc
was heard on the defendants demurrer tC
the counts relative to the cause OF the
death and to the refusal to allow the hus
band to attend the funeral. The demur
rer was sustained. Since then the plain
tiff has amended his declaration and to
morrow a jury will hear his case.