The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-09-25
SHE LOVES HIM YET.
Mrs. Bohan Attempts to Shield
the Brute who Blinded Her.

L4lO LII uIC w 41O O1lllAlCA 11O1s
The little courtroom in Long Island City was
crowded with men and women yesterday after
noon and the eyes of all were turned with
fascinated horror on a burly, brutal-looking
fellow, who scowled at them In return. He
was William Bohan, and he was on trial for
gouging out his wife's eyes. He looked capa-
BILE Of the crime, horrible as it is. His square
jaws were thickly covered with stubby black /
beard and his closely-oropped hair seemed <
almost to touch his little. furtive eyes, so low
and narrow was the retreating forehead. Clad
in flannel shirt and an old suit of dark
clothes, he sat with his lawyer on one side of
him and a constable on the other. So great
was the Prejudice against him, excited by his
crime, that it was with difficulty jury could
be obtained. and even the judges on the
benoh-Garretson, Brandon and Kavanagh-A
could scarcely conceal their disgust.
Across the courtroom and behind the pris~
oner sat his wife, large, kindly-faced,
motherly- looking woman, with her two married
daughters and her married sister beside her.
She wore green veil as bandage across her
face, and sat with the patience of the blind
hour after hour without moving. When her
husband testified she turned her sightless face
towards him and listened in an eager, Intent
way to what he had to say. Her daughters
would now and then say something to her
against their savage father, but she would
only rock herself backward and forward and
answer depreeatlngly, trying to shield him.
The story of the terrible assault has been told
in the World. Bohan kept q low GROCERY at
Far Rockaway. On the night of April 20, 1886,
while drunk and quarrelsome, he tore out her
left eye. He was arrested, but she pleaded for
him and he escaped. He declared many times
afterward that he would "have her other eye."
On the night of July 80, 1883, he kept his word.
He accused her of having driven his brother
away earlier in the evening. Then he rushed
at her and deliberately thrust his right thumb
into the corner of her eye and gouged it out SO
that it lay on her cheek. The agonized screams
of the poor woman, who fell to the floor in q
paroxysm of pain, frightened him and he fed.
He was arrested and confined i'll Jail without
against him, one for each otfense and it was
for the first offense that he was on trial yes
terday.
Mrs. Bohan, who was the first witness, was
led to the stand by two court officers. She
walked slowly, her cropping gestures awakening
overwhelming sympathy in the hearts OF all
who saw her, and reminding the fierce horror
for the brutal wretch who robbed her OF sight.
Her kindly face wore troubled look and she
turned to the judges before she was we'll seated
and asked tremulously:
"Do have to testify?"
"You have to tell all you know and answer
truthfully all the questions put to you" SAID
Judge Garretson, gently. The troubled look
| grew deeper.
"Can YOU see me, Mrs. Bohan?" asked Dis.
| trict Attorney Fleming.
| mo, sir; can't she replied, sadly.
"Perhaps if you lift your veil you can see?"
continued the lawyer, alluding to the green
| bandage about her eyes. She removed 1t, and
| murmur ran round the courtroom, which the
| Judges themselves were too affected to cheek.
| Even Bohan WINGED, and turned his head aside
| that he might not look upon those pupilless
| sockets. The poor woman waited patiently
till she was told to put the bandage on again,
| when she did so.
elbow did you lose your eyesight?" asked
| the lawyer.
civilian put up his hand in the dark, and
I ran against it, SIR she REPLIED with plead
| ing tone In her voice.
Edo you mean to tell me that this was done
| accidentally" exclaimed Mr.. Fleming indig-
nantly.
SIT Just happened this way answered Mrs,
Bohan, earnestly, turning her sightless. face
appealingly toward the jury. con April 20.
| 1886, William and l were living together at
Rockaway Beach. William was in bed that
night and took some money out of his pocket
and went into the next room. William wanted
the money, and he followed me into the room.
| There was no light, and William was cropping
about in the darkness when his finger happen
ed to go into my eye. I have not been able to
see out of it since" Here she paused a mo-
ment and then, as II fearing she had not laid
| sufficient emphasis on the innocence of her
husband, she added earnestly: 1t was an
accident, and he wasn't to blame"
When she heard the voice of her husbands
lawyer, how quickly and readily she answered,
| ana now renewed Sne app6arou anu now Vn0
troubled look passed out of her face! The
questions sounded like the most exquisite
| irony.
ibid you and your husband ever quarrel9"
asked the lawyer.
"Oh, mol We got along very we'll together.
never made any complaint against him, she
tile did not Intentionally assault your" he
continued.
Indeed, no, sir" she answered promptly.
| "He lust put up his hand in the dark and I
ran against it. 1t was quite as much my fault
| as his"
The daughters next testified, and one of
| then--Nrs. Barry-told how she had seen the
blood on her mothers cheek just after the
| assault, and how she had heard her father say
he would give her a mark that she would take
to her grave. She also heard him say he would
pull the other eye out. Mrs. Hoffman,
another daughter, heard her father threaten
| her mother.
Mrs Mary Farrell sister of Mrs. Bohan,
gave the strongest evidence. She was heart
and soul against the prisoner and she evidently
wanted to see him punished for his sickenIng
crime. She said: 81 have seen that man."
pointing to Bohan, who scowled back at her
from under his lowering black brows, 'strike
his wife many times, and more than once I
have heard him threaten to injure her.
heard him say once, DO you see those cedars
out there? l will swing you yet"
Bohan himself was put on the stand, and he
seemed to feel the universal eXecration that
looked out from the hundreds of eyes bent on
him. He kept his head down most of the
time and talked in low tone. He never
raised his eyes from the floor, except now and
then to glance furtively at the jury
Ibid you ever strike your wife," asked
District Attorney Fleming.
Eyes; l often struck her. was the unabash-
ed reply. "And L have hit her in the face,
too; bnt her eyes were put out by accident
never did that"
"Did you know that your wife went to see
ex-Dtstrict Attorney Downing to take proceed
ings against you?'
"she didn't take no proceedings" replied
the prisoner sullenly. When 1 was arrested
and taken before Justice Healy l was dis
charged"
Mrs. Bohan was recalled and denied her
daughters testimony about threats being used
by Bohan HE never threatened me at all,
said the faithful creature, true to the last.
"He was always kind to me-" And she was
led, cropping, to her seat. The speeches were
strong and every one listened TO hear them.
Then the jury fled out and the crowd waited
for half an hour for the verdict.
Bohan's hands twitched nervously and he
could scarcely keep still in his chair, When
| the jurV came in he looked nm eagerly and