Omaha daily bee., 1889-03-13
ERECT A. WHIPPING POST.
Then Give Charles j. Barber About
q Thousand Lashes
IF A WIFE ReATeR AS ALLEGED
But Perhaps otIelis Loving Husband
and Hisssl Wife's Bieokened
Eyeso the Mark OF
Affection.
A Terrible Tale Of Cruelty.

If reports are TO be given credence there
will be sensational divorce case in the
family of Charles ]. Barber.
| Barber and his family live at 2li5 Califor-
mia street, the family consisting of Barber
his wife and u teu-year-old daughter.
Report has it that Barber has been &c
| customed TO treat his wife with the most
wanton cruelty, and that on Sunday last he
| became enraged at her for some imagined of.
fense and beat her most brutally. Both her
eyes were blackened and most of her hair
| had been pulled out by the roots. The little
| daughter was also beaten and still bears the
| marks.
According to the terrible stories related
by dlgerent members the Ostrom family
| and olher relatives, Barber Is most brutal
| and inhuman man. His violent passion and
ungovernable temper, 1t is claimed, are be-
| yond control and make him the brute that
| he is.
| His wife Is now confined to her bed, the
| result OF his brutality Sunday night. The
| helpless womans father and mother, Mr..
ana Mrs. A. s. Ostrom, who reside at 1706
| North Twenty seventh street, remained
| with their daughter all day yesterday and
last night. physician was also with the
| afflicted woman.
''The family was afraid to let Mrs Barber
| remain on her sick-bed without some one
being by her side all the time" said Ernest
| seen at his home, 271l Blonde street. His
| wife is sister to the wounded and much
| beaten woman.
| 'There would be no telling what that
| brute would do. If he were permitted to be
| alone with her we are afraid that he
| dose of poison in the medicine
left there by her physician Barber was not
| satisfied with almost killing his wife by
| choking, beating and kicking her, but he
had to strike his little ten-year-old girl in his
| lnfuriated passion, when poor little Edith
| tried to intercede for her mother. They had
been to church, and it was about IL o'clock
when he beat Mrs. Barber in the manner
| which he did. When the woman was pale
| and white as ghost, and while gasping for
breath when his hands were crushing her
| throat, Edith screamed: oh, papa, don't
| whip my mamma that way and at the same
time the poor little thing, almost frightened
| to death, tried to intercede by catching hold
of him in some way. Enraged, he struck
| the little girl in the face. She is now wear
ing couple of black eyes as the result Of
her fathers brutality.
BARBER is the meanest and vilest man, I
think, that ever drew breath. He is wealthy;
has beautiful home in the artistocratic
portion of the city-Twenty first and Cali
could roll in luxury and be happy and make
his family happy but their home is a hell.
1 will venture to say that q his
wife has not spent cheerful or happy day in
puSU uOZcn yDlTS. lulS Is UOU Uue only
incident, but it is the worst punishment that
Mrs. Barber has, received at the hands of
her husband. None of the family, except
MIR. and Mrs. Ostfoui, will have anything to
do with him. The Old folks have tried to
keep them together and this is the first time
that his atrociods cruelty has been made
public, but all his heighbors aud all the rela-
tives have known Of his brutality towards
Mrs Barber for years He takes such angry
fits that she has to- remain away from home
at times. One night she STAYED here at our
house to avoid HIS punishment He is good
business man ana is hail fellow well met
down town, and with the boys he is sociable
and well-liked. But when he reaches home
he is old Satan himself have had friends
who work in his office tell me that he had
often invited them to dinner or tea with
him, but they refused to go for the
reason that they could not stand to
he took friend to dinner with him. After
they were seated at the table something
turned up that didn't just exactly suit his
fancy, and he jumped up, began to heap
oaths upon his wife and then put on his hat
and left.
''Should you know Mrs. Barber and should
you happen to meet her and her husband on
the street, and tip. your hat as you passed,
Barber would be furiously wild His jealous
disposition would show itself it it's vilest
form. He would curse and abuse her and
would want to know how she happened to be
acquainted with you. Then when they
dergo thrashing. He can't go to party or
in any kind Of society without making every
decent and respectable man and woman
blush by the insulting and offensive language
that he uses towards his wife. If there ever
was q brute Barber is one."
Henry e. Ostrom, brother to Mrs. Barber,
was present when the above story was told.
He corroborated the statement in it's en-
tirety, and added several other incidents Of
Barbers cruelty.
81 don't speak to the scoundrel," said Mr..
Ostrom. my father and mother are the
only ones who will have anything to do with
the brute, and they do it merely for the sake
of my sister. Barber is not fiJ man to live
in civilized community where respectable
women reside. He ordered me out of his
house about year ago because / interfered
when he attempted to pounce upon my sister
when she was reprImanding the little girl
for her sauciness. Mas. Barber had then
just left sick bed and was sitting
in a chair when her husband
seized her by the hands. She
ished had 1 not interposed. Another time he
was going to cut me with a grass sickle /
go to his house whenever want to see my
sister and pay no attention TO him. One
year ago my father gave us a New Years
dinner, at which Barber and his wife were
present. There were about thirty in the
party. Right there with sisters and broth
ers, relatives and friends, and in our fathers
house, he nsulted his wife. He made him
finishing his dinner. Last season during the
heated term he took his wife and little girl
to Spirit Lake to spend few weeks. The
first day after arriving at the lake his tenn
per got the best of him and he came home,
leaving Mrs. Barber and the baby there
OF course they were left without means,
aud were compelled to return the following
day.
'If my sister recovepB from her injuries
she will commence proceedings for divorce
The matter is iut the hands of General
Gown. ALI hayaito say, in conclusion, for
Barber is that he Is an unprinciped brute
with no more moralst than the meauest and
lowest Of men,
A. ID. Touzzalin' 's wife of 2l0S Chicago street
is also sister to Mrs. Barber. They are all
very indignant, and can't say too much TO the
detriment of Barber for his brutality.
Barber was seen 4t his residence last night
and at first declineiInto say anything about
the matter, preferring, he said, to write
statement to the papers for publication to-
morrow, but finally was convinced that it
were better for him that he should make
some statement In connection with the affair.
''The whole story he said, sis a base
fabrication, and was started by my brother
in-law, Ernest Caldwell, man to whom |
have not spoken for years, TO injure me.
There may have been slight differences in
my family but there has been no such
things as reported. This man Cald we'll is a