Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-11-28
BREACH OF PROMISE.
C0ngreSsman-Elect Cox Has Two
Sources of Bother.
A WIDOW WHO WANTS DAMAGES.
She Makes 1t Lively for His Wife Through
Petty Annoyances.
THE CASE WILL BE SETTLED IN COURT

Fourteenth Congressional district, is very
much perpiexed man. He has been mar
ried nearly three years. and, besides having
q breach OF promise suit on his hands, is
vexed by the malice of some person or per.
sons who daub his handsome residence with
oil, paint. foul grease and ink. The two
annoyances are curiousIy interviewer and
form the warp and woof of rather peculiar
story.
Mr. Cox was bachelor up to Jauary 10,
1858, when he married Miss Lizzie Stod-
dard, OF Mountaindale, Sullivan county.
Between the year 1878 and tine date of his
marriage he had frequently visited Mrs
Sarah Melville, a widow employed as a
chamberInaid in the Terwilliger House, one
Of the principal village hotels. He was
generally regarded as a suitor for Mrs.
Melville's hand by the townspeople, and
when alter ten years of pretty regular at
tention he suddenly took another woman
to be his wife all Ellenville was agog.
SUED FOR BREACH OF PROMISE.
Probably the most surprised person in the
town was Mrs. Melville herself, and she has
given it manifestation by calling upon Mr..
Cox to answer in court why he trified with
her affections for such q long time that she
was practically barred out of the matrimo-
nial market, and incidentally to make pc
cuniary compensation for his action.
IN her complaint the widow alleges that
the Congressman had asked her to marry
him, aud that she had given her assent. The
plaintiff declares that her employer, Abra-
ham Constable, and his wife both expected
to see her married to Mr.. Cox, and that he
mad lavished unmistakable evidences OF
affection upon her, and that in speaking to
her OF himself he constantly called himself
"Your Ikey." Mr.. and Mrs. Constable cor
roborated these statements unreservedlv.
The last time the Congressman Wis
tied the widowed chambermaid was
on Christmas Day, 1887, and on January B
following he bestowed his name on Miss
Stoddard, of Mountaindale About year
after this series of petty annoyances were
begun, and continued for nearly two years.
Mr.. and Mrs. Cox had begun housekeeping
in residence corner of Liberty and Main
streets. known as the Dudley property. Mrs.
Cox bought and paid for it soon after her
marriage. The house is surrounded by
lawn, and it was the custom of the mali
cious depredators to spread tar on the grass,
to splash ink on the wall OF the house aud to
throw filth on the steps SO that it would soil
the clothing OF those who entered the house.
For some reason no complaint was made of
this persecution, although Mr.. and Mrs.
Cox say that there were no less than 26 dis
tinct outrages.
THE DEPREDAToR CAUGHT.
On Saturday, October II, Mr.. Cox en-
gagged James Thorpe, who has served three
years in Dannemora prison, to watch the
premises during his (Cox's) absence, with
instructions to seize any person found tres
passing on the premises. or attempting to
deface the property. Mrs Cox was aware
Fslo I,eT ha- h,,el
She remained at home as an assistant
watcher. Her station was in the house,
while Thorpe was in the vestibule and about
the grounds. About $50 o'clock Mrs. Cox
was loudly called for by the outside watcher.
She responded and found a woman Strug-
gng in the grasp of Thorpe. The hubbub
attracted several neighbors, among them
G. c. keeler, who lives directly opposite.
1t was Mrs. Melville whom Thorpe held, and
he said he had detected her in the act of
throwing some sort of liquid on the gate and
sidewalk. 1t was suggested that search
be made for the vessel which contained the
fluid. A search resulted in finding a tomato
can with a small quantity of linseed oil in
it. Mr.. Keeler suggested that all go to JUS
tice De Vany's office nearby, and they went.
No complaint was entered and the Justice
said that Mrs. Melville was free. This is in
substance the story as told by Thorpe and
corroborated bv Mrs. Cox. g
When the widow reached the hotel she
was very nervous and excited. She told
Mrs. Constable what had happened aud
protested her innocence vehemently. Her
clothing and gloves were carefully examined
and not drop OF oil, nor the odor of oil,
could be discovered. Then she was un-
dressed and il was found that her arms and
chest were bruised. She was advised that
the assault as she described it, was unjusti-
fable and that Thorpe should be arrested.
This advice was followed and Justice De
Vany issued warrant
TURNING THE TABLES.
Thorpe was arrested the following Thurs
day and released on his own recognizance
until the following morning. Then he
failed to appear, and his whereabouts re-
mained unknown for.11 days. When the
warrant was again served he elected to be
tried by jury, and November IA was set bv
the Court as the day. When November IA
came Thorpe changed his mind, and said he
would be tried by the Justice. He was rep
resented BY three lawyers, George G. Keeler,
George II. Bush and John G. Gray.
There are only four lawyers in Ellenville.
Mrs. Melville got the fourth, only by hay-
ing retained him immediately after the as
sault He was associated with Lawyer
Gott. OF Goshen. Although the scandal
had been public property since October II,
and was the one theme of village gossip,
the two local newspa pers had not made the
slightest reference to the case, although
news of mammoth pumpkins and double
velk eggs was scarce.
1t may be apropos here 70 say that while
Mrs. Melville's position is an humble one,
she bears an excellent reputation in the
town. Size has been employed for IS years
by Mrs. Constable, and during that time has
never been detected in falsehood or in any
improper or dishonest action. When it
came to an issue of veracity between Mrs.
Melville and Thorpe the Justice very prop
erly gave the complainant credence and
discredted the prisoner.
SWEARING AT CROSS PURPOSES.
The testimony of Mrs. Cox, however, was
accepted as being uuimpeachable. and was
weighed against that OF the widow. Each
fatty contradicted the other. Mrs. Melville
swore positively that she had no tin can in
her hand, had not attempted to deface her
former lovers property in any way. and that
she had been rudely and unjustifiably seized
by Thorpe while passing the Cox mansion;
that she was on her way to visit Mrs. Rock
well, and had no intention OF annoying Mr..
Cox or injuring his property.
Mrs. Cox swore, on the other hand, that
she saw Mrs. Melville dash something on
gate and saw Thorpe seize her Immediately
afterward. The other witnesses who saw
part of the disturbance saw no oil can, nor
did they see Mrs. Melville throw anything.
Thus it was that the evidence resolved itself
to contest of veracity between two per,
sons-one the wife OF the man who is
charged by the chambermaid with breach
Al L