The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-12-02
An Earl's Wife Sues for Divorce, and Charges
Her Husband with Shocking Brutality and
Demon-Like Behavior in General.
Pekin's Defenders Ready 10 Desert and
Join the Advancing Army ofMongols.
Discharged Railway EmplOye Commits Ter.
rible Act of Reyenge-The Kaiser Anxious
To Prove His Sanity-Koolaks Killed.
Sensational Charges by the Countess Russell
Against Her Husband Ventilated In Court.


Sensational Charges by the Countess Russell
Against Her Husband Ventilated In Court.
LONDON. Dec. LIN the divorce division
of her Majasty's High Court of Justice. be-
fore Mr.. Justice Butt, there was commenced
to-day case which has excited much com.
ment. particularly in the higher walks Of
English life. This case 10 the applicatiop
of Countess Russell for judicial sc paratioK
from her husband. Earl Russell. the grand
son of the great Lord John Russell, on the
ground of cruelty. John Francis Stanley
Russell. Earl Russell and Viscount Amber
ley was born Aug u, 1s65, and twenty
six years old. He succeeded TO the earldom
on the death of his grandfather, John, the
first Earl Russell. On Feb. 6. 1890.
the Earl married Mabel. daughter
of the late Sir Claude Scott.
and q very short time afterward the wife
left her husband. alleging that he was
cruel tc her. While the Earl was at college
at Oxford be was noted for his eccentric
theological and political views. and after
his marriage his actions were such that the
Countess believed him TO be insane. Ii is
alleged that he compelled her TO submit to
lndignities of peculiar nature. and for
the minimum punishment is seven years
Imprisonment. The evidence for the petit
tioner was said to be of such a character
that it was believed the case would be
heard in camera. but the proceedings to-day
were in open court The Earl denies each
and every one of the allegations made by
his wife, and claims that the whole trouble
Is due to his mother-in-law. Sir Charles
Russell appeared for the Earl and Sir
Edward Clark. the Solicitor-geDeral, repre-
6ented the Countess.
The petition of the Countess states that
from the time che was married until she
left him, Earl Russell hsbitually treated
her with great harshness and cruelty, ter
rliying her and injuring her health. The
Earl compelled her to remain until 2 OF 3
o'clock In the morning doing his accounts.
When she was unable to complete them he
called her useless. uneducated woman
and an ungrateful devil. he also threatened
her with a revolver. Not content with
abusing and insulting her in theprIvacy OF
their apartments he acted towards her IN
such way that she was humiliatec before
his servants.
The courtroom was crowded with q
large number OF persons who listened with
close attention TO the proceedings The
Countess, accompanied by her mother and
sister. was present She and her relatives
occupied seats in the back part of the
courtroom seeming 10 desire to
escape from the observation of the crowd,
Dut LDey UsteDeQ eagerly 10 SlF EQWaTQ
Clarke as he eloquently set forth to the
court the wrongs of his client. Sir Edward
Clarke, In opening the case. said that the
parties TO the suit had lived together for only
four months. owing TO the conduct of the
Earl. Afterward the Countess was in
duced TO return TO her husband. and they
resumed their former marital relations.
This continued but a short time. however.
when the Countess found the Earls actions
intolerable. and they again separated.
After this last separation the Earl wrote
affectionately TO the Countess. and i'm
plored her TO return TO him. The Countess
was persuaded, against her better judg-
ment. and returned TO her husband. But
his atfectionate treatment of her was OF
short duration. He again used personal
violence against her, and made her life
Once he drove her from bed. and she
tainted upon the floor w hen she came TO
she dragged herself TO the room of heI
nurse and spent the remainder of the night
there. The Earl sought her in this room,
but she threatened to throw herself from
the window II he entered, and by this
threat she was enabled to avoid him. The
Countess lost all hope of living happily with
her husband, and she again left him. Prior
to the separation the matter of the
Countess's support was talked over. and the
Earl agreed TO allow her ESQ a month for
her expenses. This agreement the Earl
I violated. lie paid the first monthly allow
Snce, but after that the Countess received
nothing from HIM except checks for the
amount promised, which checks when pre-
sented at the bank were returned dis
| honored. As an evidence of the estimation
| in which the Earl held his wife, Sir Edward
| stated that he often said DO would like TO see
| her carried out OF the house in coffin.
To show the brutal nature of the Earl,
| Sir Edward cited instances of how he used
| to drag cats about with strings around
| their necks. More than once he had amused
| himself by throwing cat at the ceiling
until he had nearly killed the poor beast,
IA n ramnnsrrafAd
against this cruelty, whereupon the latter
| said il was necessary TO ''hck the cat into
shape" adding: u will lick you into shape
Early in May the Earl and Countess pro-
| posed to attend a levee. The Countess
| came to London and stayed at the Abe
marie Hotel; She laid out the clothes
| which the Earl was TO wear When the
| Earl arrived he refused 20 allow q servant
| to dress him, and insisted that the Count
ess should leave the dinner-tab and come
! to their room anu act as his
| valet. When they returned from the
| levee he also compelled her TO attend
| TO him. The Countess was naturally an
noyed that her husband should force her TO
| perform menial service. and told him she
was sorry she had ever married him; The
| Earl at once rang the bell and told the
| servant who answered to summon Lady
Scott, the Couptesss mother. When Lady
| Scott entered the room the Earl said:
Here is your sacred daughter; take her
| away as soon as you like and you can 60
| to the devil" Ii was on her return. at her
| husbands request, after their temporary
separation, that the Countess was found
one night nude and in a fainting condi-
1 tion on the floor in the room occupied by
her and the .-arl. The Earl told the maid
| who had gone to the room that some water
had fallen on the Countess's night-dress
! and he had taken it OFT.
| When Sir Edward had concluded his ad-
dress he called the first witness. This was
| the Countess Russell. She gave her testi-
, nony in q clear voice. and recounted many
| instances of the EarPs alleged brutal be-
| havior. Many of the incidents were sensa-
tional She wassharply cross-examined by
| Sir Charles Russell. The court adjourned
before the examination had been concluded.
READY FOR MUTISY.