The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1892-12-03
VALUE OF THREATS.
HOW DESIGNING PERSONS TAKE A
MEAN ADVANTAGE.

Wives Are Frequently Terrorized by Their
Husbands. While Seapegrace Sons AID
Maynard Brothers Use Their Positions
to Extort Money.
The threat as a weapon Of social war
fare has not yet been given its truly inn
portant place. The sanest persons are
inclined to regard the threat as the out
come Of z vain and feeble mind and are
prompted to laugh when the villain
cries ..Beware..' Much as we may de-
spise the threat, yet it is indubitable that
more people are Influenced and made TO
do what is against their wishes by this
means than by actual violence.
The threat wielder is naturally punily
proportional, mentally and physically,
and exercises his power most effectually
in the woman's world. Women more
than men have reason to dread the
threat, for man can either afford to i
its dangers or proceed to immediate
punishment. The woman IS defenseless,
and though she would frequently like
to proceed TO extreme, yet traditional
convention keeps her within bounds.
Threats are so varied that it would re-
quire a large volume to describe them
all, but we will speak Of the more CON
mon.
The dissatisfied son is well known to
society. He greedily seizes every occa-
sion to drag his name through the mire
and besmirch the family. He is fire.
quently demonstrated with; prayers,
tears, exhortations are in vain. Then
comes the last injunction, "If you per-
sist in this last course / will disinhe,it
YOU" go ahead" replies the young
reprobate; syou cut off my supplies, and
I'll disgrace the whole family"
One threat is sufficient to procure the
means for his vile wants, and the house
hold lives in abject terror lest the
threat wielder put into execution his
promise of further tortures. It is not
only bad sons who exercise this baleful
system of money getting; it is as freely
employed by bad brothers and husbands.
The pleasant and affectionate brother
is probably now reading the society col
umns of the daily and weekly papers
with the utmost care. His drunken
comrades once twitted him about his
sscraze."
well" said the unblushing scoun-
drel, .'d'ye see, / have a sister who's no
end way up, and when I find she's going
to give Il party to the nobs | drop her a
line and say I'm coming. 1t fetches the
stuff, it does" This heartless scheme to
fitch from her money to cover her dis
grace found a peculiar charm for the be-
sotted minds of his companions. The
threat was more potent than the per-
Torrance, for if the good lady had had
the moral courage to send for Ill officer
and declare the fellow a lunatic she
would have been saved from his now
never ending persecution.
How many women suffer from the
threat of their devoted husbands? And
how many wives slave themselves to
death through threats from their spouses?
The threat cannot be successfully
welded by men whose mentality lacks
intuition. To a man whose iutuitions
are good, and who reads human nature
easily, the threat is a powerful weapon.
1t really requires a man who can analyZe
emotion and passion to reach the acme
VI pCI1CItloh u @ ta4%ot y AIC
vulgar threatener loses his charm, but
the accomplished villain can SO torture
his victim or victims that the pangs en-
dured by the patrons of the auto da fe
were exquisite pleasures in comparison.
Apparently the kindest and most sub
s~ervient husbands can, by judiciously
handling of the threat, drive their wives
almost to desperation at a social func.
ton, and none but them know of the
secret punishment. To employ the
threat SO that it posters every fiber
of your victims body the tenderest
points in your opponents arn0r must bt
known. That once being discovered il
is marvellous what ramifications the
threat can take. The merest glance cal
become a threat, and the person is a:
completely under the glamour of thi:
delicate inquisition as the diminutivs
mouse in the claws of a powerful cat.
The most successful threat is not tx
the woman herself, for a woman's pa
tience and pluck under such circuin
stances can be provokingly humiliating
and there is no man who feels exactly
hero when the person he has sworn t,
honor and protect will regard him will
humid eyes and meekly say, "As yoI
like, dearest
Women, as general rule, love martyr
dom, and there are some so p%eculiarl,
constituted as to derive the seyerest Ell
joyment from the contemplation tia
their liege lords were harboring in thei
minds some hideous schemes Of venge
ance against them. But where thi
would fail the threat of the amiable III
dividual to do something to hi1nsel