Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-10-19
TO SHIELD HIS WIFE.
Rare Devotion of an Indiana Man.

hart county, now serving Il life sentence
On the morning of Aug. 30, 1870, Noel
and his wife, an exceedingly attractive
woman, engaged in an altercati ton in
the rear of their home in Ekhart and
Abraham PauluS, neighbor, entered
the yard and took the part of the wife
and was shot and instantly killed by
Noel. The murderer Immediately sur
rendered himself to the authorities.
but refused to make any statement
of the circumstances leading to his
crime except that PauluS entered his
yard and interfered in a Quarre: in
which he had no concern. The trial
was called in December following and
on the stand in his own behalf Noel
still adhered to his determination not
to tell anything more about the crime
than was already known to the public.
Further than the statement that he
and his wife were QUarreling and that
PauluS interfered he would say moth
ing. His cOunSe- showed his previous
good character. his quiet, inOffensive
disposition and that the fatal encounter
with Paulus was the only trouble that
he had ever had. 1t was shown that
before going to Elkhart, he had lived
at Pullman, near Chicago, and had
there accumulated some property and
that he had been employed for q num-
Der of years as Il draper by Marshall
Field & Co., of that city. Beyond this
was offaroI Of
the crime and, while the jury believed
that something was lacking, it had to
be governed dby the facts adduced
and Noel received a life sentence.
When Noel reached the prison he
was placed at work in the cooper shop
and for nearly ten years he performed
his daily tasks without a murmur,
crime and, as far as known, never
making confident of anyone regard
ing it. The attention of the prison au-
thoritieS was attracted by his uniform
good behavior and some years ago he
was made d 'trusty" and placed in
charge of the grounds surrounding the
warden's residence. In this capacity
the unlimited confidence of the prison
officials, taking full charge of the
grounds, going to and from the rail
way station With visitors and keeping
everything in the most perfect order.
At night he makes the rounds Of the
premises to see that everything is
secure and then reports at the prison,
goes into his cell and is locked up
til morning, when he leaves it again
for. his duties outside the prison walls.
During al his fourteen years Of con-
finement he has never been known to
utter a complaint, and, though the
officers would gladly have seconded an
effort to gain Il pardon for him, he
never suggested such a step till within
the past few months. 1t was then
that the story of the killing and the
events leading UP to it was first told
by the convict who had kept silent
for years in reference to crime
that had many extenuating circum-
stances and the punishment for which
he might have escaped entirely had he
shown as little regard for the fair
fame of his wife as she had shown
for her marriage VOWS.
According to Noel's story, he had
discovered that his wife was unfaithful
to him and he was upbraiding her on
account of her infidelity on the morn
ing of the murder. He loved her with
a passion that dwarfed every other
sentiment in his breast and his feel
1fc.nts ION. SCOT h0l
than of anger, for he believed that
she had been subjected to some ter
rib-e temptatiOn and had fallen with
out being utterly bad. Just at that
moment PauluS appeared upon the
scene It was he who had brought
ruin upon his house and when Paulus
appeared and sought to pose as his
wife's protector, it fired his brain
and almost without knowing what he
did fired the shot that sent the soul
of the seducer into eternity. He re-
GREETED the act the moment it was
committed and resolved that, how
ever unworthy the Twife had been.
he would be true to his VOW to pro-
tect and honor her. Under the magic
influence which she eXerted over him,
he still believed her capable Of living
correct life and though he believed
that he might escape the vengeance
of the law if he would show the great
proyocation under which he labored
and give the proofs upon which it
was based, he determined to sIffer
rather than to send the woman he
loved out into the world with repu-
tation forever Blasted. Acting in ac-
cordance with his resolution, he refus-
ed to produce in court any of the
proofs which might have saved him
from conviction and which certainly
would have mitigated his crime and
resulted in a lighter sentence. He said
that be had lived in the hope of being
some day a free man, but he had pro
posed to die in prison rather than let
one word escape him that would suly |
the reputation of his wife. He had |
expected that his wife would get a
divorce, and wished that she would, |
but even this would not have caused /
him to break his long silence. She
had recently married, however, without
going through the Legal form OF gettlnS
a divorce and this had proved 10 his
mind that she had not only ceased
to care for him but as well had no !,
respect for the obligations OF the law
or regard for the estimation III which
her own name was held.