The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-07-15

giving her the bottle by dashing q little
of the cologne into her face, or unexpect-
edly pouring a quantity of it on her head.
His wife objected TO these pranks, but he
persisted in them.
IL Is not uncommon practice among
saloon keepers 10 have about their saloons
bottle or strong sulphuric acid. The
acid, diluted, Is used for cleaning brass
spigots and other metal fittings. The
playful old beer vender, whose case we
are now considering, was one of those
who followed this custom He had done
so for years. As empty cologne bottles
were numerous in his establishment, and
as their close-httlng glass shoppers made
them most convenient receptacles for
acids, the vitriol was habitualy kept in
one of these bottles Of peculiar shape.
On the morning of the accident the
spigots needed cleaning and the vitriol
boetle was empty. The saloon keeper
took II to the drug store to have it re-
plenished. After the druggist had filed
the bottle the saloon keeper placed it, I'M
wrapped, in the right pocket of his sack
coat and was about to go, when it oc-
Cured TO him to buy his wife a bottle of
cologne. This he did. opened the cologne
bottle as usual, and after testing its con
tents, placed the bottle in the left pocket
of his sack coat, and sauntered back to
his saloon.
friends. The husband Joined the party
and they all drank beer cheerfulIy to-
gether, The friends present had often
seen the husband tease his wife by pour
ing cologne on her head. So when, while
she was going TO the bar to replenish tho
beer mugs, he half drew from the right
pocket of his sack coat what seemed to be
bottle of cologne, and with laughing
wink called his friends attention to il
they all knew what was going to happen
They prepared themselves to be amused
by the wlfe's surprise and pettish remon-
strances She came back to the table
and sat down. Her husband found some
pretext for getting behind her without
attracting her attention, cautiously drew
the bottle from his right pocket. silently
withdrew the stopper, and emptied a half
pint of the Tuning acid squarely on his
wife's head. The poor woman, shrieking
IN her agony, fell writhing on the floor.
The husband discovered his mistake in
stantly and was nearly mad with grief
Everyone present saw at once how the
disaster had come about and was ready
to swear that what had happened was the
purest accident.
That would probably have been the end
OF the matter had not the policeman on
the beat heard the womans shrieks, and
according to custom, arrested everybody
in sight without stopping to ask ques-
tions. The whole party was taken before
the nearest police magistrate, who heard
the story, and, of course, ordered everv
one released from custody. One of the
court attendants outlined the incident to
the first reporter who happened in. The
reporter started for the saloon. Not
knowing its exact location he happened
TO stop in at the drug store where the
vitriol was purchased for a look at the
directory. The druggist related, when
he heard for whom the reporter was look
ing, all he knew about the matter, men
tioning that he had cautioned the saloon
keeper not TO get the BOTTLES mixed, and
telling, in reply to question, about the
old Germans habit of opening every
bottle of cologne he purchased before
taking 1t away
Neighborhood gossip indicated that the
husband had good cause for thinking that
his wife was altogether too attractive for
her own good and his peace of mind The
wifes mother, who herself regarded the
accident theory with considerable suspi-
cion, cOnhded TO the reporter that, some
months before, her daughter had fed to
her one night in terror, having the very
best possible reason TO believe that her
husband had discovered that she was de-
ceiving him. Her husband succeeded in
convincing his wife, by his conduct, that
he had discovered nothing and suspected
nothing, and her fears were allayed
There was found to be a curious CORE
spondence between the date of the wife's
fright and the date on which the husband
began to open the cologne bottles at the
druggists, and to tease his wife in the
manner already described. The re-
porter strongly suspected that the
accident had been very ingeniously
contrived that the husband had care
fully thought out a way by which he
could with impunity revenge himself and
at the same time destroy his wifes dan
| gerous beauty forever. The newspaper
man wrote up his story In such way
that that those who read it must share
! his suspicious. The saloon-keeper was ar
| rested, indicted, tried and acquitted. The
/ wife's testimony was colored by her de-
sire to shield her own reputation. Even
/ if she had told the whole truth the result
| would have been the same. With such "A
| perfect defense as the husband had pre-
| pared before his crime and the doctrine
| of reasonable doubt" to help it out, con-
! viction was impossible.
| The saloon-keeper went back TO his dis
| figured wife, and they lived and sold beer
| together as before. But the wife found
no more admirers, has not killed her hus-
| band-yet. There are some elements in
this story of real life that seem as if they
| ought to recommend it TO the attention of
novelists.