The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1894-01-27
Mrs. Doncel Declares She Married
Her Husband Through Fear.
HE OFFERED HER POISON
She Refused to Commit Suicide with Him
and So He Concluded to End His
Life Alone.

" d oublS correspondent Oh the ana
conda Standard, they will perhaps Judge
her less harshly than they have been
inclined to.
Mrs. Doncel states that she was an
orphan living with an aunt in Missouri
when she met Donceil more than year
ago. He asked her to marry him. She
was mere girl and told him that she
did not love him and could never be-
come his wife. He, however, was per
sistent and succeeded in enlsting the
girls aunt in his cause and she, too, be-
gan urging the girl to marry the man,
assuring her that she would learn 10
care for him and that he would some
day become rich and would make her
good husband. The girl, however, still
refused and then Doncel began to use
threats and told her that if she would
not marry him he would kill her and
himself. These threats were repeated
so often that she finally appealed to her
aunt for protection, but the latter only
repeated her advice to the girl to mar
ry Doncel. Between the threats on
one side, and the urging on the other,
the girl finally yielded and the mar
rage took place in Chicago about seven
months ago. No sooner was the cere-
money over than she fully realized the
step she had taken, and in spite of her
efforts to learn to care for her husband
her feelings toward him began to grow
into horrifying antipathy. Every day
in spite of her struggles against the
feelings, his presence became to her
more repugnant. She told him how she
felt toward him and begged that he
send her home, but he would not hear
of it, and threatened to kill her if she
ever attempted to leave him.
They came to Butte, and he secured
the position of chef at the Butte hotel
but their relations became more and
more loathsome to her. He saw that
she regarded him with constantly in
creasing aversion and believing that
she would try to escape him he urged
her to commit suicide with him and
therefore end the misery of both. He
offered her poison and prepared some
for himself, but she refused to take it,
and he told her that he would give it TO
her unknown to herself, and she became
so frightened that for weeks she was
afraid to eat or drink anything offered
or prepared by him. She lived in con
slant fear and terror, and it began TO
affect her health. She experienced all
the horrors of sheol, and she expected
every minute to be her last.
She began to fear that her mind
would break down under the violent
dread she was suffering and in despera-
ton about two months ago she at
tempted to run away from him, but he
overlook her just as she was about to
get on train and brought her back.
1t was reported at the time that she
attempted to run away with travelling
man, but she denies this. She had no
| particular idea where she was going,
only that she wanted to escape from
the hell in which she had been living.
When he brought her back to the hotel
he again threatened to kill her, and
then urged her to commit suicide, say
ing he would also end his own life. Of
course she refused, but he made an at
tempt at suicide, which was frustrated
by the timely interference of ply
stefan. For several weeks thereafter
their unhappy life was continued, until
she took another course in her effort to
escape, and by promises made him she
secured permission to visit her rela-
tives in Missouri and Kansas. He saw
her safely on the train but she went
only as far as Silver Bow junction,
where she got off and returned to the
town. Since that time for more than
a month she has been hiding in the
home of friend on the west side of
Missoula gulch, never venturing out
side the house and living in even
greater terror of her husband than be-
fore. He returned to the hotel after
putting her on the train, and, after
leaving note stating that he had gone
of to kill himself, mysteriously disap-
peared. His body was subsequently
found, which was a big relief to Mrs.