Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-08-15

otTllc- LING marriage toSA p1tcS. ana
it was not long before Mr.. Sneathy's
real character became generally OBJ
vious. For months he was q model,
If somewhat sanctimonious, husband,
and his influence over his wife was
complete. Then he discovered that
her property had been strictly secured
by her first husbands will, and that,
willing as she might be, she was n
able to raise money for her new hus-
bands benefit, and was quite powerless
to pass to him any of her property by
deed of gift. Hereupon the mans ma
ture showed itself. Foolish woman as
Mrs. 4Sneathy might be, she was a low
ing, indeed an infatuated wife, but
Sneathy repaid her devotion by vulgar
derision, never hesitating to state
plainly that he had married her for his
w profit, and that he considered him
self swindled in the result. More, he
even proceeded to blows and other
practical brutality of a sort only de-
vlsable by a mean and ugly nature.
This treatment, at first secret, became
open, and in the midst of it Mr..
Sneathy's penny banks and insurance
offices came to a g~rievous smash ali at
once, and everybody wondered why
My. Sneathy kept out Of gaol.
Keep out of gaol he did, how
ever, for he had taken care to
remain on the safe side Of tho
law, though some of his co-directors
learnt the taste of penal servitude. But
he was beggared and lived, as it were,
a mere pensioner in his wife's house
Here his brutality increased to a fright
full extent, till his wife, already broken
IN health in consequence, went in con
slant fear of her life. and Miss Foster
passed a life of weeping misery. All
her friends e~ntreaties, however. could
not persuade Mrs. Sneathy to obtain q
legal separation from her husband.
She chung to him, with the excuse-for
1t was no more-that she hoped to win
him to kindness by submission, and
with 4 pathetic ~infatuation that seemed
to increase as her bodily strength di-
minished.
Henry and Robert, as may be sup
posed, were anything but silent in
these circumstances. Indeed they
broke cut violently again and again
and o than once went near per-
manently injuring their worthy step
father. Once especially, when Sneathy,
absolutely without provocation, made
a motion to strike his wife in their
presence, there was q fearful scene.
The two sprang at him like wild
beasts, knocked him down and dragged
him to the balcony with the intention
of throwing HIM out ofthe window. But
Mrs. Sneathy impeded them, hysterical-
ly i%mploring them to desist.
eff you lift your hand to nv moth
er," roared Henry, gripping Sneathy by
the throat till his fat face turned blue
and banging his head against the wall,
IF You lift our hand to my mother
again III chop it off viii. I'll chop
1t OIL and drive 1t down your throat"
"Yoll do worse" SAID Robert, white
and frantic with passion. We'll hang
you-hang you to the door! You're u
proved liar and thief, and you're worse
than a common murderer. Id hang
you to the front door for two pence"
For a few days Sneathy was compare
lively quiet, cowed by their violence.
Then he took to venting redOubled
spite On his unfortunate wife, always
in the absence of her sons, wei aware
that she would never inform them. On
their part, finding him apparently bet
ter behaved, in consequence of their
attack, they thought to maintain hia
wholesome terror, and scarcely passed
him without a menace, taking a fiend-
ish delight in repeating the threats
they had used during the scene, by way
of keeping it present to his mind.
'Take care of your hands, sir" they
would say. keep them to yourself,
or by George we'll take EN- off with a
bill hook!'
But his revenge for all this Sneathy
took, unobserved, on their mother.
Truly a miserable household.
Soon, however, the brothers left
home, and went to London by way OF
looking for a profession. Henry began
a belated study of medicine, and Rob
ert made a pretense of reading for the
bar. Indeed, their departure was as
much as anything a consequence of the
earnest entreaty Of their sister, who
saw that their presence at home was an
evaporation to Sneathy and aggra-
waited her mothers secret sufferings.
They went, therefore, but at Ranworth
things became worse. Little was al.
lowed to be known outside the house,
but it was broadly said that Mr..
Sneathy's behavior had become out
rageous beyond description. Servants
left faster than new ones could be
found, and gave their late employer the
character of a raving maniac. Once,
indeed, he committed himself in the
village, attacking with his walking
stick an i~noffcnsive tradesman who had
accidentally brushed against him, and
Immediately running home. This as
sault had to be compounded Tor by a pay
ment of fifty pounds. And then Henry
and RcSert Foster received a most
urgent letter from their sister, request
ing their immediate presence at home.
They went at once, of course, and the
servants account of what occurred was
this: When the brothers arrived Mr..
| S,na+hvy ho1 ,,,c4 1Df& 49, LN.-o rl.a