The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-04-26
A DIVORCE CASE.

Thore was man called Bronckhorst-a
three cornered, middle aged man in the
army, gray as q badger, and, some people
said, with touch of country blood in
him. That, however, cannot DO proved
Mrs. Bronckhorst was not exactly young,
though 10 years younger than her husband.
She was n largo, pale, quiet woman, with
heavy eyelids, ovorweak eyes and hair
that turned red or yellow as the lights fell
on 1t.
Bronokhorst was not nice in any way.
He had no respect for tho petty public and
private lies that make life q little less
nasty than 1t Is. His manner toward his
wife was coarse. There are many things,
including actual assault with the clinched
fist, that q vito will endure, but seldom q
wife can bear, as Mrs. Bronckhorst bore
with long course of brutal, hard chaff,
making light of her weaknesses, her head
aches, her small fits of gayety, her dresses,
her queer little attempts to make herself
attractive to her husband when she knows
that she is not what she has been, and,
worst of oil, tho love that she spends on
her children. That particular sort of
heavy handed jest was specially dear to
Bronckhorst
suppose that no had first slipped into
1t, meaning no harm, in the honeymoon
dearmonts run short, and SO go to the
other extreme to express their feelings. A
similar impulse makes q man say, "Hutt,
you old Beast" when n favorite horse noz-
zles his coat front. Unluokily. when the
reaction OF marriage sets In the form of
speech remains, and, the Tenderness having
died out, hurts the wife moro than she
cares to say. But Mrs. Bronckhorst was
devoted to hor Teddy, as she called him.
Perhaps that was why he objected to her.
Perhaps-this is only theory to account
for his Infamous behavior later OHIO
gave away to the queer, savage feeling that
sometimes takes by the throat husband
20 years married, when no sees, across the
table, the same, same face of his welded
wife and knows that, as he has sat facing
1t, so must he continue to sit until the day
OF Its death or his own. Most mon and
all women know the spasm. 1t only lasts
for three breaths as n rule, must be q
throw back" to times when men and
women were rather worse than they are
now and Is too unpleasant to be discussed.
Dinner ut tho Bronokhorsts' was an in
hiction few men cared to undergo
Bronckhorst took q pleasure In saying
things that mado his vito VINCE When
their little boy came in Mt dessert, Bronck-
horst used to give him half glass of wine,
and, naturally enough, the poor little mite
got first riotous, next miserable and was
removed, screaming. Bronokhorst asked
If that was the way Teddy usually behaved,
and whether Mrs. Bronckhorst could not
spare some of her time to teach the "littlo
beggar decency." Mrs. Bronckhorst, who
loved the boy more than her own life, tried
not to ory-her spirit seemed to have been
broken by her marriage. Lastly Bronck-
horst used to say: "Therel That'u do
thatll do. For Gods sake try to behave
like rational woman Go into the draw
ing ROOM" Mrs. Bronckhorst would 90.
trying to carry 1t all off with smile, and
the guest of the evening would feel angry
and uncomfortable
After three years of this cheerful life
for Mrs Bronckhorst had no woman
friends to talk to-the station was startled
by tho news that Bronckhorst had insti-
tuted proceedings on the criminal count
against man called Biel, who scertaiDly
had been rather attentive to Mrs. Bronck-
horst whenevor sho appeared in public.
The utter want of reserve with which
Bronckhorst treated his own dishonor
helped us to know that the evidence
against Biol would be entirely ciroumstan-
tial and native. There were no letters,
but Bronckhorst said openly that he would
rack heaven and earth until he saw Biel
experimenting the manufacture of carpets
In tho Central jail. Mrs. Bronck horst
Kept entirely to her house and let charita-
BILE folks say what they pleased.
Opinions were divided. Some two-thirds
OF tho station jumped at once to the con-
clusion that Bel was guilty, but IA dozen
men who knew and liked him held by
him. Biel was furious and surprised He
denied the whole thing and vowed that he
would thrash Bronckhorst within an inch
of his life. No jury, wo knew, could con-
Wet n man OF the criminal count on ma
tive evidence in land where you can buy
murder charge, including the corpse, all
complete, for 81 rupees, but Bel did not
care to sorape through by the benefit Of
doubt. He wanted the whole thing clear
cd, but, as he said one night, "Ho can
prove anything with servants evidence,
and I've only my bare word" This was
about month before the case came on,
and, beyond agreeing with Biel, we could
do little. All that we could be sure of was
that the native evidence would be bad
enough to blast Biel's character for the
rest Oh MS service, for when native begins
perjury he perjuros himself thoroughly.
He does not boggle over details.
some genius at the end of the table
wnereat the affair was being talked over
said: Look here! don't believe lawyers
are any good. Get man to wire to Strick-
land and beg him to come down and pull
us through
Strickland was about $50 miles up the
nne. he had not long been married to
Miss Youghal, but he scented in the tele-
gram a chance Of return to the old detective
work that his soul lusted after, and next
night he came In and heard our story. He
finished his pipe and said oracularly: 1--WE
must get at the evidence. Oorya bearer,
Massulman knit and methrani-ayah, l sup
pose, are the pillars of the charge. 1 am