The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-08-15

a
away his barn and stock. 1 sent her from
West Virginia to see him and she nursed
him faithfully for some weeks, mourning the
ness shown to her husband They sent nv
daughter Blanche away to neighbor's to
prevent her knowing aboutdit, but not until
AFTER she had learned enough to verify the
My wife returned much worse, and in the
Iall when we came to- this city and took
charge or the Clintonis Avenue church, the
trouble soon settled down over her and be-
came almost, II not quite, continuous. She
often said she wished she were Dead and
told me once that she had been to the Robert
street bridge fully intending to Jump over,
put mad concluded she would not disgrace me
and the children. The first time she was
ever at Dr. Hawkins office she started out,
ana knowing the strain she was In / watched,
ana hnding her going in the direction Of the
Robert street bridge, followed and, overtaking
her, asked where she was geing, and she
said she was going to Minneapolis. The day
was chilly and said.i TT is too cold for
you to face this wind; let's take the car"
Wnen the car came We boarded 1t, and |
looked Tor an opportunity to use some per-
suaslon, but the car was so full that could
not do so without danger of somebody seeing
there was something wrong. So took trans
fers to the Interurban line, and getting off
at Fifth or Sixth street we walked north
ward, and tried to persuade her to return.
She would not consent, and as the Interurban
to board that car when I know you are not
able to take of yourself | shall con-
sider 1t my duty to call an officer to help me
take you home" With that she turned and
started to walk rapidly toward Wabasha, on
reaching which she promptly turned toward
the bridge. When she reached the bridge
TOOK her arm and we walked on southwark,
and tried in soothing way to persuade
her to go Up and have DR.. Hawkins see IL
he could not help her. She was almost ex-
hausted when we reached Isabel street, and
apparently without hesitation went up with
me to see the doctor. She seemed much
afraid for me to see him alone, and so we
went together for some time to the once.
A year ago last spring she gave very de-
cided intimation to me one morning that she
was going to commit suicide; and at noon
that day went up stairs instead OF sitting
down to the table with the rest of us. did
not follow, for it was not very unusual oc-
currence for her to do that way. we nm
1shed our meal and the children went to
school, and still my wife did not come down.
l became more uneasy and went up to look
for her. Finding the bedroom door locked
| knocked on it gently, and receiving no re-
Spouse, knocked louder, and after waiting
minute procured chair and got up to look
through the transom above the window. /
could not see or hear her, and began to take
out the transom, intending to go through to
her rescue, when she suddenly darted
out from alcove at the left, and rushing
to the door unlocked 1t. i stepped down
from the chair and she seized it and drew 1T
back like a strong man would do as II to
strike me- took hold of the chair for pre-
caution, and when she found 1t Impossible
to take it from me she8let 60 and with the
blow at~the base of the occipltal bone
We then went down stairs without any words
and she going into the kitchen speedily APP
peared with a long IRON poker and came at
me with that. | stood close to her to avoid
any possibility of danger. She soon dropped
it and Selling pair of long sharp pointed
scissors, came at me with them. L took mold
of her wrists and held them gently as
possible under the circumstances but she
screamed at the top of her voice for help,
and called for the police. In the light of
T believe
that time she could have secured an officer
she would have had me arrested and charged
with attempting to kill her with the scissors.
She kept them in her hand for some time
and called "help! helpr' latter let go.
That evening she greatly depressed
but retired as usuaI. Some time AFTER MD
night l awoke and found a light in our room
and my wife standing before the dresser,
carefully adjusting her bonnet and hair.
asked: Where are you going?" She said; I
am going out to the station to have them
lock me up. Nobody in the condition l am in
has any business to be around" quietly
slipped out of bed and went to the door, and
when she came was standing against It, and
said: PLEASE don't go away this hour of the
night" She sprang at my throat with both
hands, and completely exhausted herself in an
effort to drag me away from the door. Find
ing the effort Intellectual she returned to bed
without much persuasion.
Last summer the Ladies' Aid society sent
me $50 by Mr. M. K. Williams, to be applied
on the salary. l was not in and he gave it
to my wife. She put it in the bank in her
own name, and to this day 1 have not seen
dollar of it.
I was obliged to stay at home almost all the
time negIeeting pastoral work, and unable to
make but very little preparations for sundays,
and toward the close of the year, on hearing
that some preliminary steps had been taken to
have a change in the pastorate, / was quite
puzzled about the best way to let my wife
know it. / knew it would not do to let her
remain in the dark about it till conference
and have it come to her as great shock of
surprise. So told her straight depending
on the length of time to reconcile her to the
situation She at first refused to believe it,
but declared it was only another scheme of
mine to drag her about, as had always DONE
She said she could not and would not move,
and if | went, l would have to go without
her. Finding myself in such straights went
to a member of the committee whom ]. had re-
garded up to that time as friend, and told
him my wife was not able to move, and ask
ed him to see the other members and try to
have an arrangement by which / would not
be under necessity of going until my wife
was able to go. He promised me to do So
and when l saw him the next day he said
he had seen them, but it was no use. l told
my wife, and she refusing to believe me,
went the next day, although extremely nery-
Gus and depressed, and saw the several mem
bers of the committee. She also saw the pre-
siding elder, and went in the afternoon to
Minneapolis to investigate something she had
heard, returning in the evening utterly ex-
hausted and greatly depressed. | knew the
attitude of the A. p. A. towards me, and be-
that would force me to stake sick wife at
the approach of winter AWAY from the house
in which | had put in especial heating
engagements on her account, investigated and
found that the chief factor,1in the A. P. A.
circle had also been the chief manipulation in
the arrangements for my removal. The ex-
posture of the matter followed, with which
most of the readers of this paper are doubt
less familiar Also the resultant vengeance
on me which have reason to believe my
wife greatly enjoyed. All that | wrote in
ion - H. u 10.
the best Of my knowledgeiand belief absolute
ly true, and having gone over 1T very care
fully since. | have never discovered single
material item inaccurate Nevertheless, /
would not have taken the radical course If
my situation had been such that could have
gone away in the usual order of change. |
will not publish anything regarding the start
ling accusations now pending against me in
the courts until the next time set for my
hearing, but If not allowed to appear in court
and answer the matter shall feel obliged TO
give the facts to the press
1t is due my wife to say that except in
times of the peculiar mental strain, nobody
was ever more kind and agreeable in the
nome, and 1t is a fact that as husband ana
wife we have never had quarrel or spat"
In the common sense of those terms. 1t is
a matter of inexpressible grief to me to make
these things public. and l have made every
effort to avoid it, pleading in the preliminary
stage of my arrest, for an opportunity to talk
with my wife alone, intending to beg her not
= to push the case to such extremes as would
make necessary an exposure of what we had
so long concealed.
Since being in JAIL have written her
three letters, kindly in spirit, as the friend
who carried them can testify-the last one
proposing to put our children in school at,
Evanston, ILL.,. and have her travel with me
in the South during the winter with last
faint hope that happiness and health might
be secured. have received no response what
ever. / beg the pardon of all who read this,
for thrusting so much of personal history up
on your attention.
For nearly fifteen years have looked out