Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1897-04-29
Horrible Cruelty to n Wife.

The Pocahontas Times tells q horrible
story of a husbands cruelty to his
young wife, which has stirred the peo-
pie in the vicinities of Marlinton and
Edray to high pitch of excitement and
indignation. George w Roberts, ma
tive of Pennsylvania, who, during the
winter, kept the books in Peters log
ging camp, married, last summer, Miss
Rosa Lindsay, a young girl of Is sum-
mers. On the 18th the couple came to
Byrd's Hotel ut Marlinton and engaged
quarters for the night. The wife was
sick and kept her room, allowing no
one to enter. The next morning (Sun-
day. whilst Roberts was at the livery
stable, engaging a team to take the two
to Addison, his wife came down from
her room with her grip and seemed to
be making an effort to run away from
him. After they had gone, the room
they had occupied was examined and
the walls, floor and furniture found
spattered with blood, and a slop-bucket
was half full of blood and water. They
were next heard of in the vicinity of
Edray, where they stopped for a time
at several houses. Their conduct was
strange and excited suspicion. They
were tramping through the country Oh
foot, and the wife gave every appear
ance of having been very roughly
treated. She was bleeding profusely
from cut on the arm, and besides was
in delicate health and had been under
treatment of aphysiclan. Sunday night
they were at the house of Dave Sharp.
At the young wife's request Mrs. Sharp
allowed her to share the bed of her
daughter. Roberts sat up until about
l O'Clock, and, uponl his intrusion into
the room when he wished to 60 to bed,
Dave Sharp took him by the coat collar
and thrust him out into the night. At
Roberts commands, his wife arose
about 2 o'clock and dressed herself and
went with her husband. Sharp offered
her protection from her husband, which
she refused.
After leaving the house pistol shot
was fired, and nothing more was seen
or heard of them until the next morn
ing, when Roberts appeared from the
shelter of laurel thicket to William
Is. johnson, where he was at work near
his house. Johnson is Sharp's nearest
neigebor. Roberts clothes were COW
cred with blood. He asked who could
convey him to Addison. Roberts had
no blood on his clothes when he left
Dave Sharp's, and it was then thought
that the worst might have happened
Some parties went to where the shot had
been fired. and found pool of blood
and a woman's handkerchief covered
with blood.
A warrant was issued and the couple
were arrested on Williams River noun.
tain and taken before a Justice. The
appearance of the wife's face, says the
Times, would have appealed to any man
who had the least trace OF humanity in
his nature. 1t had the appearance OF
having been beaten numerically, and
was 50 swollen and bruised that the PEG
pie at Byrd's Hotel could hardly recog
niZe her rs the same woman. The ex
PLANTATION she gave of her condition was
that Oh Sunday wagon had upset will
her and caused the hurt, though wher
she left Sharp's Monday she was moi
beaten about the face. She was, appar
emily, highly incensed at the arrest Of
Roberts.
The case was heard on Tuesday, tn,
Goth, and it seemed hald to tell whether
Roberts was drunk, crazy or possessed
of devil. The wOman's conduct wa
{ also strange. for though she had Deel
most cruelty beaten and ill treated sh
| chung to to the man and tried to shiel,
Y him. Her mysterious silence ceased
however, when she found herself sur
: rounded by sympathizing members o
= her own sex, and then she told hOrri
\ BILE story of how she had been assaulte,
e with knife, beaten over the head an,
in the face with pistol and otherwis
Q i'll treated. She attributes her hus
: bands treatment to an insane fit O
!. jealousy. Roberts waived an examina
tion and was sent to jail.