Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1898-10-27
DISTRESSING DOMESTIC DRAMA.

Dl lNTkESSING DOMESTIC DRAMA.
y more heart.rending scene hfs S
neyer been witnessed in the County
Court OF Elzabeth City than that which
accompanied the separation by order OF
the court on Tuesday. of three infant
childreu of John and Ca'harine McNal-
V from the custody of the mother. The
separation was literally torcirle ouc,
the children having TO be literally torn
from her clss0 Ny the officers OF the
court while the freDzied moher Shrek
In her de pair and struggled win all
her power 10 reiaip her little ones.
Strong men turned away from the
scene. Reason and persuasion alike
tell upou deaf ears. the mother alone
and uuaid-d struggling desperately TO
prevent the se zure of the children, who,
sh.ieking and sohbiuf, clung 10 her
skirts aud resisted the efforts OF the
sheriff and his assistants to se-
cure possession of them. Final
ly three officers bore the sQuiTm
ing. crying, disconsolate children a"ay
while TWO others held the hands OF ,ae
uow helpless M her. 1 was scene
never to DO forgotten. the sad clin ak Of
! distressing domestic drama.
Tae separation was the result of ths
habeas corpus proceedings instituted =
John McNally, q hoie!tnaker i'll tt.r
Newport News sh;pyard, against Gait
crime McNa.ly, his wife, TO secure cH--
tody OF the children, rhen in possession
OF the mother. McNaliy was represent
ed by Mr.. +. 5. Collier, while Mrs. Nc
Nally was without couUsel, defending
aers9lf and her claim to the custody OF
he children. From the testimony ed
iuced il seams that the couple were
married in Brooklyn nine years or more
| go and tnaI their three children-a
GIRL OF eight, a boy of four and another
i nov ABOUT two years old-~ere bora.
! There they lived u9ti last March
when Mrs. McNally separated from bel
husband and with their three children
and man known as John Waddall, or
BILLY" Smith, removed to Phoe bus sto
there located, and have uu'!l quite re-
Gently resided there. Testimony wos
introduced tending 10 prove thet Mss
| McNaliy was ihere known az Mt,
smith aud that she And Smith, or Wai
dali. lived in the same house aud wcr'
gecera!y supposed 10 be Eu,bnrd all.
wife.
Tnen the fendant took the stanc
and with volubility ard vigCr told be-
story and defended her reputation anf
| aer right to the custody OF the Gill
dren, wnom, she claimed, she had al
Nays supported aud WAS now amply
able to support. She denounced as TO-
! .alIv false the testimony OF her hus
oand and of all the other witnesses who
Dad testified 10 her improper conduci
and her neglect OF the children. She &C
cussd her husband of cruelty and nFg
iect aud with persecution OF her. oat
;urther alleged that her children hat
an inheritance in Brooklyd amply SUI
ticjent 10 provide for them even II she
ysre not. She demanded that TIE cour
secure testimony as to her charactei
and TO her husbands reputation where
both were known.
After hearing the testimony MIR. Coi,
| iier. on behalf of the p!ainuil, asked
for the custody OF tEe cbiuteh oh VH'
Ground that tie mother was not prop
er person to care {oT them and on tnt
agreement on the part OF the iatael
mat he would Immediately commit the
children to Rev. Father Mercer, who
world install them in St. Mary's Home
Norfolk. After hearing the law an(
the evidence, Judge Lee delivered MI
| lopinion, giving the father custody o
Then followed the affecting. agoniz
lng scene described. The mother oGln e? a.
" charged the court with paTtlaIliy
and denoupced the decision, but th'
Judge forebore to notice her structure, tI,
uuder the trying circumstances Ih'
children wers borne away, leaving tnt
mother forcibly eetained IN the cour'
;oOm.