The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-01-19

John McComb's answer to the libel
in divorce recently filed by his wife,
Ida Eugenie McComb. was presented
to court yesterday. 1t is a lengthy doc
ument written by Mr.. McComb in the
first person, and contains some worry
entertaining paragraphs. \ perusal of
1t would lead to the conclusion that
the McCOmbs were not wont to suffer
70, eXcitment. Excerpts from the an
swer are given below:
The libelant, Ida Eugenio McComb,
never had any trouble with me until sho
started it.
She has been a whiskcy drink,r to my
knowledge for over eleven years!
Whenever she had whiskey i'm her sys-
tenn we had trouble. because the liquor
made her irascible, fault-hnding I'M
reasonable and vicious.
Each additional drink made her more
obStrcperous.
Her favorite diversion when drunk was
to try and injure me by grabbing my
whiskers. biting, scratching, striking
or hurting some missile at me.
From July, 1897, urtii Setomber q, 1898,
| the period specified in her libel, we fire.
quently had turbulent times in the house
| hold, usually after II o'clock p. nj. We
| might retire in good spirits, but some
genius Of devilishness would actuate nCr
! to begin a discussion irrelevant to any
| topic that had been under consideration.
! Nituperation and profanity, and yclls
! for help! police! mm der! were some of
| her favOrito vocables.
| While not muscular she Is cunning and
| reSourceful, and she could find ways and
! means to disquiet me as well as her
| mother. Many a night I have been
| broken Of my rest. and many day I
have been detained from my avocatiop
| a Df hnr condition indnppH
| by drinking whiskev. or there was al
ways a period of time needed for her ~c-
cuperaton, during which domestic af
fairs were out of joint, and my business
interests jeopardized.
THE MARKS EXPLAINED.
Many times when she has frantically
| clutChed my whiskcrs [ have squeezed
her wrists to compel her to desist. She
subsequently had marks on them to dis
play as evidence of my baTbarity and
cruelty; and later on asked to be forgiven
for her insane folly.
ON the night of April s. 1895. she was so
vociferOus after my getting her the re-
Quired half pint of whiskey that / went
to the Anthracite hotel about ] o'clock
in the morning, disregarding the heavy
rain that made the night uninViting.
That gave my wife another preteXt TO
pose as a martyr. But my act served as
"a protest against her blatant, inconSid-
crate and uncalled-for nocturnal demon
strations.
AS often as the spirit moved her she
would Conirive to make home unpleas SAINT
In her irascible moods she would refuse
to cook the meals and she had the play
full habit of destroying my books, my pa
pers, or any article of furniture, cloth
ing or briC-a-brac that she thought would
annoy me. Tearing dozens of pages ont
of new unabridged dictionary, throw
sPNfr hoo a. ,g,~-
knocking the hearth off the kitchen
stove, breaking glass in the book case
| doors, ripping shirts from tail TO neck
band, throwing shoes, ftat-irons shears
! stOve-rakers, dishes or knives, added tc
her diversion, and broke the monotony OF
a quiet life
Consulting clairvoyants and dream
books. and taking for her guidance the
advice and counsel of the same has made
, much trouble In our little dove-COte
l Added to those was the gOssip-mongerS
interesting budget of cphemeral inanitles
I to which more Importance was give1
than their VapoTings warranted. Blu
they had a disquieting influence on m.
wife's mind. and frequently caused trou
| BILE between us, because / abhor tale
J bearing and despise bearers of gossip
| Quid nuncS l detesti
s SAD DINNER PARTY.
|
| made an exhibition of herself by quar-
l relling with me over some little matter
= | the result of her drinking on the pre-
: | viOus night; and then she got drunk. Al
| though We were TO have guests to on
6 liking at dinner she was in a condition
, before noon which made her retiring a.
|, | imperative necessity. Later OH she ap
1 peared in the parlor before our compan
in dishabille, and with her brain be
fuddled. Frenzy was in her eyes, Volum
in her voice, and vigor in her hands
Thinking to appease her by not appear
ing to pay any attention to her maunder
G ing l was made sensible OF her fur
: when she hurled a three and one nal
{ inch magnifying glass at my face. By
quick movement 1 lodged the 4-ounC
missile and 1t struck much valued o
! painting, which bears the mark to thi
;, day. Then with u quick movement sh
caught from the center table. by it
handle, a liuted glass card-dis inche
,, in diameter and inches deep. She hurlc
IS the dish against my left temple with 5
l. much momentum that She dish was shiN
II cred into small fragments. This wa
u done before her blood relations and the
" kindred, while at the same time sh
i shouted: II want my husband! / war
my husbands" Later on left the hOus
j. The next day she visited me at my woTl