The Republican courier., 1900-01-20
His COlOred Wife.
ashington. D. C.-Clement B.

ploy of the civil service commission,
who is being sued for maintenance
and support by his wife, Nellie j.
Wolfe, made answer to the charges
contained in her petition. His re.
ply is lengthy one, made through
his attorney, w. Preston Williams,
and contains some remarkable ac-
counts of their marital life which
are not brought out in the wife's
bill. The couple have two chill
dren, and this fact and others con-
cernlng their marriage as to the
time and place are admitted by the
defendant. He then goes on to re-
late a considerable number of
abuses which he claims his wife
has heaped upon him for long
time, and makes charges concern.
ing her conduct and the character
and standing of her family. Among
other things, Mr. Wolfe makes the
somewhat astounding announce
ment that he discovered sometime
after his marriage that his wife was
of Negro blood, and that her grand
father was a full-bloOded Negro.
To substantiate his statement re-
garding Mrs. Wolfe's cOlOred an
cestry, the defendant files a copy
OF letter from his mother in-law
to his wife which practically adj
mits the truth of it.
Mr.. Wolfe declares that about
two years after their marriage his
wife began systematic and habit
ual course Of ill-treatment toward
him, fighting and humiliating him
IN every manner possible, and using
toward him the most coarse and
profane language. In addition, he
says that she had publicly threat
ened his life and assaulted him
without cause, save that aroused
by an ungovernable temper. d
Upon one occasion last winter,
while they were living at $50 E
street, northeast, he relates, Mrs.
Wolfe struck him in the presence
of a guest, knocked him down
upon the floor, and then kicked
and stamped upon him with her
feet and rained blow after blow
upon him in the most vicious and
relentless manner, at the same
time cursing and abusing him, and
declaring that if she could not
drive him to suicide she would her
self kill him. Wolfe says that he
is a hard working man of delicate
physique, and that upon many oc-
casiOns, when he has been i'll, she
has kicked him out of bed and
compelled him to sit up all night
in the kitchen.
The defendant further declares
that his wife endeavors by threats
and attacks of violence upon him
to compel him to sign an agree
ment to give her $40 month, and
permit her without molestatiOn to
commit acts in violations to her
marital VOWS. He declares that
she desired this agreement for one
reason, in order that she might be-
come housekeeper for a millionaire
bachelor who would give her plen-
ty of money and diamonds. All of
these attacks upon him, Mr.. Wolfe
says, he endured without retalia-
tiOn in a single instance out of re-
gard for his children and in the
hope that his wife might relent
and permit them to live in peace. |
The charge which Mr.. Wolfe makes
concerning the negro antecedents
is as follows:
That the defendant cannot ac
count for the extraordinary actions
and manner of complainant, as it
is entirely inconsistent with the
conduct and manner that obtains
among decent and respectable peo-
pie. and cannot be accounted for
in any other way unless it be on
account of bad blood which she
inherits from her ancestors, and
defendant AYERS and charges the
truth to be that the grandmother
of complainant deserted her hus
band, David Baird, and took ND
with Negro man with whom she
lived and cO-habited for some
years having by him a large family
Of children; that Mrs. Cora Baird
Horton, the mother of complainant,
and who is a half breed, as fully
appears by letters filed herewith. /
was one of the children which
sprang from this intercourse. That
defendant had no knowledge of the
said facts that his mother-in-law
was half-breed and the offspring
of Negro, but believed that he |
was marrying into a good and
honest family, and that his
nother-in-law as well as his wife
we're highly respectable and good I
people, but since the marriage de.
.endant has not only discovered
hat his mOther-in-law ia of Nooro