The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-12-16
MONTICELLO'S BITTER WAR.
0Ss.HAty or TRE rs0rIg ARRArED
AGsINsT THE OTHgR mar.
Hatred. usttee and slsud.r Two
Houses iirohsn ~. Two Chvrehes ~.
,ided and Two divorces ~ some ~
the Results ~ n I~ud Growing Out NJ

" ~ y
MoSTicgLLo. Dec Is Two home, broken
M. one person IN m Insane asylum; n suit
for dlvorce iist ended. another suit for divorce
prnding s'iIl another divorce suit settled ont
of court n suit for alienation NJ marital arrc-
tons likewise settled ont of court. suits for
Islander and ruInor- of suits for SANDER: women
considered rep Itahlr calling each other llnra
In tho public streets, well-known citizens. and
ahlo-bodicd mcn at that. skulking at dead Of
night around with opera gla-."- to peer into
n woman bed chamber even women of social
standing engaged In tho same disliiled occi-
patton. n clergyman r"signing from the min
istry Notwithstanding the protests of his
ecclesiastical snperiors, II htsh disnitary o' Il
church 40 atrociously mnlirnci by members
Of that church that the local clergyman de-
manded that they make formal apology Or
have their narles stricken from the rolls OF
church membership; religious bodies oil but
disrupted by the malignity of Internal strife
and hatred these are a few and only a few
Of the outward manifestation within COM
paratively a short time Of the strange social
conditions which exist in this charming village
UP the sullivan county mountains
why" said an old resident Of the place
to-day. III this town were In some parts Of
Kentucky. a large proportion OF the citizens
who thus far had escaped being murdered
would be out hunting clch other with shot
guns in the public streets
The lawsuit just ended. in which Mrs.
Jennie Greene asked for a divorce from her
husband. Samuel Greene. and was refused.
is only a collateral episode connected with
the astonishing state Of affairs which has
existed here for several years back. IL was
in connection with this suit that all the co.
horts of Peeping Toms and Paul Prys OF the
village told of their nocturnal backward
prowlings. They related with thrilling
minutenes. how they had seen a woman In
her bedroom doing up her back hair for the
night. They told how they had wallowed
on the ground and skulked in the grass and
had been rewarded by seeing a clergyman
In his sleeping apartment apparently max
Ing ready for bed. They told how In these
portentous bed chamber rites the lamps
were sometimes burning high and some
times burning low. they related how the
lights some times stood in one place and
some times In another. The lights. the back
hair movements. the clergyman suspiciously
taking of his clothes before going to bed
all these blrnyard and hen-coop investl-
gators described "a Isl gnals" passing be-
tween the window OF the clergyman and the
window of the lady
One got tho impression after hearing these
extraordinary tales that q considerable pro-
portion of the towns population carried hip
pocket opera glasses, that they organized
progressive. backyard skulking parties. in
which society leaders of both sexes had COM
petitive skulks under their neighbors' bed
room windows: that the back fences and out
buildings. usually sacred under the silent
stars to the orgies of Tomcat Lotharios. were
here swarmlng at night with the dim silhou-
IL G-,.l ..IRA rain 70
get surreptitious peeps under the window
shades Of each others sleeping apartments.
1t seemed as these astounding stories were
reeled of as though a light in a Monticello
window drew To II all the foul bats Of SANDER
and calumny a. a candle fame draws a moth
or carrion a buzzard. The outside night air
about a lighted window apparently was heavy
with the rustling OF these vampire wings.
With the advancing shadow Of darkness
II seemed as though a very riasma OF vile
gossip must rise in the town like a poisonous
fog out Of the earth. one person after an
other-not the village loafers and all-around
human ours who usually have exclusive
occupancy Of the Peeping Tom field OF labor
for social elevation. but people OF established
social position, women as well as men, have
cheerfully told Of exploits in this line the
mere secret, self conscious faint of which
WOulu make SpHf ptbIlc l''l ilnV wv
TO a remote wilderness and then unosten-
tetiously hanging themselves. They have
not been reluctant to tell these things. nor
could they be described as v inglorious In
so doing. They have related their b7ck-
ward skulk,ng achievements rather will
the air of persons modestly conscious OF
moral worth.
The whole Greene va Greene trial was nm
extraordinary exhibition. The court room
day after day was rowded. Testimony
that would have scandalized the Bed Light
district in the haley on days Of Capt Herlllv's
administration Of that diocese was brought
out in the presence OF ladle, who were Tegu-
lar attendants at the entertainment The
s~o-callei window signalling. together with
the testimony of q discharged servant. were
strong points In the defence of Mr.. Greene
against his wife's contention for divorce
points which apparently had weight with
the jury. for they brought in a verdict that
In every way was favorable to Nr. Greene.
And this Notwithstanding the fact that wit
nesses-soiid citizens. although not quite
IN the wlndov-peepinC social circles and who
had only an academical interest In how their
neichbors undrcssed for lod-te~tiled from
careful measurements and observation that
it was a physical impossibiiity to signal from
one TO the other of the windows in question:
and notwithstanding th" fact that, as reg ,rds
the servants testimony, circumstance were
brought out which in other Instances have
been sufficient motive for other discharged
to ntrociously Willy their former
masters and mattresses.
But this particular divorce suit-one out Of
the many that are pending, settled or ad-
but n detail. n mere passing
ebullition Of the state OF Affairs that exists
In this village-a state Of affairs that II Ia safe
to say cannot be matched by any other oom-
munity in the country. To say that tho
moral atmosphere OF this town is ractin.
with the poison Of envy. hatred and malice.
Is but to quote the words uSri to-day by one
of the Oldest residents of the place. There
Is a malignity. a relentless win ictivcness in
the many fcudS and hatrcdS which run ~ be-
wilderingly complicated lines %! cleavage
throughout the entire social fabric OF the VIII
lage that IL is all but Uncomfortable to picture
as existing without leading 10 hloodShed. ,
But thu, far, although everything in tho way
of vituperation has been exhausted, not a
blow has been struck. There has been talk
Of violence without end. Only last Friday. |
when the Greene trial ended. there was talk
nj tnr and fgofherinp fnahvunuf inls ,pouyh I