Sunday morning globe., 1901-09-01

over his fellow Welshman, Pugh. and
he urged me by our personal friendship
to help his side Of the case. Mean
while. the family Of bir. Joyce were
not idle, and their carriage stopped
frequently at the Elliott homestead,
with the result that my wife and fam.
lily became actively partisan for Mrs
Church. I resisted as long as / could,
and when the father Of Mrs. Church,
with tears in his eyes, invoked my as
sistance / could hold out no longer and
declared myself a partisan Of Mrs.
Church
This was the first fatal mistake that
/ had made in my career in the press.
| Justice was on the side of the defend
ant. Colonel Church, but 1 hooded the
/ dame in the person of her representa-.
| tive on the bench and secured the di-
vorce, to the astonishment and indig.
nation of the entire city. The trial
| lasted many weeks. | was a daily at
tendant, and the Judge was almost
nightly visitor at my residence,
where we discussed the testimony and
/ the probability Of finding grounds to
grant the divorce. Mr.. Joyce and his
counsel were kept posted and instruct
ed to strengthen the weak points or
their case.
Mrs. Church sued for an absolute
decree on three counts-cruelty, fail
ure to provide, and adultery This last
charge excited much merriment dur
ing the trial, as it's proof rested on the
testimony Of a negro servant in the
household, It was utterly disproved,
as was also the charge Of failure to pro-
vide, Colonel Church establishing, by
the receipts he produced in court that
Of his salary OF $500 per annum he
expended $500 on himself and $4,000 on
his wife. There was but one charge
left--cruelty-and on this issue the
case was so hotly contested that It
looked as II the plaintiff must lose It.
The only cruelty so far established was
the allegation that Colonel Church had
said to his wife, 81 would sooner live
with a Niger" or 81 would sooner
sleep or associate with a niger wench
than you" This was very gauzy cruel
ty, and the Protestant contingent be.
! hind Colonel Church were correspond
ingly jubilant. He had so far beaten
Millionaire Joyce, the Capital and the
attorneys for the plaintiff to a stand
still, and under all the rules Of justice,
testimony and fair play had won his
case.
But, about this period Of the trial,
l became conscious Of an ally or allies
who kept in the background. 1 soon
unmasked them, however, and discov-
cred Hon. T. Ewing Miller and Jerry
Bliss, the former an aristOcratic and
wealthy citizen of the Buckeye capital
a relative of Mrs. Joyce, and the lat
ter the George Cox Of the Republican
party Of Columbus. These allies were
practical men. Bliss informed Mr.
Miner how much Il would cost to see
the thing through to a successful con
clusion, and Miller furnished the
amount.
The case was nearing a close, and
the friends Of Colonel Church we're ju
bilant, as they had good reason to be
seeing that he had won by overwhelm
ing testimony every contested point
the judge visited me for the last time
before the close of the testimony, and
we held a conference as to what con
stituted cruelty. l ingeniously argued
that a refined woman, raised as Mrs
Church was, and surrounded with all
the luxuries and refnements of heI
class, did not need to be struck or kick
ed or thrown out of the house like q
coarsely-raised female Of the lower
classes to establish a case Of cruelty
b In fact, that the expressions ColOne
Church used we're per Sc cruel, as the!
wounded her refined sensibilities NOR,
than a blow could wound or injure
; woman of the lower class This suite,
the Judge, but he said that something
stronger must be adduced to satisf
! the public sentiment which had beel
70 aroused, especially as the custody o
the two young children was at stake
IL Church won, these children woul
be raised Protestants; If his wife 81
, cured the divorce they would, o
1 course, remain Catholics.
That evening informed Powell tina
he must hunt up something stronger I
! establish the charge Of cruelty. Tn
next day Columbus was shocked by tn
. revelation Mrs. Church made in pr
vate before the judge, the counsel 70
Mrs. church, and Hon. Geo. H. Con
verse counsel for Colonel Church.
was to the effect that a few hours be
fore her baby was born her HUSBAND
insisted in enforcing his MARTA
rights (rites), to which he could onl!
respond that it was by mutual consent
and that the consummation took place
earlier in the night and before the
pains Of maternity had set in. He
pointed out that he summoned the
physician in the early morning, short
ly before the baby was born. OF course
the Capital did all in its power to turn
the currents Of public indignation
against the man capable Of such an
unnatural act, and I succeeded so wei
that Pugh admonished me he would
write out the decision that night, de
liver It the next morning, and take the
train for Washington in the afternoon
prOUided, | agreed to stand by and ae
company him. It was an awkward day
and time for me to leave but in view
of the unexpected and stupendous vic
tory / had won, single handed and
alone against the press Of Columbus,
consented
Il took the Judge two hours to read
his decision, and only ten minutes tC
semi-paralyze the whole city when II
was bulletined i'm front Of the news
paper Offices He gave the wife Gus
tody Of the children, subsequently, but
not then, as this would be tempting
fate and-a mob.
We left the Union depot in Colum
bus on the first train for the nations
capital, and on arriving here / had my
eyes opened by meeting Hon. r. Ewing
Miller and Jerry" Bliss, who had pre-
ceded us and were evidently awaiting
. Judge Pugh's arrival,
Sucn was my well-known integrity
, and the reputation | enjoyed, ever
! among enemies who hated me, that
] 1. Al 60