The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-03-26
TALKED IN SLEEP,
Husband Betrays His Past Record to
His Wife.

| New York, March 26.-Like the wo-
man in Conan Doyle's story who dis
covered that her eminently respectable
husband made his big income by pro-
fess1onal begging on street corners,
| Mrs. Edna Howard, of No. Ala West
Fifty-third street. discovered that her
husband of ten months was not all
| that she fondly believed him. But, un-
like that woman, she did not call in a
Sherlock Holmes to solve the mystery.
Shocked at his incoherent raving of
jails and sheriffs, as he lay asleep by
her side she decided to be her own
detective. Her success was so great
In finding out his record that she left
| him, and he will be examined in the
Adams street court in Brooklyn
charged. with assaulting her on Henry
streetSiff that borough.
Her counsel is Gen. Horatio G.
King, who is Interested in her case in
a philanthropic way and Mrs. Hills,
wife of the Rev. DIR. Newell Dwight
Hills, will probably appear with her.
Mrs. Hills has been5a friend to Mrs
Howard through all her troubles of
the last few months.
Mrs. Howard is petite and pretty,
about twenty-five years old. Previous
to meeting Howard, she had earned a
living by acting as maid in the offices
of doctors and dentists. She was alone
in the world, with the exception of
married brother. who at present is
giving her a home, and about Jan.
1905, being without position, she
cast about for a permanent home.
At put a matrimonial ad. in a pa
per-" said Mrs. Howard. "I suppose
it was an awfully silly thing to do, but
1 had known of people being happily
married that way and l was so lone
some and so tired of working hard for
my own living. / got an answer pref
ty soon, and made arrangements to
meet him. We met in the postoffice
at the corner of Fourth avenue and
Nrror Ii, Il cf-h T7n On nl6 do
woman with me.
He was well dressed, very courteous
and polite, and we decided to go to the
theater together that night All three
of US went. After that for about five
months our courtship went. on. We cor
responded a great deal, and every time
he came to see me he was as courteous
as he could be. May 2. 1906, we were
married in st. Georges church in
Brooklyn.
Almost as soon as 1 married him he
changed completely. Within three
weeks he beat me. I was hurt, and my
ideals were smashed; but thought it
was an exhibition of temper that would
pass, and L loved him. But it was the
frightful things he talked about in his
sleep that scared me and made me sus-
picious of him. He talked all the time
about sheriffs and jails. One night he
said he had shot some one. 1 couldn't
understand half what he said, because
it was so indistinct, but it frightened
me. That night he told about shooting
some one. 1 sat up by the window all
night, afraid of 1 didn't know what.
"It was on my mind continually. Then
when / went one day to pay some
money he had borrowed before he mar
ried me, 1 found out that Howard was
not his real name. 1 said I wanted to
make a payment for Mr.. Howard, and
the woman said You mean James A
Legge.' / started from that to trace
him. 1 found that he was working for
a chemical company on Front street
by the name of Legge, and that he had
worked at several places in New YORK
and lived at several places under the
name of James Legge. At one OFT
boarding houses in BIZ ooklyn the land
lady said he was a treasure
'fAll this time his terrible talk al
night went on and 1 got more and
more certain that he was not the man
he appeared to be. He told me once
that he had been a bad man but not
very bad man, and that always he had
been honest.
1--WE were living in Brooklyn and at
tending Plymouth church. Mrs. Hills
was lovely to me, and all the ladies'
were nice. He talked great deal
about Boston and Halifax Finally |
couldn't stand it any longer. 1 wrote |
to Nicholas Power, chief of police in |
Halifax, and asked him. He said that !
my husband was we'll known in Hall |
fax and had served term there for |
and had bad reputation |
all around there.
''I accused him of 1t and he laughed |
and said that was cousin and he felt |
ashamed to have it known that any
one in his family ever did such a |
thing But he kept on talking at night |
and L at last sent his picture to the
Halifax authorities. Word came back
at once that he was the man without
a doubt and that he had served term
also in the Dorchester, N. B., peni-
Tertiary for assaulting and robbing a
woman in Point Pleasant Park, Hall
fax. This was the case he was always |
about at night.
Then 1 left him. Last night he met
me and grabbed me by the throat. He |
took my money, about SO, away from |
me, and 1 haven't a cent in the world. |
1 am going to get a divorce from him."
cOMMISSjnN c0MpI ETE