The San Francisco call., 1909-01-29
BROKER GUILTY OF
f|[ND|SH CRUELTY
Judge Graham Denounces Lon-
isiana Cotton Dealer and
Frees His Wife
Woman Taken to Miserable
Cabin Beside Swamp and
Brntally Treated

Cowed in spirit and broken in health,
Mrs Alice L. Hall related to Judge
Graham yesterday the most revolving
story of brutality ever told in a divorce
case in San Francisco. She was granted
a decree of divorce from William r.
Hall, who is a wealthy cotton broker OF
Alexandria, La, together with $50
month alimony
I'm all the divorce cases that have
come before me / have never heard of
such fiendish cruelty as was practiced
by this brute upon this defenseless
girl said Judge Graham. she is we'll
rid of this human monster"
Mrs. Hall. who was married in Oak
land in October. 1905, when she was 20
years old. was taken by her husband to
live in a miserable little cabin two
miles out of Alexandria, beside great
swamp in which the water was 80 or
40 feet deep. Shut off from commune
cation with the outside world, she was
subjected to almost inconceivable tor
ture.
INHUMAN TREATMENT
1t was common thing, Mrs. Hall
testified. for her husband to drag and
jerk her about the grounds by her hair
and to smash her in the face with his
closed fist, after putting on gloves so
as not to hurt his own hands. Once he
threw her on the kitchen floor and
knelt on her, chest and choked her.
Fastening a rope around her ankles he
threw it over a.beam in the kitchen and
tried to hoist her up.
One morning before breakfast he
forced her to walk into the swamp and
pushed her head under water Drip
ping and cold, she had to return to
the kitchen and prepare breakfast.
Again, he rowed her in skiff to a.
hfa oxr -
was deep and told 8her her only chance
10 live was TO swim ashore. Making
her undress, he tied a piece of iron
around her neck with a rope and COM
PEELED her to jump into the water. She
managed to climb into the branches of
a thorny tree There she stayed until
she was chilled to the marrow. when
her savage husband rescued her.
WHISKY BLAMED FOR ACTIONS
On one occasion, after Hall had
beaten his wife about the face until
ner eyes were black, he lanced the
1esh with a hunting knife and needles
10 let out the discolored blood. Her
mouth was so cut up by his assaults
lhat Tor considerable time she could
not eat and had to live on milk and
corn meal.
WHISKY was Halls excuse for his
actlons. Mrs. Hall produced a sheet of
note paper on which Hall had written .
farewell to My old friend. whisky,
saving; He stole my time, my strength
my courage, and all the best that was
in me- " 90
Telllng of her escape from her bus-
pahd Mrs. Hall said she bribed a negro
10 mail a letter to her mother Mrs
Julla Entzmann of 1176 Treat avenue
San francisco, and this letter brought
,nohey- Mrs. Hall is now living here
OTHER DIVORCE CASES
oenef divorces Were granted yester-
uay as follows: BY Judge Sturteyant
MiSuei Ofmazabel from Venigna Dina
zabei, desertion; George Frederick SoIey
from Ellen Soley. desertion. Rv JIdess
yam Nostrand-Minnie Smith from
SUITS for divorce were filed yesterda Y
as follows; BY Julia Nicholson against
henry z. Nicholson. willfuI NEGLECT !.
Edith NJ. Sutch against John e. SIItch
desertion: Theresa Labourdette againsf
Joseph Labourdette. cruelty: Grace
schwartz against Alexander Schwarfz
Cruelty; Alexander Cook against MILL
cent Cook, desertion; Louisa Brav
against Ernest Bray, cruelty.