Year: 1877

Session Saturday. His Honor
Judge kirkpatrick was dispos-
ing of the complaints of matrons
whose husbands had deserted
them. So many cases of an ag-
gravated character had been
brought up that it began to look
as if the man biped in a domes-
tic state was a great and consti-
tutional offender. The sympa-
thies of the audience were grow
ing in favor of oppressed wo-
man. This tendency was
heightened by the entrance Of a
very pale, spare, benign-look-
ing lady, apparently of culture
and refinement, dressed in a
neat, dark fabric. She was ac-
companied by a sweet young
girl of about fifteen, very taste
fully dressed in thelatest fashion
ofhat, onyx ornaments, and also
some dark texture, and a little
child of three or four, in a light
and also tasteful dress.


Great was the sympathy for
the lady mother when she arose
and in a low voice and refined
language told how she had been
deserted by ber husband, how
he had failed to provide for her
support and that of her two in
teresting children. An old and
accomplished lawyer, her coun-.
sci, drew her statement with an
effect almost dramatic. His
Honor was affected. Any man
with a sympathetic nature
would be. His Honor called
upon the husband to stand up,
and all eyes turned upon the
culplit.


He was tall, thin Irishman,
aged, perhaps, fifty, gray-haired,
and with mild careworn feat
ures. His boots were too large;
his coat hung about him in folds
that suggested he had once been
a stouter man; he wore no col
lar, his shirt at the neck was
frayed but cleanly. He stood
before the bar trembling, not with
fear but sorrow, and big tear
had gathered in his eye.


"What answer have you to
make to this charge, sir ?" said
the Court, rather severely, but
with some astonishment at the
apparition. which was different
from what had been expected.


"Well, indeed, | don't know,
yer Honor" said the man in low
tone. I'm but a poor man and
have done the best that ] could. "


"Your Honor" said counsel for
the defendant, "this poor man has
been ruined by the folly and ex-
travagance Of his wife, who is now
here suing him"


The Court proceeded to investi.
gate. lie found that the mild
featured old man defendant was q
puddler, though he looked as if
he did not have the strength for
hard labor; tbat he had accumu-
lated some property and sold it
for So, to meet the demands
OF his comparatively fashionable
wife and family that they NOV.
ed into II $40 per month house,
and afterward one little cheaper,
bnueht marble top tables, and liv-
ed high until this money was
spent, allowing the old man mean
time to work over the furnace and
keeping the luxuries measurably
to themselves that when out Of
money they got his wages until he
did not have money enough left
to pay his board where he was
living in Sharpsburg that he bad
given them all that be had !; that
he could get work sometimes, a.
bout three days in the week, but
all that he made they were well
come to.


Auniversal feeling ofindignation
run through the courtroom. Said
he, turning sharply to the prose
cutor and her fashionably dressed
daughter, "You have no busi-
ness in this Court, madam. You
can go. madam-you can 60 at
once You pushed this poor man
into hardships by your extrava-
gance, and now you come here in
your grapes, and reps. and stylish
clothes to prosecute him because
be is no longer able to MAINTAIN
you. This Court will not assist
you. And as for you, poor man."
continued His Honor, "we pity
rather than persecute you. Go
go free-not even the costs shall
you have to pay"


There was a low murmur OF sp-
plause through the court. The
lady and her children walked out