Year: 1867

From the New Albany LedgsrI


Seven years ago last june, young man
named James Esterly paid his addresses to
and won the heart Of young lady named
Maria Pearson, and married her. They
both resided in q pleasant httle city IN the
State of Ohio. Eseerly was gentleman OF
high social standing, was engaged IN a good
business, and apparently prosperous Ia his
financial affairs. His family was highly es-
teemed and he was considered a good
match for any young lady IN the town.
Miss Pearson was also Of an excellent fanaI-
", highly educated and accomplished,
nossessed Of rare personal charms, and the
life and JOY of the circle in which she moved.


For a year after their marriage they lived
most happily together, Esterly treating his
beautiful wife with the utmost affection.
But the war fever running high in this city,
ne finally sold out his business and entered
the army, being appointed to the position of
Adjutant In one Of the Ohio regiments.
While in the army, ike thousands 0f others,
he fell into habits of intemperauee. and so
completely did the fell demon of drink gain
the mastery over him that before he had
served two years be was apparently hope
less drunkard.


He was pursuaded by his friends to resign
his position and return home, they hoping
be might reform if his army associations
and temptations were broken off and re-
moved He did 50, and went home but
there he continued in his course of intern
perance, and soon, by gambling, the natural
adjunct of intemperanee, ran through all
his property and reduced himself and family
to absolute poverty.


During all the time of his rapid descent,
the young and loving, but now nearly heart
broken wife, clung to him, pleading with
him to cast out the hellish demons that
were pciluting his soul and surely and
swiftly leading him on TO the most certain
and irretrieyable ruin But he needed nOS
her entreaties; he did worse, for he beat
her; and when her heart was breaking under
its load of woe, and her white face would be
turned up imploringly into his in mute ap-
peals for his reformation, he would slap her
cheeks with his brutalized hands until their
ashen hue was changed to deepest purple.


A man would have cursed the brntalized
husband for such conduct. But not so this
loving wife. To all appeals made 70 her TO
leave hs wretched home and return to the
pleasant one of her parents. she turned
deaf ear, and answered only: love him,
and cannot desert him now. | viii still
save him, through the help Of God.


But matters grew worse, instead OF better.
The wife and her two children were often
without food, and the husband and father
seemed to have become more fend than hu-
man. Still the faithful wife clung to him
still she prayed for him and still her faith
was mistaken that he would ultimately re-
form. and again become to her all he was in
the first years of their love and welded life.


One night in December, 1865, the husband
came home at q late hour. The poor wife
was crouched over the fast dying embers,
with her helpless babe In her arms. She
noticed that Esterly looked more wild and
crazy than usual, and his nerves were
twitching at a fearful rate yet she did not
fear him Finally he asked her why she had
not a better fire. She replied that she had
no more wood This seemed TO make
maniac of him, and the demons that had
been lurking in his wake or besetting his
footsteps, seemed suddenly to possess his
soul, aud seizing the infant from his wife's
arms he hurled it upon the Goals, and for
time would not allow the wife to remove it.


He vas delirious-the mind had yielded
to the demon pressure and he was Iaad-
dened, desperate iend. Finally the child
was rescued from the FIRE but It was too
late to save it. In agony it fingered for two
days. and then God, IN his mercy, took 1t up
20 Heaven, and gave It home among the
angels.


The maniac father rushed out into the
night shrieking and screaming; but soon
afterward be was seized by some Of the offs
GERS Of the town, taken to his wretched home,
and there confined for days, until through
the skill Of physician and the constant
nursing Of his wife, he recovered. At first
the wife told that while sitting over the fire
nursing the child she had fallen asleep, and
the child had dropped from her arms into
the fire. And it was this accident she said,
that had crazed her husband, and caused
him to fee from the house. 1t was nearly
year before her parents knew to the contrary.


When Esterly had recovered the wife told
him how the child had come to its death
She AYERS with the utmost solemnitY thai
this was the first knowledge he had Of It.
Then, she says, he resolved to live sober
life in the future. In few months he left
home, went to Southern Illinois for en-
ployment and is once more engaged in busi-
ness for himself On Tuesday night the
wife arrived in this city, on her way TO join
her husband again. She remained with
relative, from whom we derive the above
facts, until yesterday morning, when she left
on the train Of the Louisville, New Albany
and Chicago road en- route for the home Of
him who has filed her heart with such an
guish, and darkened 50 many years OF her
life with sorrow that might otherwise have
been bright and happy.