Year: 1872

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Poker to Prevent Her bringing.


From the Pittsburgh Leader, Thmsday1


Last night one of the Mayors patrol
had his attention drawn to bare headed,
lightly draped woman, who had heavy
chain padlocked to her neck, and large
metal weight, weighing fully thirty
pounds, attached thereto. Thinking she
was an escaped lunatic he at once took her
into custody and lodged her in the lock up
She gave her name as Eliza Martin, and
stated while they were relieving her of
her bonds that the chain and weight had
been placed on her by her husband, and
that his cruel treatment had been such that
she left home with the intention of drown
ing herself. She was met on Market street
by couple of young men who dissuaded
her from the rash act, and she was, when
captured, wandering about the streets in
an almost exhausted condition.


This morning Mayor Blackmore insti-
tuted an investigation, and there she in
formed him that her husbands name is
Arthur Martin ; that he had been in the
habit of treating her in the way that was
seen the night before She also said that
on last Friday he had deliberately heated
a poker red hot, and burned her with it,
and that his object in doing SO was to pre-.
vent her from drinking liquor The wo-
mans appearance was miserable in the
extreme, and if her statements are cor
rect, we have here sample of cruelty in
our midst hardly second to that practiced
h.y tho - H.
was arrested this morning.


His statement is briefly this: He is a
drayman for S. p. Shriver 4 Co, and
with his earnings supports family in
cludiDg himself, wife and eight children,
at his house on Seventh avenue, near the
foot of Prospect street For long time
back Mrs. Martin has been so addicted to
drinking that she has not only been per-
fectly useless in taking care of her child
rem, but has made away with considerable
of his money, and brought reproach on
his good name. In order to stop this be
concluded to take the law into his own
hands, and in order to do so effectively,
purchased a chain and secured her to
bed every morning before going to his la
bors. 1t did not appear to work well,
however, for nearly every time she man
aged to break away, and would be absent
when be returned to dinner-iu short,
would not be at home again until he would
send the chirdren skirmishing around the
neighborhood for her, when she was
generally picked up in some out of the
way place in an intoxicated condition.
He had applied this treatment for several
days back, we don't know how long, and
he will not state the length of time But
last evening she broke loose, and was
locked up. He says the injury on her
mouth was occassioned by fall though
in relation to his burning her on the
mouth with a poker he IS reticent


A hearing was given the prisoner this
morning, and the information having
been read to him, he acknowledged he
had chaiued her, and detailed the reasons
he had for doing so as given above
He attempted to justify himself because
of the trouble the intemperate habits of
his wife had given him, and described at
some length how she stole money from
his clothes wherewith to satisfy her crav-
ings for liquor. No longer ago than Mon
day he says he missed ten dollar note
from his pocket book. When asked whe-
ther he had burned her mouth with
poker, he equivocated and said he did not
remember of having done so. The Mayor
held him in 81 900 bail to answer charge |
of aggravated assault and battery, and at
last accounts he was in search of the re-
quisite bondsmeu.


The chain with which he secured her
is heavy enough to hold dozen women.
1t is just long enough when doubled, as
he was in the habit OF rigging it, and be-
ing attached to her neck, and the weight
to hold her in very uncomfortable stoop-
ing posture while sitting down. The out
rage in thus binding her, was one that
not even the serious cause which he al
leges can excuse, and it is more than like
ly that justice will make such an example
of him that similar inclined individuals
will adopt some other method Of family
dicipline.