Men beating their wives was not an uncommon occurrence in Green County for decades. I shared one gruesome incident a few weeks ago. I’ll share more incidents this week. The first article has a little twist in the fact that the victim is not his wife and the editor makes a tongue-in-cheek suggestion to the man.
It was reported on February 1, 1871 that, “a nice fellow,” Corn. Carroll, of Cadiz, was jailed for a month because he plead guilty to the charge of pounding a woman, his brother’s wife. Mrs. Patrick Carroll walked the whole distance from Cadiz on the previous Saturday “with her features in a very damaged condition” to tell the Justice to arrest Cornelius. She came again on Monday to testify. “Corn. came up, like a man and took his ‘little thirty days;’ and Mrs. Carroll returned, believing she had done her duty. Our advice to Cornelius is that, if he must fight a woman, now and then, do as others do — of that class of brutes — ‘whip his own wife.’ ”
From July 10 of the following year, “Adam Knipschield, than whom, when sober, no better natured man lives, got on one of his fearful sprees yesterday, and in a crazy fit struck his good wife such a fearful blow as will probably cause her death. Knipschield was arrested promptly and will be held to await the result of the dastardly assault. The person who sold Knipschield liquor should be punished to the fullest extent of the law, for there is not a liquor dealer in town that does not know what Adam is when drunk. A man who would deliberately pile burning [sticks] against a barn full of hay and animals, would not be a greater sinner against the law than those guilty of selling hellfire to this man. Let the guilty man suffer the consequence of his folly.” Mrs. Anna Knipschild did not pass away until 1909.
On a Monday evening in October 1872 a Mrs. Hulbert was visiting with her sisters, Mrs. Clark and Mrs. Towne, in Brodhead. Mr. Hulbert walked into the room and asked his wife if she was going to Freeport to visit her sister. After she replied that she was, he drew a knife and stabbed her in the neck, causing a fatal wound. He then attempted to kill himself, but was prevented by the sisters. Hulbert was known to be a drinker, so it was assumed that he was under the influence. Mrs. Hulbert had been the main support of her family for many years.
Another sad incident was reported on July 23, 1873. “Wife-whipping seems to be the rage in a neighboring township; in fact, as a lady said, it has become disgustingly common. A man by the name of Bechtold was arrested and held to bail last Friday for beating his wife black and blue, ‘for bothering’ him. He found some difficulty in obtaining bail, but was finally successful.”
The wife beating wasn’t limited to the 1870s. The Sentinel reported on June 29, 1881 that a Mrs. Schindler, who was living on a farm north of Monroe, was brought here by her son-in-law in a “badly battered condition, too numerous to mention.” The Schindlers had been married for more than 30 years. She was “a devoted wife, a good mother, and a hard worker.” Her husband had been pounding her for several years whenever she talked back or when he felt like it. The daughter, Mrs. Meyer, had not told her husband as she knew that he would not allow such a thing. At this time “it had been carried to such a point that there was no disguising it,” so he brought her to town “to seek remedy in the law.” This time the husband came near killing her; her gray head was a sight to behold. The editor concluded, “A man who can pound a woman who has lived and worked with him for thirty odd years, who has borne children to him; and who has grown gray in the service of wife and mother is indeed a hardened wretch. It shows what a devil man may become under the influence of whisky.”
A very short quip from the paper of July 18, 1888 simply said, “Jacob Figi was put under Sheriff Strawser’s care for exercising a personal liberty prerogative — beating his wife.”
Another short article, this one from June 18, 1890, shared that this man did not stop with beating just his wife. “Chas. Hupman, of Twin Grove, is having a hearing before Judge Dunwiddie to-day, charged with cruelly beating his wife and children.”
Henry Ihus, of Adams township, went before Justice Thomas Luchsinger on December 19, 1907 on the charge of wife beating. His wife had come to Monroe the day before to swear out a warrant. She then pleaded on her husband’s behalf; he was let off with a fine of $2 plus costs, which amounted to $10. Part of that was paid by the wife. Ihus also signed a statement agreeing to properly conduct himself in the future. “His wife’s face was pounded so that it was all black and blue. Ihus claimed he was drunk. The couple are the parents of six children.”
The editor shared a bit of humor along with some common sense in this last article from September 30, 1905. “James Land, of Franklin, would have been money ahead if he had hired a woman to help his wife clean house. Mrs. Land has a baby and three other children to take care of and did not feel equal to the task without assistance, but Land declined to get a woman for her. They had some words and Mrs. Land says her husband struck her on the forehead. She charged him with assault and battery before Justice Edw. Ruegger and Constable H. L. Ball brought him to town. He paid a fine of $3 and costs, amounting to $7.15.”
— Matt Figi is a Monroe resident and a local historian. His column will appear periodically on Saturdays in the Times. He can be reached at mfigi48@tds.net or at 608-325-6503.
