A Rich Divorce Suit

Among the bilis filed for divorce within the past week in the circuit court was one in which David Whitely sues for divorce from his wife, Erama S. Whitely. Both parties live in this city and are colored. The bill was drawn by J. W. Bennett, Esq., and is something of a literary gem. After reciting the marriage of the parties in New Orleans, Jan. 15, 1878, the fact that they have no children, and their removal to this city in 1889, where they lived in harmony until January, 1891, the bilí then continúes: "The said defendant began to act in a wild and outrageous ma-nner toward your orator and without any cause or provocation on the part of j your orator began to make violent i demonstrations against your orator's ! life and began to hurl furniture, crockery ware and every conceivable article of furniture at your orator, running from a cup and saucer to a chair and tabie, accompanying such violent exertions with an overflow of vile and abusive language, obscene and profane epithets and threats of the most fearful nature, so that your orator became fearful and despondent, craving death or any other effectual release from the evils that had befallen him without any fault of hisown. Your orator meantime continually provided for said defendant a good and comfortable home, sufficient and proper food, and treated said defendant always and at all times in a manner befitting a noble and forgiving nature combined with a highly devotional turn of mind. "Your orator further shows unto the court that the troubles existing between the parties hereto, culmin ated about the i5th of September, 1891, when the defendant without any provocation whatever, and simply out of the fiendish inclination of her heart, attacked your orator with an axe and threatened to put him to death like a chicken, and drove him before her like a cyclone, and disturbed his placid equaqimity to such an extent that he did not fully recover the same until after the lapse of several days; and your orator further shows that subsequently and in the middle of one night when your orator was calmly reposing on the kitchen tloor, the defendant crept stealthily to the door of his improvised chamber, noiselessly undid the fastening, and inserted her head through a crack of the door and maliciously glared upon the sleeping husband, that in furtherance of her foul end, she next crept into the room, where your orator was reclining on the floor, but by some fortúnate occurrence either the accidental heavy step of the defendant or perchance the creaking of loóse board, your orator was awakened, and while lying half asleep and dozing, he heard the following awful words issuing from between the clenched teeth of the defendant: 'I will kill you, I will kill you, if I have to go to the pen for it.' That the said defendant had in her hand at that moment a keen broad-axe, yith which she struck your orator, and that he bore the scar of the wound on his arm for many days, and your ora'tor from that time forth dared not longer remain under the baneful influence and in the treacherous vicinity of the defendant, but escaped and left the house, that he had purchased, for the defendant to occupy alone. And your orator shows that he cannot longer endure the agony and trouble that he has suffered by reason of his connection with said defendant." It is but just to Mrs. Whitely to state that the neighbors take her side of the case.