The Wife's Side of the Story

Ole Johnson, the raw-boned Norwegian who secured the arrest of his wife, Lena Johnson, and a gambler named Olliver, at Olympia last Monday, on a charge of adultery, called on Chief of Police Rogers about two weeks ago and left a description of his wife, asking that she should be arrested. He believed her to be in Olympia living with Olliver. Chief Rogers telegraphed Chief of Police Northup at Olympia, who soon located the parties. Ole Johnson was informed of the fact and went over and got a warrant which secured the arrest of both the wife and the man. Both were bound over to the superior court, and in default of bonds are both languishing in the county jail. The story of the family trouble dates back many years and if the woman's story is to be believed, she has been more sinned against than sinning. Mrs. Johnson does not seem to realize that she has done any harm, thinking that she has been 'divorced' from Johnson 'ten times' as she puts it, on account of his inhuman treatment of her. She told her story in a straightforward and plaintive way, and cried only when bringing up the multitudinous abuses she has suffered at the hands of Johnson. She alleges that they were married in Minnesota in 1881. At the end of two years, Johnson left the boy as an encumbrance to the woman and left the country, coming to Washington. He left in the night, and did not write back for a year. Mrs. Johnson felt keenly the slights he had put upon her during their life together, and did not want to see hide nor hair of Oleander again, but the tears and supplications of the mother-in-law persuaded Mrs. Johnson to chase Ole on his way toward the West. She caught him at Ellensburg and persuaded him to try farming again. While Ole sat in the house and smoked his stinking old pipe, the 'dirty heart' (in her words) his wife started to raise a field of wheat. In the first year she added to the Johnson store a good crop of wheat and another boy, but Johnson abused her so that she lay for seven weeks nearly dead and then she quit him five years ago. She worked in Ellensburg for a few years, until he forced her to flee for her life. She had fondness for attempting to tickle her throat with the edge of a razor and other little playful Johnson tricks of that sort caused Mrs. J. to flee back to Minnesota. While in Minnesota she received letters from Olliver who is a fine looking, intelligent man, and he offered her a home with him. She concluded that she might as well get some pleasure and kindness out of life so she accepted the offer, and has lived with him ever since in Yakima, Seattle and Olympia.