A Desperate Plea for Mercy in a Madison Street Assault
Despite the emotional pleas of a wife attempting to protect her husband, the victim of a brutal assault refuses to drop charges.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The developments yesterday in the Madison street assault and battery case, in which H. H. Burt and E. C. Buckley played leading parts, show that the case will proceed. Yesterday afternoon, Capt. O. W. Hogle swore out a warrant before Justice Von Tobel charging H. H. Burt with assault with a deadly weapon. Mrs. Burt visited her husband at the jail, then went with Chief Jackson to Providence hospital to implore Buckley, the victim, not to prosecute. Buckley, whose leg was broken and who suffered head wounds in the attack, remained firm. The heartbroken woman fell on her knees to beg for mercy for her children's sake, but left without any assurance that the case would be dropped.
“The poor woman fell on her knees and implored that the case be dropped, but she left in company with Chief Jackson without having any assurance that her wishes would be granted.”
The intersection of personal tragedy and the judicial process remains a difficult tension. This story highlights the public nature of 'private' violence at the turn of the century.
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