| Transcribed by Norma Knotts Shaffer from microfilm of the Calhoun
Chronicle dated 6/5/1900.
To Whom It May Concern
We hope our readers will pardon us for just this one statement and we
promise, if you will, never to inflict you with another one of similar
nature.
There is a Woman In It
Thanksgiving evening, 1897, without my knowledge, Mrs. Dr. Blair left
this town between dark and daylight, accompanied by Tom Ferrell of Leaf
Bank, who was paid for accompanying her by J.T. Waldo.
C.H. Craddock, who was then in my employ, was the first to break the
news to me. Later, Dr. Blair, who was absent from home, came back
and began a search for his lost, strayed or stolen wife and finally located
her at Tanner and sent Squire G.W. Ritchea and W.W. Brannon to see her,
with letters written at his tearful request, from J.W. Pell, Jesse Scott,
the writer and others to see if she could not be induced to return and
live with him. (Illegible) of the letter written by me is here appended.
"Suffer the (illegible) of human nature to plead in his (meaning her husband's)
behalf (illegible) ever loved him you will (illegible) love him still,
and I verily believe, with all of his bad qualities, he loves you and will
do more for you than any person living."
Nothing more was said nor heard by me for some time thereafter until
one night, on my return from a business trip from Parkersburg, she, (Mrs.
B.) called to me at the Watson Hotel, Harrisville, where she was stopping,
and said she wanted to see me, and I agreed to see her as soon as I went
to the Patton Hotel and ate some supper. Agreeable to my promise
I went to the parlor of the Watson Hotel and spent about one half or three
quarters of an hour in conversation with her. The following day I
came home and told Dr. Blair that I had seen and talked to his wife, and
that if I could have truthfully told her he was staying sober I could have
induced her to return to him. Then he began to insist upon my getting
her to come home, promising to drink no more nor beat her no more, and
in time went so far as to go before a Notary Public and take an oath to
that effect. And, in good faith, I wrote the final letter about February
10th 1898 that caused her to return, after which time I went down to their
home, congratulated and left with them my best wishes for peace and happiness,
hearing nothing from them (illegible) time or until he got drunk and unmercifully
beat her, after which she sent for me and most severely censured me for
having induced her to come back. This created in him a jealousy,
that has since existed and for more than two years. I have silently
endured his vile abuses (not to my face) and threats to shoot me until
last Saturday night, a week, about eleven o'clock at night _. T. Hodges
called me in my office and said, "Dr. Blair is hunting for you with his
shot gun," (and here (illegible) me for a declaration. If a man don't
want troubles of his own, he must not go gunning after me.) I immediately
went to look for the Dr. and his gun, and upon arriving in sight of his
house saw him and his (illegible) brother and wife in a fight or (illegible)
and went to his house collared and shook him over a good sized patch of
ground, hit him twice, to which he offered no resistance until his wife
ran in, caught my arm, and then he landed the hardest lick in my face ever
felt, which blacked my eye and hostilities, outside of cuss words ceased,
I using the most of them. And allow me to say that I had not seen
nor spoken to his wife for almost a week and knew nothing of their troubles,
but having induced her to return have always felt it a duty to protect
her and have not, at any time, allowed the vile gossip of personal enemies
to deter me from a plain duty under this or any other circumstance.
Respectfully,
S.C. Barr |
