Democratic Sentinel, Volume 2, Number 5, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 March 1878 — A STRANGE SUIT. [ARTICLE]

A STRANGE SUIT.

A Man Sum a Church for Alienating the Affections of His Wife and Receives *2,500 Damages [Bryan, Ohio.] An interesting case has just been closed in the court of common pleas of this county. The case involved the authority of church or state. Joseph Lichty brought suit against John Holdeman and others in SIO,OOO damages for enticing his wife to abstain from marital relations to him.— It appears from the evidence that all the parti-ss were members of the denomination called “Church of God,” a branch of the Mennonites. In May, 1875, the society of which John Lichty and his wife were members, for divers reasons not shown in court, excommunicated him and placed him under the ban termed “avoidance.”— This means that remaining members shall shun and ayoid the erring or excommunicated brother until he repent and is again received into the church. It makes it the duty of the wife, she being a member, not to eat at tne same table with her husband, nor talk with him except when of absolute necessity; neither to sleep with him, under penalty of being expelled from the church and being forever lost for disobedience. She could, however, keep house for lim and family, which consisted of four children. This she did for a year, he in the meantime patiently and kindly trying to induce her to act the wifely part with him. But on different occasions, wlien he had nearly succeeded in winning her back to him, these priests or teachers would st p in and warn her that she <*ould not take such a step without the consent of the church, and that if she did her soul would be forever lost. He then rented his farm and moved away, to be from under this influence, thinking his wife would go with him; but this influence was brought to bear upon her, and she would not leave her society.

Thus did these men on the one hand seize upon tbo strongest cor. 1 , of the human heart, religious zeal and faith, to keep this wife from her husband, that they might, on the other hand, grasp the cords of human affection and love to make a man bow to the church in which he did not worship. They were willing to break up a family which had been maintained in peace and love for sixteen year*, to compel this man to do their bidding. They made their own defence in court, not believing in lawyers. The Bible was their law book, from which they read in parts from Numbers to Revelation. Simon Mennil, of Holland, who lived in the sixteenth century, was their commentator. By the Bible they sought to justify their course, and, under the plea of religious tolerence, guaranteed by the constitution, claimed a verdict In their favor. It is perhaps saie to say that such a people and such a defense was nevee before seen or heard in the courts of this country. It was the sixteenth and nineteenth century face to face. The testimony being all in, and the arguments having been made, ths case went to the jury, who soon brought in a verdict giving $2,500 damages to the plaintiff. The case has excited much interest.

A certain Justice of the Peace over in Starke courty has a way of marry Ing a couple peculiar to himself. He anys: “Arise Hal and Tom,grab hands! Hitched ? Fork over two dollars, and ity all right,” and that is all there is to It. There are “no cards and no cake.”

It Is stated that vulcanized red rubber dental plates are injured by tobacco smoke. They color by degrees like ' a meershaum pipe. This will probab- ; ly account for *he number of deterii orated plates, of which smoking owners oompfadn.