A son-in-law tries to get rid of his mother-in-law

Reporters just don’t. cover stories like they used to.

I enjoy reading the old police reports in The Telegram.

Here’s one, word for word, from January 03rd, 1896, titled:

A son-in-law tries to get rid of his mother-in-law.

His Honour Judge Conroy presided in the Police Court this morning.

James Woodrow, a young married man, was before the court charged with assaulting and beating his mother-in-law, Mary Wescott.

The complainant appeared in court this morning with two lovely black eyes given her, she says by, the defendant on St. Stephen’s evening. Woodrow and his wife have not had much domestic felicity since he joined the Benedicts.

Note: Now I had to research what the Benedicts mean. Primarily it means blessed or well-spoken. It was popularized by Saint Benedict, founder of the Benedictine monks, and also refers to a newly married man, especially one who was a longtime bachelor. That derived from Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, and, of course, the popular brunch dish, Eggs Benedict.

Back to the story:

Woodrow’s wife has had him before the magistrate on more than one occasion for non-support.

The mother-in-lawcontends that she is blameless They put in paraeneses. (of course she is!) She says, “the greatest injury she has ever done to the defendant was to pay his house rent.”

While he on the other hand, contends that if he were rid of his mother in law he might be a happy man.

However, the court found there was not sufficient provocation to in anyway excuse such an attack by a man on an elderly woman, and the court fined the defendant $25 or in default 50 days in jail.

Wouldn’t you love to see the police report and The Telegram come back?