Petition of Sarah H. Roper asking for a divorce

Sarah H. Roper Petition for Divorce

Presented by Mr. Costner & referred to a select Com consisting of Messrs: Cothren, Burns, Walworth, Kinney, & Botkin

Reported Bill No 1 Feby 10 1845

To the Honorable the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Wisconsin

The undersigned Sarah H. Roper, your Petitioner, residing in the City of Milwaukee in the Territory aforesaid, respectfully represents and shows unto your Honourable Body, that she is the wife of William Roper, now residing in the City of Utica in the State of New York.

That she and the said Roper were married in the year A.D. 1834 in the county of Oneida in the said state of New York.

That soon after her said marriage she became aware that the said Roper was in the habit of getting intoxicated, and frequently to such a degree as to require assistance in getting to bed. That this habit has continued with ever since, gradually increasing, and of daily occurence, with a few exceptions of intervals of a few days when he has been confined to his room by sickness brought on by intoxication.

That your petitioner has not always been able to know the quantity of spiritous liquors drank by him daily, but at one time an arrangement was made by which he agreed not to drink more than a quart of brandy a day, which was regularly measured out to, and drunk by him, and your petitioner has a good reason to believe that during the time of said arrangement he drank even more than the quantity aforesaid.

And your petitioner further says that he has not for the last ten years drank less than a quart a day of brandy or other spiritous liquors, and that he still continues so to do.

And your petitioner further represents that the excesses of the said Roper have so deleteriously afected his

mind and enervated his body, that he has been quite unfit for business, so much so, that your petitioner has been in the habit of going to his counting room, (while he was engaged in the mercantile business as hereafter stated) several times in a week, just before the hour of closing his store, and of assisting him in the adjustment of his daily amounts. That she was usually attended on these visits by her colored servant George Henry whose assistance was frequently necessary and required to help send Roper home.

That said Roper's habits of intoxication have been so deep and excessive, and still continues, and such has been their effect upon his physical energies, that he has very frequently been unable to walk the streets to his residence without assistance of the said George Henry. That he has generally become intoxicated in the forenoon, which would partially pass of by a sleep at noon, to be renewed again in the afternoon and evening, so as to require assistance in getting to bed for the night, at which time he has been either in a state of lethargic stupidity, or of nausea and vomiting, terminating in stupidity which continued till morning, to be followed by extreme tremulousness and prostration, until his intoxication should be again renewed. And this has been for the last ten years his daily course, gradually increasing in intensity all the while.

That while engaged in the mercantile business aforesaid, he became, in consequence of his intoxication, so incapable of thought or care, that he carried his money loose about his person, in his pockets and even in his hat, from which it has frequently been lost by him while sleeping on the floor, and picked up by the servants or herself. That he frequently took his sleep in the day time in the barn, wagon house

and other outhouses, when probably he had other losses, never recovered.

And your petitioner further represents unto your Honorable Body, that during the time aforesaid he has been uniformly unkind, harsh, severe, and frequently cruel to your petioner, occasionally inflicting upon her severe personal violence, and always the utmost severity in language and manner, which said cruelty he always endeavored to conceal from the father of your petitioner.

And your petitioner further represents that she was married to said Roper in the month of March A.D. 1834 and his unkindness and severity commenced in May next following, and continued without abatement till January last 1847 when his Brother Isaac Roper, took him under his own care and conduct.

And your petitioner further represents that her father is aged and infirm, that he is her only near relative, and her only protector. Taht for the last ten years the said Roper and herself have lived with her father in Syracuse in the State of New York, where her father set up the said Roper in the mercantile business aforesaid.

And your petitioner further represents that for several years she was in the practice of sleeping behind the parlor stove in cold weather and upon the sofa in warm weather, both on account of the severity with which her said husband treated her, and of his loathesomeness while his intoxication was the deepest. But she took care to retire to bed or to dress herself before her father had arisen in the morning, both because she desired to conceal her husbands faults and, and she was unwilling as long as she could avoid it to pain her father

with her sufferings. With this view and motive she has herself cleansed his person, clothes and bed clothes which he had polluted, by vomiting and otherwise and that fequently. But notwithstanding her efforts to conceal these sources of misery and mortification, yet persons living under the same roof have seen and known more or less of them.

And your petitioner further represents that in consequence of being compeled to sleep, as she did behind the stove and upon the sofa her health became impaired, and at length a severe affliction of the lungs supervened which completely prostrated her, so that she was unable to speak aloud for five months, and was confined to her room for eight months. During which time her father was her constant attendant while the habit of drunkenness of her husband continued all the while unmitigated. That in consequence of said disease she has had two absesses upon her lungs and has required medical treatment ever since.

Your petitioner asks leave to relate one or two instances of extreme cruelty, but will not go into detail in regard to others. About one year ago, her husband retired to bed deeply intoxicated and was taking large quantities of snuff with which he besmeared himself and the bed clothes when she kindly asked him to permit her to put away his box for the night. Upon which he kicked her severely in the chest. That for some time she was very sick from the effects of the blow aforesaid, that it brought on bleeding from the lungs and came near proving fatal. That though she suffered greatly from the blow aforesaid yet she did not disclose the cause until her symptoms became so alarming as to require a full disclosure to her physician, which was made through her nurse, to