Fiendish Cruelty.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVII, Issue 66, 18 November 1913, Page 5

Fiendish Cruelty.

TO A BLIND WOMAN,

BY HER HUSBAND.

Hobart, November 9

At the.police court yesterday Douglas Bowerman was charged with assaulting his wife.

Detective Harman stated that the woman was fragile and blind. The

pair had only been married three months. Soon after marriage, the husband began to knock her about. On one occasion he had tried to set her on fire by asking her to hold a large sheet of paper. The poor, blind creature did not know that the paper was saturated with kerosene, and that her husband had a box of matches in his hand. In an instant the woman was enveloped in flames, shrieking in agony, and endeavoring to extinguish the blaze in her burning hair, while the accused was laughing. Fortunately the flames were put out before any very serious injury resulted.

The detective warned the man of his behaviour, and left, but had not gone far when he heard piercing shrieks, and hurrying back found the door locked. Looking through the window he saw the woman being hammered all over the room, while blood flowed from her head and arms. The detective arrested the man, and ho was ordered to be imprisoned for three months.