Will Blackwell Beats Wife Annie, Who Attacked Him for Hay Riding With Wild Women, July 2, 1921

Couple Fight, One Anxious About Money, While the Other Years for Affection

Adam is often envied because he never had his wife to go through his pockets while he was asleep. If he could have held a conference with Will Blackwell, a negro, who was tried in court Saturday for an assault with his fists Adam would not have had such a horror of trousers. It was alleged that Will woke up in the night, found his wife going through is pockets and beat her up.

Several bits of complicating evidence were brought to light in court, but it was admitted by Annie, Will’s wife, that she was searching the clothes of her husband when the discovery came.

Discovery should be plural, for Annie also had her eyes opened. As her eager hand settled on 15 cents in her husband’s pocket, her amazed eyes settled on a piece of straw on his coat.

“He’d been hay ridin’ wid some wild women, yer honor,” declared Annie.

And then the real trouble started. Will had become enraged over his money and Annie over his affection. The Battle of the Marne was tame to the fight. According to the evidence, Annie grabbed a poker and made the first counter attack. A charge by Will caught her on the flank and chaos began to reign. The battle raged all over the house, minor engagements being fought in the rooms, in the halls, on the porch and on the floor. The grand defeat came when Annie got caught between two doors in some way. Will opened up the heavy artillery and the enemy was all but annihilated.

Solicitor Tom Guthrie asked Annie to show the court the wounds of battle, if any, when she took the stand.

“I had ‘em all over,” said Annie, and before the solicitor had time to stop her, she had off half of her clothes. That was just a starter. It was evident that with Annie modesty was nix. She reached around with one hand, clutched some vital garment and straightened up for the final tug that would have sent her to jail for 75 years.

“Stop! Stop!” said Solicitor Guthrie, as he sprang out in front of her.

And the evidence that would have convicted Will was never brought to light.

“But I’ll make him pay the costs, anyway,” said Judge Jones.

From The Charlotte News, Saturday, July 2, 1921.