Todd - family
Source: Crawfordsville Daily Journal Wednesday, 26 December 1894
A family reunion of the Todd family was held yesterday at the home of Dr. J. L. Williams, in Brown’s Valley, and out of the events that took place there it is very probable that a husband and wife will again live together with their little girl babe. The Todd family reunion, however, was not for the purpose of reuniting husband and wife—far from it—but the outcome of it will bring it about through the process of law. This is one case where neither party desires a divorce and the circumstances surrounding the matter are very peculiar.
This morning Andrew W. Lydick, of near Brown’s Valley, came to this city and habeas corpus proceedings have been made out against James Todd and wife and their son, Al, alleging that they had forcibly kidnapped their daughter and sister, Mrs. Robert L. Lydick and her little babe. The court has caused the papers to be served upon the parties and they must produce Mrs. R. L. Lydick and babe in court and show just cause for their actions.
On Oct. 31, 1893, Robert L. Lydick married the daughter of Mr. Todd and they lived together until about the first of last June. Then a separation took place and the woman returned to her father’s house, about three miles northeast of Waveland. An application for a divorce was made in the wife’s name but the matter seems to have been deferred from time to time. At last rumors were afloat that Mrs. Lydick did not want a divorce, but was prevented from returning to her husband by her relatives, and that her parents closely guarded her all the time to keep her from running away from her father’s home, but now that she had about given up all hopes of escaping and had resolved to kill herself.
On last Saturday she met her father-in-law, Andrew W. Lydick, in Crawfordsville and told him that it was a fact that she was by force kept from returning to her husband, and she hoped to never see the day that husband and wife would be no more. As the matter of the divorce was being urged upon her by her relatives she had concluded to commit suicide before the court could separate them. She, in the presence of a witness, told Mr. Lydick that she gave him her baby girl and for him to tell her husband that she loved him yet, and would live with him again if she was not in absolute bondage. She wanted to see him once more, and would see him, and have from his own lips the statement as to whether he loved her or not, and then she would commit suicide. Her friends with her then interfered and prevented any further conversation. She also requested Mr. Lydick to attend to several other matters for her after she was dead.
On yesterday, Christmas Day, the Todd family had a family reunion at Brown’s Valley, and Mrs. Robert Lydick and her babe were brought along. Andrew Lydick had been studying about what had been said about committing suicide and he thought it might be possible that her parents did not know that such an act was in contemplation; that if they should be informed of this that they would rather permit her to return to her husband rather than to have her commit suicide. So he had a friend go to the reunion and see James Todd, the father of the woman, and tell him that he would like to have a friendly talk with him. But Mr. Todd returned word that he did not want to see him, but Mrs. Todd returned word that she would do the talking, and it was so arranged. At the appointed hour, Andrew Lydick and Mrs. Todd, and a number of her male relatives met at the office of Dr. J. L. Williams and talked over the matter. Lydick told Mrs. Todd concerning what Mrs. Robert Lydick had said about wanting to return to her husband and that if prevented, she would commit suicide. He pleaded with her, as a mother, to not interfere with the reuniting of husband and wife, especially when both were perfectly willing, and also by so doing to prevent her daughter from committing murder by the taking of her own life. But the conversation yielded no good results in itself, and Mrs. Todd said that she would rather bury her daughter four times than to permit her to return to her husband.
They seemed to know that suicide was being thought of by Mrs. Robert Lydick and no one appeared to be willing to do a single act to prevent her taking her own life.
Mrs. Robert Lydick, during the talk in the doctor’s office, also brought about an interview with her husband, which has led to the habeas corpus proceedings. She eluded the watch of her relatives and went to a neighbor’s where she obtained a nubia for her head. Then she went on the hunt of her husband, and after a short search she found him. She told him her story and of how she longed to live with him, but as her folks were so opposed to it she had almost concluded that it would never be brought about, and that before she would suicide she wanted to know from his own lips if he still loved her and desired her to live with him. He said he did love her and wanted her to come to him at once. She seemed overjoyed and said that she would return and get her baby and come back. A friend went with her to carry back the child, and the husband waited anxiously for the homecoming of his wife and sweet babe.
When Mrs. Lydick reappeared at the “happy family reunion” there was a great commotion. She boldly announced her intentions and made an effort to get her babe. But the baby was snatched up by Mrs. Todd who then disappeared, and Mrs. Lydick was seized by her father and brother, and a fierce struggle ensued. The horses were hitched up at once and she was put in the buggy by main force and driving away to her father’s home. Eyewitnesses to the scene describe it as one of brutality. The woman struggled so fiercely to get away that it was all that the men could do to get her into the carriage. Her brother is charged with cursing her in requesting her to cease screaming and also that he had hit her in the mouth with his hand, bringing blood. Thus this family reunion was brought to a close.
The friends of Robert Lydick concluded that a great injustice was being done in the case and hence they have issued proceedings to have the court take a hand and decide whether a man and wife can be divorced against their wishes.