The  Shelby  Republican
Thursday, March 3, 1893
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          Don Bruce was two years ago elected to the office of city marshal, on what was then known as a "wide open ticket."  And under his administration of that office we have had a wide open town.  It has been a notorious fact to all and lately emphasized by Judge Hord in a speech before the council that "everything went."  During the barbeque last summer and later during the fair things went at an outrageous length.  In fact if anybody has had protection under Bruce's administration of affairs it has been the vicious and the lawbreaking.  It was announced a short time ago that Bruce would stand for renomination this spring and if defeated he would be a candidate at the next election for Recorder.  The McHugh bill came along and by extending the term of city officers, removed the necessity of Bruce's making a canvass for renomination and re-election as it extended his term from May 1893 to September 1894.  This was good news to Bruce as it has lately become evident that he would not be in it for a renomination.  This seems to have turned the head of our protector of the city's morals and the enforcement of her laws and he is said to have gone a protracted drunk.  On Thursday night, without provocation he jumped on Kale, the restaurant man, as he claims and thumped him while drunk.
          He was out on a lark Saturday night, going home at 7 o'clock Sunday morning and abused his wife.  All sorts of reports were in circulation about this on Monday.  To ascertain the truth of the affair a representative of the Republican went to the country on Monday to get Mrs. Bruce's statement. She said:
          "When Don came home I was getting breakfast and he commenced to abuse and curse me.  I told him that was no way to come home after being out all night.  He said you shut up and cursed me again.  He came over to me and caught hold of my left shoulder and hit me twice on the left side of my head with his fist.  I hollered and he said, "If you holler again I'll kill you.  I'll not do like Zeigler did I'll finish you."  I'm afraid he will kill me.  There was part of a dress, cut ready to make and some trimming laying there and he picked them up and threw them into the fire, and a piece of dress goods left from a dress I had just finished for another lady.  I don't want him take[sic] my children away from me.  I'd work myself to death rather than part with them.  As soon as I could I got away from him and took my children over to Spurlin's.  When I left him he was asleep, dead drunk on the sofa."   "Did he take out his revolver to shoot you?"   "No he has not had a revolver for some time.  I understand that he pawned it to some one.  No, he did not take up anything to kill me with.  The butcher knife was laying on the table and I was afraid he would see it and cut my throat with it."
          "Did he ever mistreat you before?"
          "Yes, several times.  He has accused me of wrong doing with several men and has sought to injure my reputation in the eyes of my neighbors.  He stays away from home lots of nights all night and then abuse me when he comes home in the morning.  I do sewing to make money to help pay for a home for my children; often I sit up until midnight sewing, and he'll come home and demand the money.  His family have always been kind to me both his mother and his brother Clarence.  Don told me that he was going to sell the house.  I said he couldn't because it was deeded me, and he said he'd kill if I went to see a lawyer about it.  I told him I had already been to see a lawyer and that made him mad.  I'm afraid of him for fear he will kill me and he might do it any night."  When asked what she intended doing she said, "I'd file an affidavit against him but I'm afraid he'll kill me."  When reassured that he would not be allowed to harm her, she said she would come up town right away and swear her life against him.
          When she left town in the forenoon to get away from Don and to get to her people, she pushed a baby less than a year old in a cab and lead a child less than three years old, a distance of over two miles.  We understand that the police board of the city council are taking steps to call an extra session of the council to see that he is impeached.  This cannot be done too quickly as we cannot afford to rest under this added disgrace.
Copied by Phyllis Miller Fleming

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