yesterdaysprint:

The Pennsylvania Packet, Philadelphia, April 4, 1785

In defense of my innocence, I, the subscriber, believing my husband intends to injure my character all in his power, lays me under the disagreeable necessity of informing the Public, that his insinuations are without any just foundation, and are only from imagination of his own brain, or the falsehoods of some ill designing person, without seeking for the truth of the matter; and that he has no just reason to suspect me, as he alleges, if he was right informed: He had no desire, I believe, to see whether it was the case, or not; but I defy him to say he knows such a thing of me, or to produce any person who will say it; but I do know from fact that he is guilty of infidelity to me, and was informed by the person who saw it, and therefore I am not mistaken; this I should never have mentioned, had he treated me with any reasonable degree of civility; and the reason of my not living with him at present is, that he told me he intended to make a voyage to London, and requested me to go and live among my relations till his return (but for reasons best know to himself he has not yet gone) which I complied with, and have lived with my father and brother-in-law ever since; this he knows, as he came to my brother-in-law’s last fall to see me, and there he found me, and there I have been ever since, though he is pleased to suspect me as he has set forth; and I could not have believed he would have published his name and mine in an advertisement of that kind, had I know had it from persons of good character, and afterwards seen it myself; this makes me suspect he is still attached to the person he chose in my stead, and that he wants to be rid of me, as I went twice to him since we broke up house-keeping for his voyage and sent me away, on purpose to see when I was to be taken home again, but to my disappointment he asked me why I did not stay where I was; and as to dispute there was none at our parting, or any thought of by me, or I believe by him, though he had given me abuse some considerable time before, of which the marks are yet left on my shoulders, though nothing alluding to our being apart at present, and subscribing myself, the much injured, EDITH BROOKS.

The Pennsylvania Packet, Philadelphia, February 26, 1785

(Here’s the advertisement Edith is responding to)

Whereas some unhappy disputes have arisen between the subscriber and Edith, his wife; and as he has great reason to suspect her of infidelity to him, he gives this public notice to forewarn all persons from trusting her on his account, as he is determined not to pay any debts of her contracting after the fate hereof, NICHOLAS BROOKS.