DIVORCE CASES.

Gisborne Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1544, 28 August 1905, Page 3

DIVORCE CASES.

j JOCKEY’S TWO WEEKS OF

. „ ■ i*: WEDLOCK, Al the Auokland Supremo Oouri Ada Mary Collins (represented by Mr Brookfield) petitioned for divoroo from her husband, Alfred Collins, on the ground of desertion. ' Petitioner said she married her husband on January 10, 1900, after an acquaintance of two years. She first met him at Mr Ralph’s plaoe at Sylvia Park, where her sweetheart was a trainer. Thoy married in the Registrar’s Office at Auokland, 1 and she went to keep house for her sistor at Epsom for a fortnight, during whioh time her husband lived with her. Her people wore not aware of her marriage. On February 8 her husband wont to Papakura with some horses, aud sbo went to her people at Waikato, it being arranged that her husband should follow later on. Several affectionate letters wars exchanged , between them, in whioh her husband promised to ride in a raoe a fortnight later and. then give'np the turf for good, and come and settlo down alongside his 11 own little pet." «< A man," ho wrote, " will novor fool work hard when ho has got a little darling like yon to smile on him when he oomes home. Your smile would take the tired feeling out of him. . • • I have nothing to do of evenings except to go to bed—no Ada to sit down and talk quietly with to pass the evening away. . . Hopo to bo by your side again before long.” Petitioner eaid that at last her husband oacio np to her poop'e at Hamilton. In the meantime she had told her mother of her marriage, but left"Alf’’to tell her father. Her mother, however, did this for him. When the news had been broken to all parties, her people took it very well and arranged to set him np on a farm. He also went to Cambridge to tell his own mother, and brought her back a pony. He said ho had promisod to take some horses *0 Dargaville, and after he had done this (whioh wonld taka him about ten days) he would return and settle. Sho waited patiently for his return, expeoting him any day,and she saw by the papers that be had no lnek at Dargaville. In a letter which she wrote to him she told him the pony bad run away with hor, and she jooularly eaid : "You must have wanted to get rid of mo to give me a pony like that.” In replying, .;! on Maroh 27, ho said: " Why ahould I want to get rid of yon, pet—the only one I have got in the world to love?—and I think of yon every day.” From this time onward she never saw nor heard from her husband again. She wrote to her sister to make enquiries, and found that he had left the hotel in company with some other boys. She herself came down to Auckland, and found that the party of boys bad taken a house, had a jolly time, left the yard littered with empty beer bottles, aDd departed without paying the rent. She Watched the sporting papers for three /years, hoping to see Borne trace of him, 1 but without success. She discussed the ■matter with his mother, and suggested that perhaps he was in gaol, but his mother would not entertain the idea for a moment.

Mrs Alice Turbutt, of Remuera, the petitioner's sister, gave evidenoe of the respondent end other boys renting a house and having a jolly time in it with some girls. She informed her sister of this, ranch to her sister’s indignation. Decree nisi was granted, to be made Absolute after three months.

AH HABITUAL DRUNKARD.

Jessie Laoglay (represented by Mr Brookfield) petitioned for divorce from her husband Edward Stephen Langley on the ground of habitual drunkenness, cruelty, and failure to maintain. The petitioner said she married her husband in Jane, 1901, Prior to their marriage she had known the respondent for over two yeare, but although she was aware that he was not a total abstainer ahe never aaw him the worse for liquor. A few days after the marriage, however, he began to get drunk, and he had been habitually drank ever since. He worked for some time for his father in Auckland, but nine months later?- owing to hie drunken habits, his father turned him out. Then they left their house in Hepburn street, and went to Birkenhead to carry on a butohery business Her husband continued to drink, and the business was unsuccessful. She got a prohibition order againet him, but this only made him drink worse. After three mooths. the left Birkenhead and went to live in Vermoai street, but.failing to pay their way, they left again six months later. Then they took three unfurnished rooms in the Great North Boad, but did not stay loDg, because they had no means of support. They next went over to Davonporn to reside at her parents’ house, and the husband remained there for about a month, wbeu, owing to his drunkenness and bad behavior, her father turned him out. She believed he then went to live with his own people, and she bbw him times, always the worse for drink. Bepeatedly at his urgent plea he was readmitted to her parents’ house, but eaoh time had to be turned out again. Some time later Bhe and her mother, on returning from a holiday trip, found the respondent drunk at her father's house in Pro Bpeot Terrace and using abusive language. They had to get a policeman to gel him away> and: ahe looked the gate behind Brookfield if ad a letter in which the respondent told his wife he had sworn off drisk. • , Petitioner said she met him a week later, and he was the worse for driok. Mr Brookfield then read the respondent's " last and most painful ” letter, written after receipt of the divorce notice, ' in which he said he should not oppose the divorce, as it would make matters no better. The letter was signed, "Your broken hearted husband.—Ted,” Petitioner said she next met her busband about a week ago, and he was still drnDk. Since they went to Birkenhead she had kept herself and child by her own earnings. For a time she took in tailoring, but the new labor lows prevented her father from nutting out his work, and ahe had to give this up and take in dressmaking instead. Her husband’s cruelty consisted in throwing plates, fish, and fruit »t her, and she bad never reoeived aoy kindness from him. W. B, Meldrum, a tailor, of Auckland, the petitioner's father, corroborated the evidence of respondent’s drunkenness. During the time at Birkenhead he used frequently to oome home drunk with the ears, and several times the neighbors had to tie him np. William Carroll,, formerly a lodger with the patties, gave evidence of the drunkenness. He had seen respondent throw dishes at his wife, and witness had interfered to prevent respondent striking his Deoreo nisi was granted, to be moved absolute with custody of the children after three months, with oosts,

TOO PBIM. D ' ■ ,• ,■■■ ti “ 1_ ' P John Samuel Btighouse (represented by b Mr J. E. Bead) petitioned for divorce from b his wife, Lillian Harriet Brighouso, on the ground ai desertion. t Petitioner said he married his wife in , Jane, 1897, and there was ono ohild. They J lived together happily at Kaeo for 16 or 18 8 months. He was then o busbman, earn- c lag about £2 10s per week, and his work { look him away from homo for frequent ( intervals, Hesponfcvery little money ,pn j himself, being neither a drinker nor a ■ gambler, but hia wages were insufficient to finan#> his wife's extravagant habits, Sb 3 gave numerous parties, and be got into debt. Ho remonstrated with her, and gavo up his distant work to take work closer at homo, This, however, did not remedy matters. He suggested nothing immoral on the part of his wife, but she used to go about a good deal with a Mr Leslie, and he Objeoted. Finally he resolved that they should leave the temptations of Kaeo, and his wife reluctantly agreed. He went |o Danoevirke, but at his wife’s roquest she remained behind to allow him time to pro* vido a home there. He left her with a house, rent free, and arranged with the storekeeper to give her credit, requesting him, however,,to see that the bills should not beeome too large. Ho loft Kaeo at Easter, 1300, and wrote to his wife on his arrival at Hannevirkei and also again by lha next mail in the same week, With " ■flwiUNwlw sent btt (Blithe money

ha hail), beoauae he had go* work, and he made arrangements for her to com

after ho had lof* Kaeo, ho a aid, ho received a startling letter from W* wife, in whioh she oomplaioe<l t “ (lt “ 6 .“?* left her in an unoomfortab le h°mo with child sick, and no fif oW h o°*V 0 °*V u‘ “ 0 said the child was well whon ho loft homo, s„fi a six months’ supply of fire 1. deferred ironioally to his love f W o°r the child and said it was - like the blessinp of a priest, whioh oost him nothKb" She charged him In bitter sentences with having blackened her character, with having told the people of Kmo that ho was leaving her and tho ohild and Kami for good, and with having stopped her , accounts with all the storekeepers, and ' deceived her as to his destination. She declared that after the way in which he had bullied, insulted, and sneered at her she would never live with him again. As for his sister, she was (wrote the respondent) an old hag, and she would never speak to hor again. Petitioner said ho replied to this letter, absolutely denying tho charges, and asking hor to come dowu. Ho then received a cartoon of a Salvation Army bandsman, in whioh ho reoognised tho penmanship ol his wife. Ho had joined the Salvation Army on reaching Dannevirko. Mr Reed exhibited this caricature, and read tho following inscription placed around it:—

“ Oh, ’tis true, ’tis true, I've gol a billet in the Army. For strike mo fat, I say, if Ive not changed to-day From a Mollio into a Sally; Ob, ’tis true; ’true, I blow like blazes in the Army.”

11 Sung with howling effeot by the Honourable J. Brighouse on the memorable oeoosion of his initiation into the Salvation Army.”

I Nest be reoeived an obscene ditty sent I anonymously by post. I Mr Reed said this was too obsoeho to I read out. I Petitioner said he visited Kaoo to see his wife and reconcile her, but eho out I him in the street, and would not speak to I him, or have anything to do with him. I He made several other attempts to speak [ to her, but always with' the same result. I He wont to her mother and asked her if I she could tell him what was the reason of I this behavior, and his mother;in-law said lit was beoause he was too prim, and I would not let her get about to dances and j other things just as she liked. Onoe he I did succeed in getting her to listen to him, and he urged the interests of the child jn I an attempt to induoe her to reside again with him. She offered to do bo on condition that he returned to Kaeo, where her people lived, and built a house there. To this he was unable to consent. Edward Brown, a carpenter, of Olifton road, Ponsonby, said ho knew the Brighouses from childhood. Mrs Brighouse was regarded as a woman who dressed extravagantly, and beyond her moans. Decree nisi was granted, to be made absolute after three months. Mr Reed stated that he had arranged with respondent's solicitor that she should keep the child on condition that the petitioner nas allowed to see her at stated intervals.