His Zulu Wife

Horowhenua Chronicle, 15 March 1911, Page 4

His Zulu Wife

NOM.AXCE OF NATIVE WHO X V\\ SED ENGLISH-MAX. Some details of a romantic marriage of an Ehglish engineer to a Zulu woman wore mentioned in the Stratford Police Court when William Cole 32 of Übells terrace, Ripple road, Barking (London), was charged with assaulting his wife by striking her oil the head with a revolver. After being divorced from his first wife Cole went to South Africa, and there was attacked by malaria and dysnntry. The doctors gave him up, but. a devoted Zulu woman managed to nurse him back to health, and upon his recovery ihe married her. The assault with which the lius--I>and was charged, took place early 011 Christinas morning. When told bv her ibusba.wl that lie had invited a few friends to spend the day with them, Mrs Cole admitted that she became very cross, and threw the baby's feeding bottle at him. He ran out of the room, she said, and she then took a revolver from a drawer and threatened, to shoot him. There was a struggle, and her husband, taking the revolver from her, hit her oil the head with the butt. A doctor said the woman had .a narrow escape from bleeding to death. Sergeant Rolbbins stated that the prisoner produced, two revolvers, and said! that when ibis wife threatened to shoot him with .one, he hit her 011 the head with the otilrer. The room was in disorder, ia'nd broken crockery ware strewn about were said by the prisoner to be the remains of a toilet set which Iris wife liad hurled at him. . -> > Cole, in defence, said (his wife first got cross when he called' '-her a "blooming fool" for breaking - the catches of two gold bangles which he had bought her for a Christmas present. Then they had words about some friends who were coming to spend the day with them, and . she fell with her head on the corner of a marble washstand. He added he - must say.she h'adi been a good woman to him. The magistrate bound both husband and wife to keep the peace for twellvo months.