MARITAL MISERY.

NZ Truth, Issue 101, 25 May 1907, Page 5

MARITAL MISERY.

AN ILL-MATCHED PAIR.

Ructions at Rakaia.

Surman Seeks Solace m Solitude.

A<n ill-mlaitched coupte(, after nine years of mairried life, ventilated their grievances at the Christchurclb. Police : Court the other day, when some strange facts were elucidated. Thomas Surman has bee n running a pub at Rakaia for about fourtSeiein months, and he sold out the other day for £695. He brought Ms wife to Ghristohuroh, and. put her up at the Trocadero, and left her,, sayingi that their relationship was at an end. Also, he averred! that he was going to England, but he wasn't going to take her. He went and lived eTsewhera , m Christchurch, deliberately deserting her. She 'had a sum of £300 other own, but she asked the Court to compel her husband to support her. ;As inti&rest on the amount mentioned, wouldn't be anything like., - Mrs. Mary Surman, for. whom Mr* Wright appeared, told her story,? There were no children of their max-« riage living, she said. During, the ; greater portion of thejnd-ne years they Had 'been married , Sunnasa oaxried. on ■ the business of botelkeepier> There had, always been an arran-feeH 1 ment ! between herself and her^-liusv band> regardinig the dhxang^room^ffioin^ ies. They were her absolute' :^iic-> perty, she having sole charge of thati department ; and that arran'gemißiit) was m operation at Rakaia. She had £300 m the Post Office Sav-^ Bank as a result. WMle at Rakaia you had somedifferemce / wa#h your husifi^nid; >?/— Yes|.Did you take any exception to the manner m which he carried on.with the female servants ■?— I did. ' Mrs. Surman went on to say, the t after her husband sold out he took hsr to the Trocadero, tin ! Christcbjurch, 'but he didn't stop with her 1 .. He told her he had looked his passage to England.where he, had business. She asked him what she ' was going to do, and he replied*, "You are bag enough' and strong enough to go to work; I won't keep you anymore." She told him that it would, be hard for, her to get work, as she was a married woman, and had no references. . A BRILLIANT IDEA then struck Surman ; why shouldn't h«i give' her a reference himself m orSer that . she might get toil ; then he would be relieved of her. He said the reference would be all right,, he wanld post her one, and he did. She received the precious docume n t m due course, and it was produced m Court. It ran this way :4- . ■••:.'■••■ Melbourne, Victoria. This certifies that the bearer is a good servant m any position shs chdses to apply for : ; she has wp'-k- --. Ed m my hotel, and *I can recommend her. She left my employ of her own free will to see New Zealand, and we .will welcome her "back whenever she- '-Mfces to coin*. P. REYNOLDS, .-=r Cathedral Hotel, Swanspn Strest,' • ■ T\lelbourne. That was the lovely forgery that Surman palmed off on his Missus m order that she might achieve her ambition m the way of a job. But she didn't think she would let off her precious husband so. easily as that, and a confident chat with a lawyer led ? to the present proceedings. In reply to further questions Mrs Surman said" she bswl never Riven any* cause for complaint. She ,had teen fl,: dutiful wife always. Her husband had tried to get the £300 to hex credit at the Post Office Savings Bank <at Rakaia, but after enquiring into the circumstances, and as there was such a thing as a Married, Woman's Separate Property. Act m operaibion, the request was declined, and the money was handed to her. She ■toads given husband £80 m Tasmania, and she had £150 m Melbourne. , Then Counsel Russell put the lady* on the gridiron. At Rakaia her husbaiid knew each week what she banked m her own name, because the receipt used to come, to the hotel: The arrangement about the diritagKOQim was made the first day she arrived there. She never , told him what the profits were at any, time. It ,was m Novembelr that he spoke to her about Iter £300 ; that was because of a letter sha had\ opened which was addresßed to him, and concerned someone m the house. .He thought that as a result of that she would clear out f ; so he wrote to 'tie 'bank seeking! to intercept the money. Mr Russell here pointed out that up, to November last they had only been, seven months m the hotel,, and) that the woman to have had £300 must have been foanMns to her own cheek £40 a month— surelyi a large amount for such a little pub* as the Albert. Mrs. Surman' said that it had been agreed that she Was to bank up to £300, and af*ter that she was to pay for all goods consumed ? Surman had paid for them before. WSat is it you want ?• asked: Russell. Well, I don't see why he' should go to England and leave me here, You want £1 a week, and ma £300 too ?— I have been saving : for nine years. -, Will you Rive it up i! you get £1' a week for ever ?— No, not' ta let another woman e n .ioy it. Wh<m" I had charge of the dining-room / I RAN THE WHOLE SHOW myself, kitchen and all jso I saved labor and money also. Even after you made complaint about theae women your husband a&» lowed you to take these monies, juai the same ?— Yes. \ In cross-examination Surman admitted that his wife gave him £80 m Tasmania, money she sadd she had saved, but which she -hadi polled. He. had. always been suspicious about her, but. he let matters riff. After heari n g defendant's counsel on the subject of unlawful desertion. Mr. Day, S.M., said that he would make an order m complainant's favor tor 15s a week. He believed the woman's evidence m the matter. The defendant would have t-o provide security ift tke sum ol £100,