SHIPWRECKED LOVE

NZ Truth, Issue 1141, 13 October 1927, Page 5

SHIPWRECKED LOVE

Romance That Passed Away On Lovely Tropic Isle (From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Auckland Rep.) "It is ridiculous to corns into my court, accuse your wife of li/ing with a colored man and then ask her to come into your arms! You want her back!" Thus Masistrate Hunt, m the Auckland Maintenance Court last week, whenconsidering the marital troubles of Louisa Winnie and John Richard Hitch. " TF you had acted reasonably to my ■*■ client, you would have been well off to-day," said the husband's counsel, Lawyer Bieneski, to Louisa during the course of the proceedings. And so it would seem, for when John and Louisa joined hands m matrimony, John was earning: £12 a week. Whatever the reason, Louisa, m 1925, saw fit to accept a position as lady-companion to a Mrs. Elliott Davies, who was making ±he voyage to the Old Country by the s.s. "Osterley." The young traveller left the boat at Colombo and subsequently went to Bombay. This she had done, according- to her story, because of certain letters she had received concerning her husband's behavior. He was then employed m the bottle department of the Waverley Hotel, Auckland. It was while she was m India that Louisa received a visit from her husband, who was then .on his way to London. Three months later he returned to Colombo and arrangements were made for the wife to return to Sydney. The. complainant alleged that on the occasion of his call at Colombo — later at Sydney and subsequently m New Zealand — her husband" had assaulted her. She had appealed to the court for a separation order without maintenance. It was an action on the part of the young husband, whom Louisa had not set eyes on for many, many moons, that directed the finger of Fate to the court- room. Two days before the proceedings, she said, he called upon her when she was living with her mother m Auckland and threatened to put the bailiffs m. He had previously acquired a right over the property and had raised a mortgage thereon. The bailiff actually took possession the following morning. Faced with homelessness, there. was only' one alternative for Louisa— to place the facts before the court. This she did m a clear, cultured ■ voice. Smartly dressed and of attractive appearance, she stood confidently m the witness-box. "When I got to Bombay," said Louisa, "I went back to Colombo, and it was understood that he would come over. ... I took a position nursing and when he came to see me I told him what I had heard — and we quarrelled." During the course of the argument John had accused his wife of living with a colored man — "In front of all the stewards and everyone," added the witness m disgust. HER WEDDING RING "In my room he threatened me and caught me by the throat. He had a big document with him that he wanted me to sign. He was like a madman and had been drinking whisky or something — so I signed." Magistrate Hunt: If there were plenty of white people around, why did you not call for assistance? — I wanted to hush it up. The meeting m Sydney, according to witness, terminated m a final "clean up." Beside taking his wife's money, wedding ring and diamond ring, John obtained possession of Louisa's boxes and took the whole paraphernalia with him back to New Zealand. Since that eventful date, Louisa had seen nothing of John until two days before the hearing of her case, when he had visited her at her mother's place and again attempted to brand her character with the stigma of immorality., "When you got to Bombay, why did you go ashore?" was Lawyer Bieneski's first thrust. "Because I doubted him. He was caught kissing a .girl m the bottle store that he was working m, but I overlooked that." Then followed a visiting-card, on the back of which wag written: "My lamp will be burning to-riight . . . • If you care to come up ..." As a trump card, Lawyer Bieneski handed his worship a few snaps m which Louisa figured with a. colored acquaintance. "My husband took a snap of me with two Fijians," was her defence; "and then showed it all round Auckland, saying they were my fancy men." . Lawyer Bieneski: He is willing to take you back?— -I've never been asked! Besides, I'm not going back to get my throat cut by him! Before John left the court he was given the stern advice of the bench: "Let me tell you this," said his worship: "This is your wife — and until lyou divorce her you must keep her!" The case was adjourned. On Monday Lawyer Butler informed Magistrate Hunt that a satisfactory arrangement had been arrived at regarding^ the property dispute and the parties^ were both • agreeable to a separation order being made.