HE LOVED HER SISTER

NZ Truth, Issue 1174, 31 May 1928, Page 5

HE LOVED HER SISTER

Yet His Wife Always Thought They Were Enemies (From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Auckland Representative.) Maud and Archibald Wilkie walked out of St. James' Church, Auckland, one day during 1906, newly made man and wife, but of the pair Maud alone made her appearcn :e last week, when she petitioned for a divorce from her husband, a Moerewa farmer.

LAST year Maud Wilkie took a trip to Australia, leaving hei- husband at home m Auckland; • There was also m Auckland a sister of Mrs! Wilkie's, by the name of Pauline Madigan, who, the petitioner said, was not on good terms with her husband when she left for her trip. But when Wilkie's wife returned from the other side m November, matters had . undergone a very decided change, as she. told Judge Blair. So decided was the change that an admission was made by the sister m December th.'it there had been undue familiarity during the' absence of the legal wife. "of Archibald. In the presence of another sister, the usurper was shown the written admission of the erring Archibald —and the cat was well out of the bag. "What did you go to Sydney for?" asked Judge Blair. "For a holiday," was the answer. "Where is your home?"-^-"In Cook Street," petitioner adding that she had ieft her husband to look ■ after the house. The sister went there to look after, him. At that time the two did not iike each other. Another sister of the petitioner's, Lily Thiele, gave evidence substantiating that of Mrs. Wilkie.

Having done so. Lawyer Singer, who was. acting for the wife, made a request that this sister's name be not published. The lawyer said: "I make this request to the press m the circumstances." . , His honor replied — as he smiled towards the press' table: "They have to carry out their duty on certain defined policy," adding that he was not able to make any order to that effect. Referring to the matter of the decree, he went on to say: "I couldn't make an order for a decree on that proof . . . There is nothing unusual m a " husband being friendly with his sister-in-law." ..."''. His honor further said that he could not take the admission of a woman as evidence; anybody could get a divorce by saying m front of witnesses: ,"I have committed, misconduct." There the matter was left for a day or, so, but at a later date further proof] was brought forward. '<■■. Alfred Lockhart, who was staying m the house, gave evidence, that he had seen the sister frequently going to the husband's room and leaving several hours later. • His honor granted the decree.