"OLIVE LED A GAY LIFE"

NZ Truth, Issue 1202, 13 December 1928, Page 9

"OLIVE LED A GAY LIFE"

Some Amazing Allegations In The Unravelling of An Auckland Marriage Tangle

DID A SAILOR CROSS MARITAL TRAIL?

SHE had to lace serious allegations against . her character when she . sought to obtain orders for separai tion, maintenance and guardianship from her husband, Nicholas Peters, who was described as a clerk. Peters did hot spare his wife. In his defence he alleged that Olive was by no means the refined woman she appeared; but had left him on more than one occasion for the company of other men, and had led a gay . life generally, j But Olive showed that she was able to speak up fqi? herself. Although not represented by counsel, she faced crossexamination coolly and returned like for like. . , She brought to light many side issues on the case once Nicholas' counsel attacked, her and dragged up what was alleged to be her past, .and did not let him get away with everything. ' Yes, she admitted that she had been placed on probation once by the court, but hadn't Nicholas been m gaol? . . . Oh, yes, she thought so. It was a somewhat romantic tale that was told about the two, and the scene shifted rapidly from "Wellington to Australia and then back to New Zealand, finally being- brought to a conclusion m Auckland. They married about ten .years ago, but the town of Wellington held them for only four years. Then they were Australia bound, but something happened that got them both into trouble. Not Ever After Nicholas was separated from her for three years as a guest of the King, but apparently when he finally returned to his wife, things went oh something the same as ever. Anyway, there was no "happily ever after" appended to their story, for again they faced a magistrate last week, Olive seeking to obtain maintenance, as her husband had left her again, and sold the contents of the house, leaving her destitute. The husband's defence took the line of a severe censure of his wife's character. He was not called into the box to give his side of the case, but his story was told by his counsel from a statemenfby him. . ' Dressed m a tigh|-fitting, black velvet dress, and holding herself erect and her , head high, Olive stepped into the box; Questioned by. Magistrate Hunt, she saidlthat she and her husband s had been married for ten years. They had two children, whose ages were eight and nine years respectively. S.M.: What is your complaint against your; husband? Olive had- plenty of complaints to make, and she told her. story with little pronipting. "Persistent cruelty," she replied. "Two months ago he complained of myigoing but. He took the children t .avvay frm me and sold the furniture from the house, leaving me destitute." S.M.: Have you had any maintenance 3— I got 25/- for one month, but since:! then* I've had nothing from him. "What is -the cruelty you complain of?" isked the magistrate. "OK .he : has treated me cruelly. I have been black and blue," replied Olive with downcast eyes. S.M. Hunt had nothing further to ask the wife, and, turning to Lawyer llll!l!lllllljl|j|||||l!l!)ll)II))M

(From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Auckland Representative)

As she stood m the witness-box at the maintenance court last week, tall, slim and well-dressed m black, Olive Peters, m appearance was a quiet, refined-looking 1 woman of about thirty years of age, but the story told of her by her husband's counsel painted her as anything but what she appeared.

Singer, who appeared for the husband, | he asked what line the defence would take. Holding up some papers, Lawyer Singer approached the bench. "Here are some' letters, sir, to show what kind of woman she is," said counsel, and he proceeded to read a letter which was said to have been written by Olive to a Maori. "Jimmy Dear 1 ... „ My Darling Jimmy, send me my. fare back to you . . ." read counsel. That particular letter had been written, to a Maori Olive had previously been on rather intimate terms with, counsel alleged. Olive was then put through a cross•iiiiiiiiiniuiuiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

examination as to her conduct with other men, but the questions left her unshaken. She raised her head slightly and facing counsel squarely, gave her answers clearly and without heat. "Did your husband follow you to a house and find you with a man named McGregor?" . was counsel's first question. j "I wasn't with McGregor" replied Olive. Counsel: Were you at the Trades Hall last Saturday night?— And counsel repeated the question, extracting a reply m the affirmative this time. Counsel: And you had several dances with a sailor? "I may have" was Olive's quiet answer. lllllllllllllllllllllilllMiiiiinniiiniiiiuiiiiiiuiiiiiuttiiiiiiiiiiiiiliuiilinuillllllUim

"Well, you either know or you don't know," said the S.M. Olive then admitted that she had danced with" a sailor on several occasions that night, but she did not know his name, she said.. Further questioned, she said that she did not know what ship the sailor belonged to, either. Counsel: Where did you go to with the sailor afterwards? — I didn't go anywhere with him. "Didn't you try to get a room at an hotel?" asked counsel. Olive stuck to her first answer. She had not gone anywhere with the sailor after the dance she told the court. At this point, Magistrate Hunt called on Field-Major Annie Gordon, of the Salvation Army, for a report on the woman's character, but the probation officer stated that she could not speak of her doings "up to date." "In my opinion she could not help the children, though," stated Major Gordon.. Lawyer Singer then attempted to straighten out the domestic tangle, but his remarks on the Peters' married life painted the wife m bright colors. Nicholas and Olive married about nine and a-half years ago and lived m Wellington fox' four years, said counsel. They quarrelled continuously and Olive "kept bad company." In desperation, her husband tpok her to Australia, stole money, with her asi ■ . Sly-grog House sistanee, and received three years' refbmiative detention, his wife being placed on probation by the court, alleged counsel. "Pie took all the blame, and she was leading a wild life with a Maori while he was m .gaol. Husband and wife had been living m Auckland for two years, and since cowiing to the northern city, Olive had started drinking and keeping bad company. "On one occasion she asked him to come back to her. He did, and the next day she went to the races and did not come, home," said counsel. Further allegations by counsel were to the effect that Olive had stayed m a house with a man named McGregor, and had frequented sly-grog houses. The S.M. was considering the payment of maintenance, when Lawyer Singer interrupted. , "It is no good giving her money. Look at her, she is not m need," he said. Nicholas rose from his seat by his counsel, saying that if she were given money it would be spent m hotels. The S.M. turned to the husband. "How much do you get a week?" he risked. "Four pounds," replied Nicholas. "Well, you are to pay your wife 10/---a week." • Again Nicholas said his wife would only sr>Qnd m hotels any money lie j r ave her. "Weil, the money will be paid to Major Gordon," replied the magistrate. Olive addressed the bench before she left the court. "Please, sir, does the money start from to-day?" she asked, and stated that she was three weeks behind with her board. -"The payments start from this day week," replied the S.M.