Holmes' Home Was Not A Sweet One

NZ Truth, Issue 1205, 3 January 1929, Page 5

Holmes' Home Was Not A Sweet One

AFTER MANY YEARS

Mother of Ten Children Alleges ' Cruelty Agaihst Their Father SEPARATION AND MAINTENANCE

(Prom "N.Z. Truth's" Cambridge Representative.) ." | vmmtTflifmiminimimimiimmuimutHHHitmniiiifmHfiH gkimMmmmiitummwnitiiMumimiiiimim.mnHinmtimiiutwitMiitMim

If On one side of the building- where justice is dispensed for II | the folk of Cambridge there sat a mother and five children, \\ If the eldest of a family of ten, while on the other side sat a jf I diminutive, elderly man, his small, piercing eyes, roving here J! f and there, ahd his general demeanor indicating a state of pro- || j nounced nerve tension. It was a pathetic scene. Il ?rtii»iiijiiluuilliiilniM)iliiiiiuiiiiiiiinniMi!nHiiuniinii;iniiMiiiiiiunMiiiMiiiiriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitiiiiiii,iiiMiiiiiiiiiiiiniirirti,iiriiiiriitiiiiiiiHriji.iNrir iiiiiir'umiiiiiiiiiimmiiiiiiiiiiiuiimii,! = uiiiiuuiiiuuilWMHUiuuiiiiiiiiii|iiHuiinHiiUHiiiiuiimiiii;imi|iiiiuiiiiiiitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiigiuiiiiiiiiiuiiiiii minim miimmiiiimiiimiiim milium?

THE mother, a woman of 45 years of age, was Elizabeth Holmes; of Cambridge, and she had come to the court Avith her five eldest children to seek, after 25 years of married life, separation, guardianship and maintenance orders. , Complainant was represented by D. J. Lundon, of Cambridge, while Colin Taylor, of Hamilton, was m attendance to do his best for the husband, John Holmes, a man of about 60 years of age. The complainant, m the witness-box, told a story that made it pretty patent that home with Holmes, was anything but "Home, Sweet Home," and from what Mrs. Holmes told Magistrate Wyvern "Wilson, of late years she could have had very little appreciation of that ever-green musical composition. Hers was a story of drudgery, whilst bringing up a large family that would do credit tp a home where contentment reigned supreme. Mrs. Holmes said that she had lived with her husband for 25 years but she could stand it no longer. Complainant went on to give her evidence, without any undue bitterness, such as is of ten/associated m cases with like circumstances. She had done her best to carry oh, but it was no use, and she had realized, that she and her husband were at the parting of the ways. The ages of the ten children ranged from 23 years down to four. Mrs. Holmes said that their life was fairly happy until about ten years ago, when the children began to grow up. Since then there had been nothing but rows and rows. Her husband not only took a delight m quarrelling with her, but he was everlastingly making . trouble with the elder children. In reply to her" own counsel comp-

lainant freely admitted that her husband was a temperate man.

He went to church regularly, but he

had an uncontrollable temper, and this caused all the trouble. . Some years ago they were on a farm at' Otqrohanga, but she and the boys did all the work. On several occasions defendant had struck her over the head and face with

his fist. Once at Otorohanga he had thrown part of an implement at her •and on another occasion had attempted to strike her with a rake. Six weeks ago he had threatened to kill her with a poker, and on another occasion had struck her and given her a black eye. Last Good Friday he had got into a terrible temper and had threatened to shoot her. The last time they had a row: — m June— he had attempted to strike her son, Len, with the butt end of a gun. During the last few months her husbanQ had struck her three- times. Lawyer Lundon: Were they just affectionate little taps, or serious blows? — There was nothing affectionate about them. Her husband had only allowed her £ 1 per week to maintain the household. Whenever she) complained about this he flew into a temper about it. Her husband often liit the children with anything he could get hold of. •Once he used portion of a rose bush. He had also kicked them on occasions. Cross-examined complainant attributed all the trouble to defendant's temper. He seemed to be under the impression that she always let the children do as they Hked. v He objected to the elder girls being out late' at night. They- went- out very little, but when

they did he always went out to meet and quarrel with them. They had a party '"on November 20, and her husband had quarrelled with.' them on that occasion. The next morning defendant made a nasty/ insinuation to her and she had struck