MATRIMONIAL JARS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2815, 26 February 1908, Page 36

MATRIMONIAL JARS.

CONFLICTING EVIDENCE. At ihe CSty Police Court on the 21st before Mr H. Y. Widdowson, S.M., an application by a wife for judicial separation on the grounds of cruelty occupied the greater part of the day's sitting. The parties to" the suit were William Lawrence, a farmer, formerly of Taieri, but now of Kakanui, and Hellcn Lawrence (n<?e Mills), his second wife. The grounds for the application were persistent cruelty and failure to provide adequate means of maintenance. Mr A. C. Hanlon appeared for the petitioner, and Mr Hay for defendant. Hcllen Lawrence, wife of defendant, stated that she had been married to defendant 11 ycm's last June. Some trouble arose some years ago through the children of the first wife parrying lalos to witness's husband, and he then came in and kicked and hit and swore at her. As a result of the ill-treatment witness had to send for her parents and sisters. Her father sawLawrence in regard to the ill-treatment. Hor husband used filthy, disgusting language to her when he abused her, and had frequenth struck her within the last six months. On one occasion he shoved her out of tjbe back door and knftcked her down on the stones, and then kicked her two or three times. When she locked herself in looms to protect herself from his violence, he kicked the locks off the doors, and when he got to where she was he slapped her in the face and kicked her till her legs were blue. He had only struck her onco with his closed hand on the shoulder. On one occasion, a few months ago, he asked his daughters to bring an axe so that he might break open the door of a room where witness was, and witness had to jump out of a window in her nij^htclothee and go to a neighbour's place about half a mile away. As a consequence of the ill-treat-ment witness had to leave the home and take her six young children with her. Her husband accused her of ill-using his first wife's family. He had told three of his daughters to tackle her with sticks and to fell her to the ground. She had never on any occasion ill-treated the first children, beyond giving ordinary and necessary chastisement and when she had to protect herself against ..them. When she left her home she went to her parents at Milton. Often when her husband quarrelled with witness he said he would murder her.

To Mr Hay: Witness knew a man named Archibald M'Gee. and she had struck him with a poker. She did so because M'Gee swore at her ; and for striking M'Gee her husband caught her by the throat and punched her in" the face. She tried to scratch her husbaad's face when he struck her. but did not make his face bleed. Witness had never broken the nose of one of her husband's daughters, or kicked her. She only struck the step-children in selfdefence/ She had J had a good many "battles" with the step-children. One Sunday her husband told her to get up, and told her to come in with her brood to breakfast, or she would not get a bite of food. She got no food that day. Witness had struck one of the daughters on the face because the girl had struck one of the yeung- children with a stick. For this her husband said he would murder her, and her mother, who was present, had to step between them. He then caiig-ht her mother by the shoulder and swung her round. She was never in the habit of punching the children unless they assaulted or struck the young children. The father told the children to taokle her together. * She had incurred a bill for £33 with the D.I.C. on her husband's account the day after leaving home, and borrowed £5 from a storekeeper to enable her to leave home. Her husband had never provided her with any money, and she had to incur the liabilities referred to for clothing. Janet Mills, mother of complainant, gave evidence that she had visited her daughter's home at Kakanui, and described one of the quarrels between the parties. Lawrence called his wife bad names, and rushed at her with a stick, and threatened to murder her. The son of defendant then came in and squared up to his stepmother, and said the father had not given her enough. The boy also threatened to strike witness, who was a very old woman. She had never known her daughter ro have a bad temper. j Robert Mills, father of complainant, gave evidence as to defendant's behaviour. He had never heard that his daughter had illtreated one of defendant's daughters, who had since died. Rachel Ferguson, a niece of Mrs Lawrence, stated that she had .^een defendant etrik^ his wife v. ith his fist and bruise her arm. The language used by defendant was •disgraceful and disgusting. Defendant also endeavoured to strike hi« wife with a stick. Janet Lawrence, a child of the parties, ga'se evidence a-- to the relations between her parents, her testimony as to alleged ill-treatment being corroborative of that of oibei witnesses. Robert Lawrence, a smalj boy of eight, gave corroborate e evidence of the ill-treat-mont of hi« mother. For the defence. William Lawrence denied that he had ever kicked or ill-treated his wife, but said he had often come into the house and found his wife with a stick beating his. daughters. When he attempted to lake the stick away on the3e occasions his wife struck him ■« ith it over the head. The daughters were often beaten black and blue with the sticks. When his wife left home she took over £45 worth of household goods that did not belong to her. Owing to Mrs Lawrence's treatment of one of kis daughteis. named Fanny, she had to leave her home. He had never burst open the doors or broken the locks, and had never used the language complained of. The squabbles occurred only about once a month. He could not afford to support his children away from home, a<nd wished to have them brought up under his own roof. He had never knocked his v\ ife dow n in the field or sat upon her.

To Mr Hanlon. When he complained about his wife beating the children, she said. "You old d , I'll give it to yon!" It was not the oase that he sided with his daughter against their stepmother. He had never called his wife anything beyond saying that she was a brazen woman, and his children and other witnesses had not stated what was true when they said he had struck his wife and used abusive language towards her. The whole cause of unhappiness in the heme was the unkindness of his wife.to the stepchildren. Fanny Lawrence, aged 19, a daughter of defendant, Btatod that she had to leave home on account of hor stepmother's cruelty. Her otepmother one moralus. Atjcuok w.it£es§

over the head with a stick without any ? i cause, and one of witness's sisters assisted < her to prevent their mother from further < assaulting them. ±ler mother used to : chastise them with a bullock-hide, and had i struck witness over the head -Kith a pick- ; axe handle. She had never soon her - 1 father strike her stepmother, but had seen i hor mother take a poker or five shovel to s beat witness and her sisters with. Her s stepmother was a very bad tempered woman, < and when in a bad temper she was ■very cruel. To Mr Hanlon : Witness and her two f sisters "assisted" each other when their stepmother chastised them. | William Henry Lawrence, a son of de- [ fondant, said he had never heard his father : use bad language to his stepmother. His stepmother had a vicious temper, and he had seen her use a potato masher, a poker, and pickaxe handle to strike his sisters with. He had heard both his stepmother and father use rough language to each other. I To Mr Hanlon : His stepmother treated . witness and his sisters very brutally, and on one occasion she had beaten them black and blue with a pick handle. Witness was black-and-blue for three months afterwards. Thomas Maxwell, saddler, gave evidence as to defendant's -character, and the case was adjourned till Tuesday to take the evidence of a witness, a farm labourer, who 1 is in the hospital. j