TABLES OF DOMESTIC DISCORD

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 717, 17 July 1929, Page 1

TABLES OF DOMESTIC DISCORD

Divorce Petitions Cleared Up

WIFE WHO DISLIKED N.Z.

MORE tales of domestic discord were told to Mr. Justice Kennedy in the Supreme Court today, when the remainder of the undefended divorce petitions were heard.

life in New Zealand did not suit a voung English woman, Elsie Georgina McManus, so she sailed for Sydney. The story was unfolded by John Victor McManus, who sought an order for restitution of conjugal rights against his wife. Married in London in October 1925, McManus and his wife came to Auckland in January of the following year. After living in the city for some time he secured a job on the staff at Arapuni, his wife remaining with people in Mount Eden. At their request, however, he took his wife to Arapuni, but owing to the difficulty in Securing accommodation he was obliged to forego his job and return to the city. “My wife was in an extraordinary state,’* he said. “She had conceived a dislike to New Zealand and the people and her great desire was to leave. I appealed to her that •is we had come out and settled down to make the best of it and not be quitters, but she still wanted to get d7 She left him in May, 1926, and although he tried to persuade her to rexurn she was not amenable to reason. Looking through the paper one evening he saw his wife’s name in the passengers booked for Sydney. From there she wrote saying she was quite happy and had no intention of returning. He had written a further letter asking her to come back. Counsel asserted that he had delivered the letter personally to the wife while in Sydney. He was prepared to give evidence on these Hues. This drew a smart rebuke from the Bench. “It is undesirable that counsel should be taking cases and giving evidence,’* commented his Honour. “I did not think that proof of the second demand to return would be required,** replied counsel. “You should intelligently anticipate these things,” retorted his Honour. Counsel entered the witness box and testified to delivering in Sydney the letter handed him by petitioner. On reading it Mrs. McManus exclaimed, “There is no chance in the world of my returning to John. I don’t like New Zealand and I don’t like him, so you can do what you like.”

An order to return in 30 days was made against respondent. WIFE LEAVES HOME Desertien was the ground on which Richard George Jenkins (Mr. Osborne Lilly) sought to be released from his marriage to Emily Jane Jenkins. An answer to the petition was withdrawn by Mr. Moody on behalf of the wife. The petitioner was married in Auckland in December, 1915, there being two children. Without giving any reason, his wife left him in February, two years later. She lived for a time in another part of Auckland and then disappeared completely. A decree nisi was granted, to be made absolute in three months. Custody of the elder child was granted to petitioner. HUSBAND’S VIOLENCE “In drunken frenzy he has blackened my eyes, bruised my shoulder, put my thumb out of joint and smashed the crockery.” Thus Maria Magdalena White described the behaviour of her husband, Frederick Charles White, when she sought the severing of her matrimonial bonds on grounds of drunkenness and cruelty. 1 etitioner was represented by Matthews. Carolina, in the Transvaal, South Africa, was where she married White in March, 1906, living in that country until 1918, when they came to New Zealand, settling in Auckland. From the time of her marriage her husband was a heavy drinker and became worse on coining to the Dominion. He had an accident on the trams in 1923, in which he injured his head, and his drinking habits had become worse. Ho had undertaken jobs at sea, and as a nightwatchman and on the wharf, but none had lasted long as lie drank all tho money he earned. While at sea he had sent her on y one allotment. In 1924 she commenced proceedings for separation, but had abandoned them on his promising to stop drinking and taking out a prohibition order. He tried this twice with no success, in liquor he foully abused her and threatened her life. Alice White, stepmother of respondent, said her stepson had afjvays been a drunkard. The only time lie was sober was when he had no money, she added. A decree nisi, to be moved absolute after three months, was granted. SEQUEL TO QUARREL ‘When I appealed to him to get a doctor to our sick child, he declared he hadn’t time to go running round. I accused him of having time to run round with other women and he assaulted me. I had to barricade myself in the bedroom. He packed up his tlothes and left.” Charlotte Gertrude Richardson (Mr. George) thus described the quarrel her husband, Andrew McLeod Richardson, with whom she asked her carriage to be dissolved on grounds of desertion. A petition by Richardson was withdrawn by Mr. Schramm. Married at Gisborne in December. 1904, she and her husband lived there for some time, and then moved to Rapakura, where they resided until the quarrel on May 7, 1923. There were four children of the marriage. Richardson had been paying her maintenance since he had left. After hearing corroborative evidence by Millicent R. Hunt, his Honour dismissed the husband’s petition and granted the wife a decree nisi to be made absolute in three months. Custody of the children was granted to her. WIFE LEFT SUDDENLY Arriving home from work one evening Win. Alexander McLeod found that nis wife, Annie Flora McLeod, had disappeared, taking the children with He told this story in support of petition for dissolution of his marri^f e on grounds of desertion. His wife was a widow with four c hlldren when he married her in Kai-

koura in 1924. She lived two years with him before leaving home and she was now residing in Christchurch. He had lived in Dargaville since 1927. After corroborative evidence on affidavit by petitioner’s sister had been read, his Honour granted a decree nisi to be moved absolute in three months. Three years’ separation under a court order was the ground on which Thomas Augustus Wallace (Mr. Webb) sought to be released from his marriage to Susan Emily Wallace. Petitioner was married in 1919, and lived with his wife in Taranaki and Northern Wairoa, where he was still residing. The couple had been separated by a court order since October, 1925. A decree nisi was granted, to bo moved absolute in three months. HUSBAND’S INFIDELITY A story of her husband’s infidelity was related by Mildred Ethel Rykers (Mr. Terry), who petitioned for release from her marriage to William George Rykers on grounds of adultery. Petitioner was married in March, 1920, and lived at Devonport with her husband until the end of 1923. Counsel produced a letter from respondent in which he admitted misconduct, stating another woman had replaced his wife in his affections. A decree nisi was granted, to be moved absolute after three months.