AFTER THE HONEYMOON

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 8, Issue 126, 29 May 1916, Page 2

AFTER THE HONEYMOON

A HUSBAND’S DESERTION

BIGAMY As SEOCHL. A n extraordinary story of brief wedded bliss was told by a petitioner in the divorce case Gertrude Bassett (Mr E. L. Ziman) v. Walter Bassett, beam by Mr Justice Cooper at Auckland. The marriage, Mrs Bassett stated, took place on December 29, 1908, at Te Kopuru, where her home was. Her husband, who was a mill hand,- had been lodging with her parents for some time previously. They spent the •honeymoon in Auckland, and at the end of a week there the respondent sent her back to Te Kopuru saying that lie would folllow in a day or two. So heard nothing more of him for some weeks, but after makink inquiries through the police she located him at Wellsford. In the meantime she had removed to Dargaville and one day bv accident she met him there.

She offered to rejoin him if he wouTi? provide a home for her no matter how humble, but he made no reply to the

suggestion. Some time after this he came to her home at her father’s request. and slio repeated the offer, but lie declined it. Next he took a house in the neighbourhood, and induced her to clean it out inreadiness for some furniture which he said he owned. H P went off. ostensibly to get the furniture, but did not return. She had never seen him sinee, but she had heard that lm had been convicted of bigamy at Christchurch. The petitioner’s father, Thomas Stopford. stated that lie was called to give evidenec at the respondent's trial for bigamy in 1913. which resulted in a yn-*-,"me o r 12 months’ imprisonment. He o d not know where the respondent was at j-resent. '- dee re pis? m ns granted, to be made d;.f-- iu thrp n months. There were no cam! rev of the marriage. ,