ALLEGED WIFE DESERTION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 110, 30 April 1908, Page 4

ALLEGED WIFE DESERTION.

A TATARAIMAKA TROUBLE. In the Stipendiary Magistrate's Court, yesterday afternoon William fiiilmoii »as charged with having unlawfully deserted his wile, Mary Ann Salmon. ami left her without adequate means of i-upport. Mr. Urcy appeared for the complainant (Mrs. Salmon) and M■. -Nicholson for the defeudaut. The latter pleaded not guilty. Tile complainant stated sfie had been married to her husband for alwut :!! Sin- and lir-r husband had resided on a farm at Tataraimaka. For a great many years she had been bullied and abused by her bu=band. who had slapped her face in his temper*, lie had caught her by the throat and threatened t.. throttle her. He had, in addressing her, -used all the tilth a man could lay his tongue to." Her health had been bad., caused by hard work and want of attention when unwell. Nearly all of the ,toek and .battels on the farm were given t<. her by her father U|H-ii her marriage. AWit December Kith, Hum, Jie went to the hospital, being ordered to do so bv her medical advi-er. After leaving tile hospital she went to live -with a „ister at Haweni. \\hil-t there she received a letter (product i dated iiitb March of last Year. in which her hii-hand suggested 'lh.lt they should gi-l a separation order b. consent. The farm at Talaraiinak.i. with all slock, etc.. bad been -old. but -he had not yet received any of the proceed", allhough the stock and chat- I tcl* belonged to'her. She had been -imported by her sons ,ince December, lftiKi. and her husband had offered her £1 a week if she would return and live with him. hut her health \\;\-: such

• that she could not accept the offer with out serious iujurv. <>.>"-<-\ i il!lill>'.l : S]|,. „ai,| lh.ll .Ml ,)]).. "i .•.!-!<... h.-r' llll~l.:.l.,l l m ,l -1,,,,,,,,! i,,.,. f' l "- "Itli ll |'i«- ~f 1,rc...l :n„! |,„tt.T. •Sin' hail I'll one on-.i-ioii that Ihei .Ihhil.l i.i'll, -„ ;,n,| 'live : ,i t|„. 'i'.! 1'...,.!,--. 1|.„„... T!ie S.M.: Wh.n. together* Mr. Grey: There"- nu such thin.' ;H t)i:it m tin- 01,1 lv.,pic'„ 11„„ K .. VO iir I Worship. fv.ulsium:.' a piece of evi.leii,,.. Mr. Xieliol-un -tatc.i that the .Meii.t.inf !i:i'l "trere.l l.ij have an „nlev minle -i tl'"\ -1 !'l liv,. to-j.-tlier 1111.l tl,;|t lie -li'iiilil allow .CI a week I'm- hou--lluM. expen-es. The IVueh: n,.,f. the llli. t |..-..||li;ir •ep.ir.liti.il i.nler I hale eier helir.l nf. Mr. X.e-1,..|-.,„ : lirieMv. i, „;,„ ...p. lin.ti.ill wilh.ilU UlMlleV. ..I' li\e ■'"'l I'lyillell'. "I CI .1 Meek. 5..111PI tine- uheii -he ~..- ill |,-r llll~l.Mll I ■ vi.ir.l .1., ihe h'.ii-e«..rk ami 1....U .ifler i her. She .l.lniitte.l hlvil]" reeeive.l fn.ni her iii.-l..ni.| an ..!I'.-r to phiee the tov.'i property in her mine \< .(,,. „,,„!,| I return to him. The town pi..|n'rly w;..s tiiteii in p.irt payment 1,.,- the farm. wlii.li her hu-lwini n.hl. She .l.nie t h.ivin» intnri 1 some vi~it.„- H, a t her liti-lmnil ff.i- ".'i kin.! runl attentive .1mI in.l" She cl.iimcl n portion nf the | pn.eecK f,f tlie i-nlc of flip prnj^ny. lie- e\;iniiiieil: ('i.inplaiuant li.nl no I private moan- whatsoever. '

Dr. D. S. Wylic said lie had been in attendance on. Airs. Salmon at intervals during the past few years, during which time she had been siille'ring from certain organic troubles, and at intervals from nervous debility. On two or three occasion, ,-he hail' been in town lor treatment, including a lon., stay in the hospital. Whilst in low if she'had always quickly recovered from her ncrvou., debility, amd relapsed equally quickly upon her return home, lie had !•■ cu at -a loss to account for this until he had l>een informed by her sister of the treatment of hi* patient by her hu-baud. Her husband's behaviour, as alleged, was quite stillicient to cause the neivotusness. On account of her organic troubles il wa- not advisable for her to live with her husband as his wife. Had she returned from the New Plymouth Hospital to the environment which had surrounded her for so many years ,-lie would speedily have become the subject of certifiable mental disorder, in the shape ot laneholia. Since leaving the hospital, and living apart from tier husband, her norvous condition had much improved. To Mr. Nicholson: He had no actual knowledge of the husband's cruelty. The nervous disorder might have been caused by other worries. William Salmon, *on of I tie panic-, said he had lieen living on the farm and

in the same house a* his parents for seven or eight years. His lather's treatment of his mother was "pretty hard," and not the proper treatment lo be meted out to a wife. If complainant- wanted to go and se,. her friendtliere was generally a "row about it.' the defendant lining language towards her that he liad no right to use. He hadn't interfered, but lie considered th-: blame was on the father's tdde. ][e had seen no acts of violence on defendant's part. He was unaware of any other cause 'or the nervousness than the defendant's treatment. Jlr. Xieholson called John Pcarce. of Tataraimaka, a near neighbor of the Salmons for ncarfy forty years, and a brother of ~\h* Salmon, who said that he had frequently visited the hiouse. but until (piite recently lie had not known that there were any serious differences or diflicultics between them, lie had never been a witness; of their troubles. In answer to Mr. (Jrey. his Worship Haid Ihis wa-. nivivlv n<>J.itiv<> evidonc". It leminded him o'f lie- man charged with theft of a leg of miitton. Four people swore thai they had seen liiiu steal it, and he wanted to call a hundred to swear they had not seen him. Francis Hodgson, another neighbor for about 28 years, gave similar evidence. At 5.15 p.m. the case was adjournel I until in o'clock this morning. I