WOMAN'S WORLD

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 232, 6 February 1911, Page 6

WOMAN'S WORLD

(Conducted by "Eileen"). THE SAD STORY OF A RUNAWAY WIFE. "THE WEAKER EESS!& n ji!l JUDGE CONDONES THE VOYAGE TO MEW ZEALAND. London, December 23. The sad story of a runaway wife's voy-1 age to New Zealand, told last week m( the Divorce Court, has had a remarkable ending. Although the wife had been found guilty of misconduct by the jury, Mr. Justice Bargrave Deane decided on Tuesday to allow her a divorce from her husband, in order that she might be free] to marry another man. Such a story is probably without precedent in the history of the Divorce Court; but on the facts of the case it must be admitted that the judge has taken a vise, humane, and generous view.

The facts of the case, it may be remembered, were as follow: Mrs. Gwendoline Joyce Pretty married her father's groom. She afterwards left him, in consequence, as she said, of his cruelty, and in company with a man named Halfpenny, a plasterer, sUe went to New Zealand. She eventually returned to England, and obtained a di-, vorce from her husband on the ground of his cruelty and infidelity. The King's Proctor intervened to prevent this decree from being made absolute on the ground of Mrs. Pretty's relations with Halfpenny during the voyage to New Zealand. Mrs. Pretty denied that anything wrong had occurred, but the jury which heard the case last week found the charge proved. The judge was therefore left in this position: Should he rescind tile decree nisi, or should he exercise the discretion allowed him by the Act of 1859, and allow it to be made absolute ? " UNFORTUNATE ADVICE."

Til!; facts of the case, lie said, were very exceptional. His difficulty was due to the course Mrs. Pretty had taken, apparently by the advice of counsel, advice that was very unfortunate. It was contrary to the interests of Mrs. Pretty herself. She had been in the witness-box and denied on oath the allegation with regard to Halfpenny, it was right that he should say that he agreed with the verdict of the jury in this matter. Mrs. Pretty had not only committed misconduct, but she had, unfortunately, committed perjury as well. Ilis Lordship then reviewed Mrs. Pretty's unhappy career. There was 110 doubt that the man Pretty had betrayed her, but not in the criminal manner that had been suggested. Her marriage with | him was bound to be a failure in the circumstances. She had afterwards experienced the greatest cruelty at his hands. She had every reason to leave his house. She was, in fact, forced to do so. ,

When she went to New Zealand she and Halfpenny had evidently come to the conclusion that they would go to gether. If she had come before the court and not kept the voyage to New Zealand secret, if she had said that she was driven from her husband's house, then her case would have come well within the cases wherein the court had exercised its discretion in an ill-used wife's favor. SO EQUALITY OF SEXES. Some people, continued his Lordship, were foolish enough to think that the Divorce Court should treat men and women in the same way. This was not the case, and he hoped never would be the case. The court was always ready to make allowances for the weaker vessel. Woman was the weaker vessel of the two. Her constitution and habit of thought, and feminine weakness might lead her to do things which might be excusable in her, but not in man. If Mrs. Pretty had told the truth there would have been no difficulty in making this allowance for her. If it had not been for the abominable way in which she was treated by her husband she would not have gone ofT. "I have thought the case over most carefully," went on the judge. "I have doubted whether I am justified in exercising my discretion. Here is a young woman only twenty-one years old now. She has been through a life which may be fairly described as a tragedy. She lost her mother when she was very young. She spent a great part of her childhood away from home. If this decree is rescinded she is bound to this man Pretty. What would be the result? It would be the absolute ruin to her. I think when the Legislature gave me discretion it meant me to take every circumstance into account." ' BARRISTER'S LOVE STORY. His Lordship then dealt with the part played in the case by Mr. Arthur R. Stevens, the young barrister, who met Mrs. Pretty after her return to England and became engaged to her, knowing her unhappy story. "lie fell in love with her," said the judge, "and through his love behaved in a very honorable way towards her, but perhaps not too wisely. He has told me that notwithstanding what has happened he is prepared to marry her. If he marries her he will lift her up out of tho slough of misery and despair. Can there be any doubt in any human being's mind what I ought to do? I must put aside my natural indignation at her having committed perjury." His Lordship went on to say that in the Divorce Court, above all others, honesty was the best policy. In such a case as this the court was always ready to recognise the weakness of sex. He had come to the conclusion that in exercising his discretion in Mrs. Pretty's favor he was acting as it was his duty as an English judge. He was glad to think that the King's Proctor, who had done his duty thoroughly in this matter, did not raise any objection to the exercise of the discretion. His decision was that the decree nisi should be made absolute. His Lordship's final words were: ''After these people are married I hope J the past and its misery will be forgotten and a happy life will ensue." Airs. Pretty's decree was made absolute I next day.