A BARMAID AND A BUSH CAMP

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 336, 24 June 1911, Page 6

A BARMAID AND A BUSH CAMP

WIFE CHARGED WITH ADULTERY. In the Supreme Court at New Plymouth on Thursday, Augustus Cameron, a farmer, of Waitara, petitioned for a dissolution of his marriage with Daisy Cameron, on thej ground of adultery with Harold Kirk. Mr. J. E. Wilson appeared for petitioner. The suit was not defended. The evidence of the petitioner showed that he was married to the respondent, then Daisy Annett, at the office of the Registrar of Marriages at Manaia on March 31, 1910. Respondent had been acting as barmaid at the Manaia Hotel. After the marriage they lived in Eltham for about a fortnight, and then removed to Auckland. They lived in Auckland about six weeks, and then the respondent left petitioner and went to Tauranga, where she got a situation as a barmaid. About the beginning of August she returned and stayed with Cameron for a while, after which she went iljack to Tauranga. "She was of a very violent temper," continued petitioner, "and at times was uncontrollable. She used to drink frequently, and that affected her actions; consequently we did not live a happy life. Without the slightest reason she would get into a bad temper, and during that time she was hardly responsible for her actions. She expressed herself dissatisfied with the quiet life we were leading, and said she would have to go back to the bar. I tried to get her not to do so, but argument was useless. Then she left after we bad some disagreement about the matter, and took a position as barmaid at Tauranga. About two months afterwards she wired to me, asking me to go and see her. I went and saw her, and had a conversation with her after the bar was closed that night. I could not get her to say or do anything reasonable, and I thought it best to leave again. When I was leaving next morning she said that she wasn't coming iback to me. Some time later she wrote asking me to send her £ls so that she could pay her debts and come home. I sent her £lO and she came back to me. She stayed two days, behaved very badly, created a lot of disturbance, and then returned to Tauranga. The next I heard of her was that she was livin»' with an old friend of hers as his wife! I went to see her at the place where she was living, near Tauranga, and found that she and Kirk were living together at a bush camp, as man and wife. Kirk was cook to a gang of twenty men. She admitted to me that she was living with Kirk as his wife. A man named Sheehy was with me. When the citations were served I went witli Constable Skinner to Omanawa Falls, twenty miles from ' Tauranga." Witness added evidence of the serving of the citations on both respondent and co-respondent, who said nothing when the citations were served. Mr. Wilson filed an affidavit from Constable Skinner as to the service of the citations. A decree nisi was granted, to be made absolute at the expiration of three months. No costs were allowed, as it was not proved that Kirk knew that respondent was a married woman. J