UNFAITHFUL WIFE.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 June 1920, Page 5

UNFAITHFUL WIFE.

TARANAKI DIVORCE CASE) 1 JURY AWARDS £250 ' The hearing of the divorce petition . of Charles Frederick Ammon against Daisy Geraldino Mary Ammon, on ths>-' ground of adultery, was continued »t . the Wellington Divorce Court before His ' Honor Mr. Justice Edwards and a jury of twelve on Tuesday. Mr, A. B.' J Sievwright appeared for the' petitioner; ',' Mr. P. W. Jackson for the respondent; u and Air. A. W. Blair for the co-respond-ent, William Reilly. . ' 0 In opening the case for the co*espondent, Mr- Blair said' that lie niirposed to call evidence in connection '" with the alleged forgery of the entry a of the name 'Ammon in the visitors' book lt at the People's Palace. After some discussion between bench and bar, Si* |° Honor forbade counsel to introduce nay '* evidence on the subject, an the fact 11 had nothing to do with the caao of ffco)' l " co-respondent. \ ir * is CO-RESPONDENT'S DENIALS..* , >o Mr. Blair thereupon called CBtityy j. into the witness box. O'Reilly said tisfft , 9 he had first met Mrs. Ammon at a da£M ~ fi in Auckland; about eight yean elapejd j j before he again saw her in WeffingtOJl. , , r As a conductor on a Wellington traA- , 18 car he one day recognised Mrs. fTqfllrl ' , as he was collecting tickets. He aseeF- j e tained in conversation with her that 4f* , r was married. About a year later, in &• B * cember, 1018, at the time of the op- \ g demic, lie spoke to Mrs. Ammon at tj* ' waiting shed at Lambton.station. Ska I e mentioned incidentally that;she had had'. bother in securing lodgings) and he sail : ' '.' he thought it would be possible for " to secure a place at Mrs. Eden's, whet*.' ' he was staying. She said that hw husband was convalescing, and fj"' l ' 1 thought Mrs. Eden might give her lodf-f '■ ings till her husband was again able wj.' " care for her. • Accordingly be spoke to I Mrs. Eden. • II Mr. Blair: Did vow indicate anything ' ■ -to Mrs. Eden about Mrs. Ammon beujhT & pregnant ?—No. Tr , J Were you aware of the factf—No. 1 '. • Was anything said with referenei to-.' t the paternity of the child to Mrs.- BieaJ '■ I —No. .... j * You have heard Mrs. Eden say in evi- i 1 dence that at this interview.you traw'£ • the father' of the child. Was anytiuatfv • of that kind said at all?—No! *^*" > You heard Mrs. Eden suggest flMty ) i the board was paid by you. Had Mil " anything to do with the paying of tto a , board for her or for the childJ—No, nou '! -at all. . , '.. . This question about your going- into j f Mr*. Amnion's room in vour pyj«tw»f, t —lt is contrary to fact;'no audi thing! I occurred. ■ ■ > Continuing, witness Vld that Mf*. , Ammon was in hi K room only, one* in ■' connection with a Defence letter s{w '•■ > wished to have explained. No snggW- j lion was made at the house that he wjU "i the father of the respondent's child, «• ■' cept that Mrs. Eden had stated to'him 1 that he knew all about it. In con** ■ qiience of that he left the house. 7 fife; removed to Motnroa Street where h* ; bought tho furniture and lease with ■ the object of securing a home for his -' children, Whose custody he was seeking in connection with a divorce action " with his wife. Later, Mrs. Ammon "' came to his house as housekeeper,- and lie paid her $1 a week and provided her j with lodging and accommodation for Her ; child. He lived in a detached portion of the house- • "PURELY PLATONIC." ; Proceeding, witness stated that in .> I 1913 he had had an wefdent in the hold " of a ship by which ho had received uv ■" juries which had deprived him of any ' feeling for sexual desire ever since.', i Cross-examined by Mr. Sievwright, * witness admitted that he had seen ■&»., ; Ammon in August, 1918. \ Mr. Sievwright: And yet you iavoj '' told us that you did not see her for> •' a year up till Decvember, 1918—WelL' i near the end of 'l9lß. ; Questioned by Mr. Sievwright witnese ,; denied a number of statements made in > evidence by Mrs. Eden. It was lu-t \ correct that he had ever stayed in her * room for any length of time; he bftd j never been further into tae room than ; just inside the door. His association,/ with the respondent was purely platonfr' < friendship. ' j RAILWAY SERVICE. ■ William Samuel Kidler, staff clerk, In ''■ the Railway Department, called as a' 1 witness by Mr- Blair, said it was his j duty to keep the records of each rail- ' way servant's service and conduct. He | knew Ammon merely as a name until he t called at the office in 1910, and intrp- ' .tluced himself as a one-time railway -| employee. Ammon told him that he * liad tendered his resignation and asked ! to be supplied with a. copy of a letter j he had put in. He said he had been i asked by his senior officer to withdraw ] his resignation. Witness pointed out that there were certain reasons which 1 contributed to the acceptance of hi* re- •.< signation, which were not disclosed in. - liis letter. When witness told Ammon . the reasons he did not contradict them. One of the reasons he gave Ammon was that he had been mixed up with others ' in a charge 'of gambling on railway pre-' '■* mises in Hihitahi, being convicted and ■- fined 20s and 7s costs. There were also ) other cases, including one of absence I from duty. i ERASURE IN BOOfe. Ruby Lyford, office assistant at the People's: Palace, gave evidence as to the ) system of entry followed at tb» ,5 People's Palace in connection with thtf' * guest book. It was the practice to •" enter permanent boarders in red ijik and. ' carry their names forward on the fol»v' lowing day for the number of days in* S timated by the guest that he would be' 'i staying. Casuals were entered in pen- .'.- oil. Examining the book witness-said '• that the letters "ings" appearing on tha • book after the entry "Ammon" were in,-' her ink in her hand writing, whereas * Ainmon was written in pencil in the b writing of Miss Hubbard, a jormer clerk -1 in the office.' From the position*! the 'i entry in the book, Mrs. Ammon stayed t in one of the rooms in the ladies' cor- -i fidor, occupying a lady's single bedroom..« Witness detailed to the court the mean* A by which the erasure might have o>'- 1 curred and the name Ammon inserted. '3 This closed the evidence in the - and counsel proceeded to address the -j W- i! His Honor summed up in about bjrtf ■' an hour. j After a retirement of three-quarters of an hour the jury found that theti- ', spondent had committed adultery wfclri * the co-respondent, and assessed f S&Oi''i damages against the co-respondent, I His Honor ordered the damages to W'S paid into court. In the matter of fW i decree, costs of the « and" ouftody of t- ' (he child, he raeerwd his decision ;-.<i