DRAMATIC CONFESSION

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XLVI, Issue 10456, 24 July 1925, Page 5

DRAMATIC CONFESSION

THE RAPER DIVORCE CASE EVIDENCE BY RESPONDENT. "DESIRED TO BE HAPPY." 'Per Tress Association—Copyright.) (Received This Day, 1.35 p.m.) LONDON, July 23. A dramatic confession by respondent, and renewed application for an incamena hearing, were features of today's proceedings of the Raper ease. Respondent gave evidence that she adored Raper when she maa-ried him, and in order that her marriage might be happy, and that nothing might be thrown up at her afterwards, she confessed to Roper that she had been intimate with two men, apart from her first husband. One man, who held a very high political position, had since died. The other man was killed at the war.

Struggling with emotion and distress, respondent continued: "I wanted to be absolutely fair to Raper before my marriage. I never realised such a thing would be thrown up against me. Unfortunately I told Raper the men's names." EARLIER MESSAGE. LONDON, July 22. The Court to-day continued the hearing of the case in which Alfred Baldwin Raper, a former member of the House cf Commons, is seeking a divorce from his wife, a daughter of William Andrews Tobin, ai New South Wales station owner, and formerly the wife of the Marquis of Conyngham, whom she divorced in 1921.

Mrs Raper. gave evidence. She displayed great emotion and distress. She said her first marriage was a most trying experience. She knew Raper 2£ years before her marriage. He proposed several times. The respondent, denying pie-marriage incidents mentioned by her husbaaid, said: "Raper gave me to believe he was not that sort of man. He always made me believe he was'devoted to me and would never marry a woman with whom he had previously lived."

Sir Ellis Hume-Williams was putting detailed questions concerning the charges against Raper, but Sir* Mar-shall-Hall protested that if this continued he would have to apply that the examinations and cross-examinations should be taken in camera.

The respondent stated that Raper, during the honeymoon, drank brandy all the way from Basle, where he seemed very drunk. She managed to get the porter to help him from the train when they got to Paris. When she went out for a breath of air, Raper hit her in'the face and accused her of seeing some man. He seemed always thoroughly bored with her because she refused to agree to his wishes, but made an unnatural display of kissing and affection in public. The hearing was adjourned.