"JUST HIS HOUSEKEEPER."

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 181, 1 August 1919, Page 5

"JUST HIS HOUSEKEEPER."

DIVORCED, BUT NOT PARTED.

iEX-.W_.WS ANOMALOUS POSITION!.

An affiliation case in which a man who had divorced his wife was charged with being the father of an illegitimate child of the wife, born after the divorce, came •before the Police Court this morning. The defendant was James Thomas Rutledge, who pleaded not guilty, and SubInspector Wohimann stated that Rutledge and his wife were divorced in November, 1916 (the decree being made i absolute on March 6, 1917), and subseI quently the woman and his divorced husband lived together in a house at Ellerslie for twelve months or more before 1 another child was born to the woman. The mother died of influenza in November last, and the child was committed to an , industrial school. The case for the police was that for more than 12 months prior to the birth of thee hild, the defendant and his divorced wife lived together. Catherine Mullins gave evidence that defendant was married to her daughter, Sarah Jane Mullins, nine or ten years i ago, and there were four children,of the marriage, of whom three survived"".* Then they were divorced, and her daughteT j went to work in a boardinghouse. Before the divorce was made absolute Rutledge and her daughter took a house at EUers- 1 I lie and lived there with the children. They.seemed quite happy, and whenever she visited them the home seemed the I I same as it was before the marriage. Her [ daughter used to say jokingly, to witness, "You know I'm only Jim's housekeeper . . now," but so far as witness' observation | went they seemed to be man and wife. Witness' daughter to]-] witness that defendant was the f-i er of the child in ! j question. Three -..< four weeks before the birth of the child the defendant 'left the house and took the furniture I j away, saying he supposed the woman had made her own arrangements. The woman then had only sixpence in her 1 l' pocket, and as witness could not help her, and her other relatives had turned against her she went to "Billy" Wilson! for help, and he got her into St. Helen's l hospital, and> said he would see her through her trouble. Later her daughter] got influenza and died. I

To Mr. Moody, the witness said that Wilson used to visit at Ellers-I lie when Rutledge was at home. She! believed that her daughter had been admitted to St. Helen's as "Mrs. Wilson.". So far as Wilson was concerned she be-! lieved he had fallen in love with her: daughter, but she had never any reason! to think that Wilson had done more than] befriend her when she was left without a friend. Witness had never heard any mention of Sam Fleetwood in conection with the daughter's name. Her daughter had been somewhat addicted to drink.

Further evidence was given to the effect that defendant and his divorced wife had lived in the some house in EllersUe from May, 1917, till August, 1918, and that the child was horn on September 11, 1918. When seen by a policeman recently he had admitted that, but said that the arrangement had been made for the reason that he thought the children would be best looked after by their natural mother, and she was fn the house only as a servant. She got the money required to run the household, and 7/6 a week for herself.

The Sub-Inspector stated that he proposed to call the man Wilson, or Wilkinson, who had been mentioned, if his Wor-I ship thought it necessary. •His Worship thought that it would be! better to have Wilson's evidence, though] he assured Mr. A. Moody (for defendant) that it put a considerable strain on his I credulity to believe that the relations' between the defendant and his divorcedl wife were merely that of master and servant, and the evidence that way would have to be very strong to satisfy him that no order should he made.

The case was adjourned to enable the police to call Wilson to give evidence.