DIVORCE COURT INCIDENT.

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 208, 31 August 1920, Page 5

DIVORCE COURT INCIDENT.

A HINT TO THE LADIES. JUDGE AND BAD LANGUAGE. A warning to the women present at ;he Supreme Court to-day that he was. joing to quote bad language in his [ iddress to the jury in a divorce case was riven by Mr. Justice Cooper. His Honor'remarked that the jury would need to be prepared to hear a j;ood deal of bad language. There were ladies present, he remarked, and if they j ihose to remain that was their look-out. He did not think, however, that any respectable woman would remain. Faced with this ultimatum all the ladies rose and left the Court. Ten minutes later some of them returned but nothing in the subsequent proceedings caused any blushes. The incident occcurred in the closing stages of the four days' proceedings in the defended petition by George Mitchell (Mr. Hall Skelton) for dissolution of his marriage with Sarah Ann Mitchell on the ground of her alleged adultery with Hugh Croskery, who was cited as corespondent. Sir. Singer appeared for the respondent and the co-respondent. . His Honor, in summing up the evidence, said it was for the jury to consider whether the respondent had misconducted herself with the co-respondent about the time she was alleged to have been seen with her arms round him when he was in bed, or whether her explanation could be accepted, namely, that she had been raising the co-respondent when in a fit of coughing. Croskery undoubtedly was a consumptive, and had been suffering from influenza. It had been argued by Mr- Hall Skelton that the respondent had no right to live in the co-respondent's house at Ohinewai, and I that the fact that she was there, coupled; with other circumstances, would lead one to the conclusion that she was living an adultrous life. The jury, however, would have to be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt before they could reach that conclusion. There was absolutely no evidence of any adultery there. The -nj»e lo nrnee^din--