A LOVE LETTER

Auckland Star, Volume 55, Issue 22, 26 January 1924, Page 19

A LOVE LETTER

IN INVISIBLE INK. How he discovered a secret message in invisible ink written on an apparently innocent letter to his wife was the story told on behalf of a young husband ln a Divorce Court in London. Harold Bottom, aged 20, manager of _ woollen mill, of Thornfield (Road, Lockwood, Huddersfleld, petitioned for a divorce from his wife, Phyllis, whom counsel described as a beautiful woman, about 20. The charges were denied. Mr. Tyndalc, tor the petitioner, said the co respondent, Leslie Kenworth.v, of Huddersfleld. had been a fr;»nd of the petitioner, and he had seduced the respondent from loyalty to her husband. Tbe respondent had been a typiste, and she was married to the petitioner in October. 101!). A Gossipy Letter. The eo-rt-jipondent, who in in .:<>, divorced his wife, made the acquaintance ot Mis. Bottom in February, 1922, and the whole of the parties being on friendly terms the husband allowed ihe respondent to go out with the co-respondent and his relatives for motor rides, etc. On April 1, in_. t lir- co-respondent wroio lo the respondent what appeared lo bo an ordinary gossipy letter in reference to a motor trip with himself and his sister. The husband .aw it and thought little of ii, but a few days later he picked it up and the heat from his hands brought our. pertain writing in Invisible ink. He then held the. Jetier in front of the fin- and discovered that there was a secret letter to the respondent on the back. It rend :— Darling, I was co awfully pleased to have your letter. ... I shall have to wangle it somehow with the old man, but I'll manage it. I do so long to sen you again. I think the telephone a mo.t unsatisfactory method of communication. don t you. darling'/ 1 was going to write to yon yesterday, hut was afraid Harold (the petitioner) would be home when Ihe letter arrived. I shall always love you. and sbaJl never tire of writing to you. Darling, this will be rhe last letter before I see you. How I look forward to Tuesday. . . With nil mv love and _naps of kisses. Yours devotedly, Leslie. On reading the letter, continued counsel, the husband went to see the co-respondent, who promised not To see Mrs. Bottom for six months, and a few days afterwards he wrote to the petitioner a letter. In which he said :— In cxprossin. sorrow for what has occurred. I do so not from any sense of shame that I have dared to faFl in love with a married woman, but rather because I have fallen in love with the wife of a neighbour whom I greatly respect. £500 Damages. Within a month, however, the corespondent wrote .to Mrs. Bottom asking her not to give him up. In July, 1922, he wrote to her calling her " Swannic, Darling." and saying, " I do love you more •than anything else in the world." The petitioner found his wife at the Midland Ilotril, Bradford, counsel went on, and after a scene he induced her to return to ■their home, but she was not happy. Then it appeared afterwards that the corespondent had taken _ furnish,, bouse at Leeds, where he and the respondent had stayed together. A decree nisi was granted, with £.00 damages and costs against the corespondent.