A LIFE’S TRAGEDY.

Evening Star, Issue 14631, 29 July 1911, Page 10

A LIFE’S TRAGEDY.

AN EIGHTEEN -YEAR-OLD DAUGHTERS LETJER TO AN ERRING MOTHER. A most pathetic letter from a daughter to her mother was recemly read hi a case heard in the Loudon Divorce Court in connection with the application oi Airs .Kathleen li -a n lev Gordon tor Die restitution o£ conjugal j rights. As the husband pleaded that, owing I t<i his wile’s conduce, he was justihed in not rejoining her, his case was taken hist. Air Hume Williams, K.L., M.P., for the husband, said that the parties had lived happily together for 18 or it) years. Mrs Hmniy Guidon was a lady sotntwuai, cscitab.e ana ot a neurotic tcuiptiann.nL From 1804 on- ! waids the manied hie was Very unhappy. 1 She began to accuse her husband of all sons of cruelly and of iulideliiy, and at the same tunc quaireis arose out of the wife's intimacy ! with an officer of the Navy in ihOti the wile presented a petition to the Divorce Court cmuguig her uus band with inUue.iiy with a lady whose name was not disclosed; and, secondly, with a govern, s,-, engaged in the i family. To this the husband hied a crossi petition saying ins wile had been cruel to- ; wards him—-had thrown things at him—and ! chaigcd her with misconduct With the naval I cflicer. The petition was ntard in 1908. The I trial lasted nine days, wb.h the resmt that | the jury found against both pti.Lono, and exonerated tlic husband. The Judge sa.d, concerning some of the wife’s chaigts, that there was not sufficient evidence about them upon which to hang a dog. As to the cliaigos against the wife, went on counsel, the cotics. pondence rev-aied an undoubted liifec.ion between Mrs Huntly Gordon and the naval officer, but ibeio was no evidence or actual misconduct. The who left her husband in IsOtl, and after the t ial, hi August, 1908. she wrote to her husband; ; Dear Be.tie, —Ait.r much consideration I and duo regard to the well are of our children 1 wine to say that 1 propose returnI jng home Our obv.ous duty is to make our ! ciindren happy. Therefore, 1 claim my I proper position in your house. —Your whit, ! Kathleen Huntly Gordon. I The husband was away, and, getting no i reply, the wiote again on November 5: Dear Benie, —1 regret you have not rc- | plied to my letter, iam site you do not | wish to expose mo to the paiu aud humi.ia- [ lion of being refused admission to the house on my arrival there. Please tell mo ! plainly whether you arc willing to rvce.vc me back 1 underhand you have returned to Taik Chose (EngielLid G.ooi). Please write and say where aud when I shall return home. 'ihe husband replied; if deemed advisable, there is nothing to prevent, your return at any lime, but witnout Beatrice Lmle. Counsel cxpia.ncd that Little was maid to Mi’s Hmuly Gordon, to whom that lady bad correspondence—some from stockbrokers with whom she had been gambling—atldie-tsed under cover for horse,!. It was p.ovcd at the trial that a clandestine correspondent*' had been carried on in this way to kep it> I secret trom tho husband. j sir F. il. Smith, JE.C. (for the wife), said j the maid had not been in the tody's seiv.co j for two years. j —Better Apart.— Counsel next road a letter, dated November 6. ibt.B, irotu uju daugmer G.adys to her mother, saying; Aty darling mother, —1 have not written vGii'htiioie as 1 let my Ictic.s would do no j

good, and would g.ve you no plenauic to ] receive. But do uot Uauk it. is because I ■ have forgotten you. I very o.ien iliu.k oi 1 you and my iiule sister, ( a-id look at your | pnoms. 1 have read your two Icucis to I dad expressing yoiu v.i.ir to rvium, and we \ should all bo together again. 1 must say, i im.lber dear, 1 cannot unde island your ; wisij.ug to do so alt.r all li'iat has happened. Even before the m.happy iveins of , the pa.-.i two years you and dad did not gel. ; on well together. You qu;u i eiad and iu>- . agreed ever every Miiad tiling, and ilure ' was no p..ace or lovo in the hour,. Wc wore all unhappy. I do nop bni.no you, either. There were faults on both side*. You a.e not the only irar.icd couple wholly unsuitcd to cacti fiber, do one's sorrow, one hams evoty day I hat eliire are many homos rvhi.ro the mother ami faiher do not agree. hitch cares are bolter a pan. au.ely you mmt tt.e that for yon and dad to come together aga.n is quite minus .bk. Von may ni'un.ioc to buiy in- past, but such piemans arecader to make than to keep. In time foie of you ivmnd not forget to reprotvm cud taunt the other with >hi past, and too rin;;..oUL.iiee would he a wor-,e quarwlling I ban ivu below, ard so U wou.d go on, and no peace or hapuu-ss fur culler, and c-iniinly not for me. Now, mother dear, 1 must tell you honesiiy I CwU.d not stand such a mV. of nmery, and 1 -mould have to arrange to go chcwln.io. You will think I do not v.-Liiil. yon to come bach, but it n betaine i plainly fee a rilaii well!.'! not wi;,,k well. Il 1 could see tin re was the siiginca; chance of our being united and happy, how paid 1 should be to have :ny in-.it her and sitter once more. Hut tiling* have g..ne t,- n fa. v'oii . nvc long ceased to car for each otliT. You set mod. to have aUnniny ni.iti ii iijuu 1 have sat and tbought tor hours by inyseit. and t.i d to tkinlr via:! would fie tin- best ti.ifi h.ippi'.rt lu no to dm Y-m V'Ue, moiher dear. 1 am t;u loi.g.r a eb Id of bandy 16 wh-i livid with you two ytars ago. 1 am pa.-: 13, and eider than you were worn yon manied. You can m> longer ucal, me as a child. My life up n now has been tit 1 i of awry land m sevnov and trouble, and las made uic more sc,tour and thinking that; the majority of fris <i- Id In i act, 1 feci much older fhau shat, -md often waiacr if I- am going to see the sunny side of life again. For although I have seen ‘■o many marriages a hem hfaiuro. it lias not d.s'icy'd inv faith in love, i still think there is has pint ss to i e fouml in '''anted :i e, Think it all over. So much d pends upsn what you decide now. Bela V" me, I w.sli you coiod bo happy, and alwavs win, it, br.ctiuso you arc my moiher. I hall always be your living daughter, (‘iladts. IPS.—Perhaps I siioeld make myself char and say that ii yon ritii n 1 shall go away. The mother wrote in reply: .My di or Gi .dys,—Winn 1 wrote yonr father telling him 1 was willing to let bygones be byg'-nes, and to rturn home to =ee if we cenh.l not 'tart afresh, I heped that this feeling would have been rerp oI'at.cd. But from the p card I rewived, di-conrt.'oiis in the highest drg.ee, I can see what the feeling of enmity is town ids me, and your leit-r-r confirms my suspic'on. . . The Ichor grn ve.s n>r more 'ban 1 can say, and I am hot"hi dto find my own girl can write, so ie, her mother. —" Has Horrified Me."— Mr Hume Williams said the daughter never received any such letter. The reply the daughter received said: I have received your letter, and should have answered before, only I have been ill in bed. It. is needless to say that for a daughter to write in such a strain i.as borrifkd me beyond wo di. . . The cue excuse for you is that you do uot fully realise everything Apparently you overlook the fact that there are two sides to every question. All I require is a small income to enable me to live as your fathers wife and your mother. When this is done you will net her of you be burdened with my presence. Your father proposes to give me £3 a week —a far less sum than a tradesman allows his wife. 1 am loath to enter into this matter with you, but your action compels me. Counsel sugeated this was not a genuine petition by the wife to get her husband to return to her, but an ac.ion to force from her husband a larger income. Hia Lordship: Is the only question between the parties a question of money? Mr Hume Williams said it was one cf the questions. His Lordship thought that could be settled by age m n:. If the case were fought cut the Court would fix a prop .r allowance. Would the parties see him on the mat.er? They did, and after a long consultation it was announced that the parties had agreed upon terms, one of which was that a dnpp of separation should bq dssuEti ujv