A Suspicious Wife.

Hastings Standard, Issue 221, 15 January 1897, Page 4

A Suspicious Wife.

A penchant for plumpness in woman often leads to mere man's undoing. Seldom, however, do we read of its bringing about such direful consequences as were exposed in the divorce suit of Swayne v. Swayne and Friend heard at Home recently. Mr Henry Swayne is a brewer at Torquay, and enjoyed mitigated connubial bliss with his Elizabeth till her sister Mary was left penniless and came to live with them. Mrs Swayne is a small, waspish woman, whereas Mary Friend posseses an ample figure. Therein lay all the trouble, for Mr Swayne admires very stout ladies, and was indiscreet enough to say so. His statement aroused Mrs Swayne's fierce jealousy. She accused sister Mary of " dressing stout" to attract her husband, and objected to his kissing her at bedtime. * Mary replied with spirit that she was very fond of Harry, and would kiss him whenever asked. Bessie must be broken of her jealousy. The latter in the witness box swore that her husband asked Mary if she would go away with him. One replied that she would go anywhere with him. He then went over to Mary and kissed her passionately. This sort of thing occurred frequently. On one occasion her husband said he did not like skeletons, but liked Mary because she was fat. Witness said Mary ought to know better, for she was just on forty. He said, " Never mind, Mary, you look very well for forty." She never asked her sister to leave the house, because she felt certain that her husband would keep her somewhere if she did. After her husband's conduct altered towards her she asked him if he had committed adultery with her sister. He did not contradict her. At lunch on May 17, 1896, her sister was very attentive to her husband. Witness said it would drive her mad ; to which respondent replied she would have to get used to it. Witness then poured the beer over the meat and swept the oranges off the table. Her husband then said he would have no more of this nonsense, and told her to go to Carter, the solicitor, and arrange for a separation. He said he would have a separation, and allow her .£3, £4, or even fy a week. Two days after witness left the house, and had since lived with her brother. Cross-examined : When witness left her husband she did not believo he had committed adultery. She herself had run up bills to the amount of £'Boo. and had had £l3O worth of jewellery. Mr Swayne, when called, indignantly denied the faintest impropriety with his sister-in-law. She was a middle-aged woman weighing list, and when i'ue jury saw her they would realise the absurdity of the maggot his wife had got into her head. Since the petitioner had developed this senseless jealousy there had been no peace for anybody in his house. She had mentioned tne incident of his kissing Mary's photo. He happened to be looking at a new portrait of his sister-in-law, when his wife pounced into the room and cried: "Now I've caught you now I've caught you ; you were kissing it," He replied I wasn't, but I will if you like, and did so." Witness repeatedly suggested Mary leaving them, but his wife wouldn't let her go. After the episode when the latter spoilt the dinner because he " talked all the time to Mary," witness was exceedingly angry. He said: "If you won't let Mary go, for Heaven's sake go yourself—l'm sick of you." * Miss Friend, a vast but comely spinster of, as the previous witness had deposed, great weight, supported her brother-in-law's testimony. There was absolutely no foundation for the evidence of petitioner. Cross-examined: Her brother-in-law only kissed her twice a day—in the morning and in the evening. Did he never put his arm ai*ound your waist"? (Loud laughter)— No. Mr Kisch : I ought to have said, Did he try to put his arm around your waist ? (Laughter)— No. His Lordship said petitioner had failed to establish her case. She was clearly an excitable and jealous woman, and m his opinion that was the cause of the trouble. The petition would be dismissed.