UNHAPPY MARRIAGES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13926, 7 December 1908, Page 7

UNHAPPY MARRIAGES.

l DIVORCE COURT SITTINGS.

. «A MARRIAGE IX HASTE.'*

''A a sitting of the Supreme Court on Saturday morning, before Mr. Justice Ed\arAs John Bowden, a ticket collector * the employ of the Devonport Ferry *r mpanv, sought a diseolutioa. of biemar- •:..>■■■■ . - w ith Claude Elaine Bowden. on the Ljund of her misconduct with John Howky, who was joined as co-respondent, There \vn& no appearance of either resident or co-respoudeat, Mr. J. 11. rßeed appeared for petitioner. Mr- "Reed said the parties were inorried ■ ■" February 14 of this year, so .that it •as indeed a ease of a marriage in haste ana ■ repentance at- leisure. Respondent '.'■'. had come to petitioner with a tale that tie had boon a cook in a boardinghouse, and had been seduced by the -proprietor, 'and lost her billet. That was really all ' thaii petitioner knew about her, though p. shortly after the marriage he dis- • covered that she wis a continued dipsomaniac, and ho had since been at. his wits' \ end to know what to do witih her. Twice 'she «* fire to the house, and latterly she had resumed her relations with the co-res-pondent. In fact, one week alt * the marriage he found on going home that tic co-respondent had removed most of the furniture, and sold it. The whole of the circumstances, concluded Mr. Reed, v; were-most extraordinary. • The petitioner said he knew nothing :! whatever of his wife at the time of the marriage, except, the story related by Mr. " Reed. " They became attached, and he married her." Then he found that her trouble was drink, and later that she was '•meeting one Howley, who was also known , ss powers. In fact, one day he went to ' the home and found co-respondent in the '•■"tone*. Meantime respondent was drink-. ■ -in" heavilv. and though for some three or • four weeks during the currency of a pro- '"'• hibition order there was an improvement, matters gradually became worse. To get nwnev for drink she pawned everything — 'even her wedding-ring. This he redeemed • three time for her out of pawn. About June or July he heard charges of immorality against her. and on the advice of his solicitor he gave her the house and furniture, together with 15s per week. ' Liter he learned that she and co-respond-ent, had pawned all the furniture. On ' July 15 an inquiry agent was employed, who found that she and Rogers were living together in Wellington-street. He went - round there, and his wife was ushered in to him as " Mrs. Rogers." The lodginghouse-keeper in Wellington-s-street, where respondent and co-respondent . were living, said a " Mr. and Mrs. Rogers" came to her house during Fleet Week and stayed for a fortnight. Mrs. Bowden, in ■ the presence of witness and her husband, ; admitted that she was petitioner's wife. A decree nisi was granted, to be made > absolute at the expiry of three months. Cost* on the lowest scale were granted against co-respondent.

-0" IMPUDENT SCOUNDREL."

.-Another extraordinary story was • that . nnfotaed by Jenisha Browne, a dressmaker, of middle age, who petitioned the Court •for a-dissolution of her marriage with Walter Clayton Browne, on the grounds of misconduct and desertion. Mr.' Haddow appeared for petitioner. ; Petitioner'said she-was married in England, on November 17, 1895, and the following April she and her husband immigrated to Zealand, going first to Wel- . lington. The first child was born in Na- ' pier, and about this time her husband got , into trouble with a girl, and he was advised by the magistrate to leave the coun,'try. They went to Sydney, and here he got into trouble again. He then made tor Melbourne, and become acquainted ..with a woman named Martha Lee. There i was further trouble. He "carried on" with her, and eventually left for Hobart, Miss Lee following. .Petitioner remained behind in Melbourne,'.'but received a. ; letter from respondent asking her to follow, and adding that a certain event would take place shortly. She. crossed to Tas- ■ mania. v v,''' • ' v ; His Honor : You went to Hobart to at- ■;, tend to your husband's" mistress?" ; Respondent; No; but he said that if I would go over he would have nothing to •do with- the other woman. She went ,? back to Melbourne when the child was tern. Not long afterwards Browne left' for Queensland; and in March, 1903. I came to Auckland,"' and ' discovered that : my husband was living with Martha Lee in Khyber Pass. I lived in another -;horse,. and .'Browne allowed me £4 per - month. In . Auckland another, illegitimate child was born, and later Browne left for Australia, leaving me behind. Several letters from respondent were : read, in which he evinced a desire to be rid of his responsibility altogether. He only sent petitioner a few pounds in almost as many years.' .' .... His Honor: He is - about the biggest scoundrel I have ever come across. His impudence is beyond anything I have ever heard of.-. . - * ; The case was adjourned sine die, in order that service of the summons might «K ed - His Honor said h » *" quite satisfied with the application in other respects. * * ' .-< . ■■,;.-.

. AN UNFORTUNATE MATCH.

; George Thomas Newsome netiiioned the wart for a dissolution of his marriage with Margaret Dennison Newsome on the ground W misconduct, Samuel Earle being cited as w-respondent. Mr". J. R. Reed appeared JOT petitioner, and there was no appearance • Of either respondent or co-respondent. Petitioner, in giving his evidence, said ' k io(?f married to respondent on October o, 1896, and one child, which died at birth, Was born of the union. From the find, it .was pretty plain that the- were not suited each other, though they never quarrelled .•respondent's attitude to 'him was one of i. complete indifference, a feeling which he reciprocated. After having lived together . m nearly a year they separated. They toond that the marriage was a mistake, and «rmg together was only "prolonging the ; a I'' ■ Res l KUl(leat ' returned to her work, 1 1 *»o *? to his trade as a tailor. He allowed fkf v Per.; week, and after a time Bs. After We lapse of another year they came to- ■° again and subsequently his wife ad?mitted a preference for someone else, who ' was the co-respondent. They a farted in a'few months, separating in Feb;,':.;•?.™97» 1901, and petitioner left for England, »aer& he remained for several years. Durv ing hi 3 absence he heard that his wife was 1 »Ting .with Karle at Gi.sborne. On making gmes on his return he found this to be His Honor: I do not' know what you . ~ «pected the woman to do other than what ■fle has done. w After hearing further evidence, His aonor granted a decree nisi, to be made wsolute I" 1 three months. No costs «'««» vVsfHPed for. •

DESERTED. «. A.well-dressed woman, named Alice Cece- » jbymon, for whom Mr. Brook-field an- . ,KW» sought to annul her marriage with ' **?7*yinon, who did not appear. _ ine petitioner, in her evidence,' said she £** married to respondent on April 18, i'ttS-' tor a war or a little more every. wag vent well, but then respondent bePa to drink, and finally she had to obtain ~; maintenance order for her support. Under ws order, which was for 10s per week, respondent paid verv little, and she was •..; S*«w to again appeal to the magistrate. «?k, afterwards Svmon disappeared. S! had never I,eard of l" m since, and be- ■ P«5 ]ie had left New Zealand." Since Wraelf PartUre She had €niireI >* supported A decree nisi was granted, to be made •osoiute in three months-. An application .«* costs was granted on the lowest scale.