A TORTYRED MIND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18629, 9 February 1924, Page 2 (Supplement)

A TORTYRED MIND.

ERRING WIFE'S APPEAL.

BEGS FOR LAST CHANCE.

INCRIMINATING LETTERS.

" Come back and give, me another chahce. I dare not ask you to forgive me. . . . Take me back, give me one last chance." In this strain a woman who forsook her husband for another man made a despairing appeal for her frailty to be overlooked. - :;

The letter containing the plea constituted a sequel to the association that sprang up between Mrs. Florence Violet Erskine Bowen and Major Harry dive. The woman and her husband, Major John Alexander B. P- Bowen, Royal Engineers, of Kensington, were married at Karachi in March, 1911, and had one child a boy. Up to 1916 they lived at Sekunderabad, and in July of that year the husband left for active service in Mesopotamia. In August, 1917, he had leave and stayed with his wife at Karachi, where her parents lived. Major Clive, whoso brother was engaged to Mrs- Bowen's sister, was also there. Major Bowen returned to Mesopotamia, and in March, 1918, received afetter from his wife telling him that achild had been born. At the time he had not the least suspicion that she bad. been unfaithful. After further service' in Mesopotamia he obtained six months' leave to visit England, where his wife was. She knew he was coming, but when he arrived she had returned to India. Wife's Letter to Lover. ' In January,. 1921, when he was back in Mesopotamia, he received an envelope addressed in her handwriting which contained three letters. One he had written to her from England. Another, in his wife's handwriting, ran : My own beloved Harry.— got your wire and your letters of the 6, 7 and 8; also I had this letter from Bowen. He is most calm, I think, and he doesn't seem a bit broken-hearted, does he J Cheek of him. He doesn't wonder how I have lived without any money from Mm;, since last April, and I think if he had; suspected anything about us he. would have written differently, / don't you ?' Now, darling, I will tell what we ought to do. First of all I don't want him to know anything about you, so we will say Davies gave me about 2000 rupees to see me through so far. If he ever wants an | explanation about it I hope Cox's won't tell him anything. You owed it to me. We shall have to make up a lie as to what you owed it for. He cannot divorce me unless he has heard about us, and is keeping it up his sleeve. I think I ought to see a good lawyer and put' a detective on him at home, 1 want to keep John and to let him know nothing about the baby if I can help it. So if I can divorce him, which doesn v serai very hard, it will be all the better for us. What do you advise me to do 1 Shall I write to him and ask if he is going to divorce me ? Contradictory Communications. The letter proceeded ,—Shall I send him the enclosed letter; 1 cannot go back to him. If you agree wive me and save time. . . . On, darling, why are you not here ? It is so very hard to write these letters. I want to divorce him, but I do not want him to know anything about you and baby. I shall long to hear what your advice is, dearest. Oh. sweetheart, if only you were here ! I should be afraid of nothing, Harry. Once we meet, dear, let us never part. Good-bye and God blesc you. With all my love and kisses. ;';i The draft letter to which she referred contained the following:I do not intend to live with you again, and I leftt England purposely to avoid you. ... I have been compelled to borrow money from Misa Davies. ... I have not the least: intention of being your wife again. ; '" On receiving these letters Major Bmven wrote to his wife on January 12, 1921, accusing her of unfaithfulness with Major Clive. A month later he got a telegram which said, -" Received letter. Please come immediately. N Give me one more chance.—-Kiddie." Then he received a letter from his wife saying:—lt is fate that you should come to know the truth in this way, and thank God you have. You can never know the torture of mind and body I have gone through. If you will only come back and hear me out. Husband Obtains Divorce. In this letter Mrs. Bowen asked her husband to take her back. There were subsequent ones in which she wrote:— " Are you going to divorce me, or just keep me hanging on?" and again:— My dear J. 8.8. —I am writing to ask if you will please let me know what you have decided to do about our affair. It is fifteen months since you knew you could divorce me if you chose. All my appeals to you seem to be in vain, although they still hold good.

All : these letters were re&d in the Divorce Court when Major Bowen asked for his marriage to be 1 dissolved on the ground of misconduct by his wife with Major Clive. There was no defence. Miss Gulielma Maria Bowen, petitioner's sister, related that Mrs. * Bowen showed her a photograph of Major Clive, and told her she was very fond of him and that he was the only man she had ever cared for. When her husband was expected home she remarked to witness that she never intended to see him again She mentioned that " she had seen Captain Clive nearly everv day and had dined at his hotel." She left for India just before petitioner arrived in England, and in a letter to Miss Bowen declared she could never live without co-respon-dent, who had been "simply wonderful during all ray struggles." Witness asked if the little child was her husband's, and she replied that it was not. •pqgs, Mr. Justice Horridpe granted a decree nisi, with custody of the child of - the marriage. •' ■_ * ' < ' v