YEAR'S MARRIED BLISS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19406, 14 August 1926, Page 2 (Supplement)

YEAR'S MARRIED BLISS.

duNmow flitch trials. OCTOGENARIAN WINNERS. AWARDS TO TWO COCPLES. A jury compofeed of six spinsters and six bachelors docided, after deliberating for two minutes, in favour of two married couples who succeeded in proving their claims at the trial for tho Dunraow Flitch, which took place at Ilford, recently. The Right Hon. T. P. O'Connor, M. P., was the presiding judge at the trial, which was conducted in a large marquee. The counsel for the claimants were Captain T. W. Morris, Councillor John Elborne, and Madame Petry, and the counsel for the Flitch . were Mr. C. E. Grigsby, Alderman Tanner, and Madame Bagnall. Both " Portias " wore red gowns and caps. There were originally three claimants for the Flitch, but one couple failed to present themselves for tho trial. The Flitch winners were: Mr. and Mrs. A. R. Arnold, of Wentworth Road, Manor Park; and Mr. and Mrs. Sydney R. Wood, of Clarissa Road, Chadwell Heath. Tho Arnolds, each 79£ years old, and are childless. The Woods, a young couple, have ten children. The successful claimants made! the ancient declaration that for twelve months and a day they had lived together in perfect harmony. Their married life, they told the jury, had not been marred by household brawls or contentious strife. They had never offended each other in word or deed, and had never wished themselves unmarried again. Gallantry of the Judge.

A large number of people crowded the court and derived much amusement from the trials and the jokes made by counsel. Most of the. remarks of counsel seemed to be addressed to the public rather than to the jury, which caused the judge to remark, in his summing-up, that he " really did not know how counsel could keep their eyes off such a bevy of beautiful young maidens as composed half the jury-" Mr. and Mrs. Wood were accompanied in the witness-box by six of their ten children—two boys and four girls. Cross,examined, Mr. Arnold said he was married in 1876. There was a time, he added, a long time ago, when he was not certain that he was pleased he was married or not. (Laughter). In the year 1881, he attended a small Home Rule meeting in London, which was addressed by two young men, one of whom was Mr. T. P. O'Connor. That was forty-five years ago. When he came home from the meeting he discussed it with his wife. Their politics were different, as he was English and his wife was Irish, and they had a " hit of a row."

Summing up, Mr. T. P. O'Connor noted that Mr. Arnold confessed to a little difference of opinion some time back on '•ie question of Home Rule. The husband was English- and the wife was Irish, he did not think any two races were more fitted to love each other than the English and Irish. But the sound commonsense of the Irish wife had overcome the difference of opinion shown by the husband, and they had set up a precedent for the final measure on self-government in Ireland, which was given by men who had all their lives struggled against it. Flitch to Both Couples. The jury agreed that a Flitch should be awarded to both couples, who knelt on the original Dunmow kneeling stones when the award was made, - s and the judge uttered the famous words: "For this is ..the custom at,, Dunmow well-known, though the pleasure bo ours—the bacon's your own." Afterwards the successful claimants were chaired j,around the grounds, preceded by tho' Flitches and accompanied by bands.

"The reason we have spinsters and bachelors on the. jury;" said' Father P.. Palmer, of the Ilford Roman Catholic Church, " is' because they are absolutely impartial: But it is a curious fact that pvery year we have <tt> change the jury, because during the year at least three or four of them get married. And hot infrequently the men marry the girls on the jury. Evidently they, are always so impressed by the marriedbliss of the claimants. We have a saying -in Ilford that the old maids of Ilford can be counted on the fingers of one hand."