TURBULENT THOMPSON.

NZ Truth, Issue 56, 14 July 1906, Page 8

TURBULENT THOMPSON.

"HOTEL-KEEPING RUINED HIM,"

Says Handsome Mrs. Emily.

■ Painful Family Disputes. A Separation. Order Prayed For.

!A! 'kind, husband, a good father, ~ wliose failing was, an over-fondness for drink, who, when m his cj>ps, forgot what was expected of hj<i as a husband, father and a man, tersely kas ! «p the situation of a married ipan, ■' ■ named Thompson, whose, domestic affairs - were investigated .m chambers, away from trie idle gaze arid morbid taste of a vulgar mob; by Dr; McArthur, S.M. Ati the Magistrate's Court last Monday morning, when, after evidence, was tafieii^the decision, was reserved: till the! 'following Monday. Emily ' and Ohdrles £. JC; . ;Tti6mpson were the parties. T^ey,ar.e:>a ;i niiddle-aged pair. ; Thejlwp'matfC' apparently ; \ StfEON<G- AND ROBUST, , and; \ skill-" though a 1 matron, of appearance 'warranting those paroxysms '6| r jealousy common and par- : clonable'i^^ a lifepartner,' of exceeding good looks and gracious manners. The husband, on th£\ other hand, was of delicate ap--jiearance, lame and stooping, whose condition might, be taken to justify •the 'remark made by, Mr Young, who .jippsareU fot him, ' thafr'the wife was ■**Ttlie better "man" of the two. It was 'because .of Thompson's terrible drunkenness, 1 his uvile language and his un- , .aanly : "b«hayior that the wife had had Y-'ijer nerws shattered; that life with i- : husband, had become Intolerable. "Ft was \n ( consequence of -his THREATS OF VIOLENCE, piily When he was drunk, which ..... v/as ■ almost always, that she "' was forced : to ask for an order of separation from him, and m support of her application' Mr Wilford appeared. The wife's |ide of the sordid story of '&, domestic .^discord . v was . that thej' at ■ pßesen^^'k^pt; a cafe m Kent-terrace, \.^her-e|rbhe husband, a man' of ?ood ' education, was cook. Five years aco theyi ; Kaft entered into the hotel-keepr-iijg business, • both -at G-reytown and Wellington; find from that time can bo dated the sorrows and strife of their 21, or more, years of wedded, bliss. He began to drink— and drink hard— and when drunk he was, according to her, guilty of acts of cruelty, and made use of VILE EXPRESSIONS " to her, which were all the more painful because tlie children were present. His conduct I during more reasonable months could be considered exemplary 1 m comparison' with that of other ofays ' gone by, notwithstanding that he had ' only struck her once and got drunk . seven or.^eight times a month. Then he pulled up because he gop so terribly sick. He ■ had, however, abused and vilified her and threatened her. Ilii? language, when drunk, she said, ■was shocking and disgusting for an 'man: , She. had done every- j thing she could to keep Mm away from drink. He had taken a trip to England to build himself up, and to CONQUER THE DRINK DEMON, but on the very day that he had deli- | ■tared himself back to her laving arms, :. m&l modestly informed her' that he ' j B|fl only partaken . of ■• seventeen 4^liskies. ,She was frightened of -denied, when- cross- , e^mirieWi^at she : haffgose~for him \nsh s.. iMfe (md that jne was really ■:■■.. more frljjfatened of heijlthan she of. • him. SM^he&tfulfo "arthflitted that Thbmpson was of an inordinately jealous disposition, - but ?n ' spite 'Oi j herself she was • forced to ta«e no notice of his jealousy Tiecause it was so silly., Other evidence was given relative to guns and razprs, and three .of the children weije called to prove their father's drunken habits and his playful way, when drunk, of caU.in" his wife and their mother namfts. which one of the [children, a boy, declared ■j ' NO MAN . J ■.. sKoiild call a .wpman. '•■ ■*■■

Thompson's story and the evidence he called painted him the emblem of everything that was sober. He ad- | mitted to having a few too many occasionally. He was fond of his wife and children and did not want to be separated from them. He went further and declared that all his jea* ' lous suspicions were removed. This remark was unfortunate for him, as when •Mr Wilford tackled him he could not find his tongue to answer I such questions as "Why. if you are so affectionate towards your wife, did you make all sorts of insinuations regarding her to blacken her m the eyes of the public." Don't you think you have played the par 1 !; of a cur ?— No. Don't you think it a dirty, low thing to make such insinuations against your wife ?— No. And you expect her to be fond of you when you do those sort of thinps ?— Well, er He further denied that by his conduct towards his wife he had made her ill and shattered her nerves. He was afraid that his son had perjured himself m saying that he.'(Thompson,) had called his wife a foul name. Then he retr?fi£ed that RATHER STnONG- STATEMENT by , observing that, he was ar fraid the children did not quite understand the questions asked of them. Another witness, he declared, had, m H'Vins: evidence of- an aitack upon the wife, been put "through his facings." He strenuously denied that he was often m the' D.T.s 1 through drink. He did not think it necessary that there should be a separation order. Mr Wilford : It will give you a chance to pull up and then there might be the possibility, of your living together again. Thompson next admitted that he now had no grounds for doubting his wife and complained that he had no chance of saying so. It was, he admitted to Mr Young, foolish conduct ,on his part. Often he said "I have been boiling over with suppressed excitement." Dr. McArthur : That's a new way of putting it, '....„■ The Magistrate said he would > reserve his decision till next Monday.