A HAPPY BRIDAL.

NZ Truth, Issue 80, 29 December 1906, Page 6

A HAPPY BRIDAL.

Sixty into Thirty Won't' Go.

* 'Marry m haste and repent m seventeen days" isa motto that has been supplied by no less a place than Ashburton, where so many goad jokes c«me from. But when sixty marries thirty, as -happened m the case about to be narrated, what can you expect? It is an extraordinary story from the ijump. William Smith Morrisby is a grey-bearded man of 60, who is a small' farmer (doing occasional outside work") at Ashburton Forks. He had never sampled matrimony m his | aia'tural, and he took a keen fancy to ia warm looking young widow who was housekeeping on _m adjoining farm. Her only encumbrance was one child. Old greybeard at length made the usual "prop.." and ,*/as accepted-, but whether she thought, he had money or not didn't appear. However,' they wece hitched up m due course, and all went merrily— for one consecutive day. There was a row between them on- r the second day, a most unusual thine m 'the, case of a newly-married couple. ', At any rate at breakfast itime the bride wasn't m the best of tempers for some reason or other, and the. meal ended by her smashing things. Well,. there were tiffs now arad again until at the end of seventeen days connubial bliss (?) the lady packed up her duds and cleared! out, leaving the old bloke lamenting. Mrs Morrisby trained to Ohristohuroh, and cthere became stony broke, so she apnealed. to the magistrate under the Destitute Persons Act for maintenance from her BusbaM. She had been taarried on October 24. last, and these •proceedings were . instituted m 'Nov/ 27! ' A STRANGE THING

-about the matter was that the sumiifens was served, on Walter instead of William Morrisby. and the wron& man wondered what he had done to be •papered. But there is a curious proivision. m that Destatute^Persons Aot ■which' says that (as m the caise of Mrs Morrisby), although a summons may be issued it isn't necessary ;£hat /the defendant should, receive it— the tease can he determined m his absence. Well, this : one was, and Bishop,' S.M. ordered old Morris-by to part up a <juid week, and to pay a guinea coats. The. other day Mrs M. once (again went for hubby, "this time for iar rears, amounting to over £3, Mr (Leatham appearing for her. At the same time tyft Hunt, counsel for Morrisby, asked the Cotprt to cancel the "order, pn the ground' that it was obitained m defendant's absence ; also on ithe ground of misrepresentation, and further that defendant was

. WILLING TO KEEP HER. "During the seventeen days thfey cohabited, said counsel,' the womaa showed that she was possessed of an ungovernable temper, smashed things, and eventually emptied his -pockets, cleared off to Christchurch with her ohild, represented that she was destitute, and sot ai order. She needn't ibe destitute at all because she had a home to go to. At present she was ■_ m a situation. This statement was' borne out by Morrisby wftenlhfe clim tiled into the witness stand. According lto him she . was. by no means a bw«et creature, and fractured the windows the day after marriage, letting cold air m on to their union. There, really was no reason for leaving him. ' What happened was this : He had been Into Ashburton once on tlie Saturday, and she wanted him to go m again dn the eveninr. but he refused and she flew into a blue scot and said she^d leave him. She complained that she had only been -into the town onoe a. week; hut she had T>een m twice a week before that. The lady evidently wanted her nights out

LIKE THE ORDINARY SLAVERY, and kicked strong because she wasn't granted her rights. However, she had a. cut at Morrioby's pockets when he Wasn't "lookinp*. and her heart was gladdened by lighting on something like a fiver. *

Lawyer Leatham's cross-examina-Ition was interesting. After you married this widow you assaulted and knocked her ahout, didn't you?— No.

Didn't you get a doctor out from lAshburton to see her as the result of an assault ?— A doctor came out. Jjut said there was nothing (the ma/fc(i*ir with her. But didn't you assault her ?— Well, she wouldn't give me su second cup of itea at breakfast on the morning after our wedding and I just shoved hexaside, that's all.

Is iftai , all ?— Then she commenced lto break the windows, and I gave her aric-thff shove, nothing more. But she rpade a, fuss, saying that m the scuffle, she had strained herself and thinking that perhaps it might he so I sent a doctor out from Ashburton, four" miles to see her. He got there hs soon as I did, and he saw my ftife, ami 1 suppose he examined her. At any fate I walked out of the bouse as I didn't want to see him examining her ; afterwards lie told me she. was all right. Didn't he send 'her to bed for a few days as the result of your treatment ?— No, she' resnm©d her work as soon as the doctor drove aw«y.

At the time she left didn't you tell bet tc get out of the plaoe or you would shoot her ?— No, no, that's not ;trUe. Then when you found out that she hajd really left didn't you raise some suspicion as to the. fate of her previous husband ; didn't y"eu say he was lalive somewhere ?— No. Will you sweax that, you didn't tell it certain Ashbuxton resident that her first husband was still alive, and that •you thought of going for her for bigamy ?— I never said such a thing. Didn't you threaten to shoot her child ?-No.

Mr Leatham told Magistrate Day Hiiai; it was unfortunate the case came on so late. Mrs Morrisfcy had.fceeilin Court all day, but had to catch the train to Templeton where she was m a situation, getting 5s a week, they keeping the child as well (a nice "Christian" family, doubtless which, fcets a lot of household work done on the cheap). If she hadn't gone out, continued counsel, she. would likely have lost her srltua^on. .However, he laid stress on the evidence given d/ ithe woman when she got a maintenance order from Bishpp.- S.M. It was impossible for her to live with her JlfosrmnaV who foad 'threatemetii her, and

she was really frightened of him. He didn't think the Court should cancel the order as prayed.

, Beak Day said it was unfortunate that his brother magistrate hadn't heard the case. The evidence he had before him was uncontradicted. Had both parties appeared it might have been different, but under the circumstances he must cancel the order granting the woman maintenance. "And what about the arrears ?" ask-> ed Leatham." "Well, as the order was obtained- through misrepresentation she isn't entitfed to them." "Oh, well, I'll settle Morrisby m another way. I'll apply for a summary separation order," said counsel, So Morrisby may expect another bit of colored paper.