A FMILY SQUABBLE.

NZ Truth, Issue 129, 7 December 1907, Page 3

A FMILY SQUABBLE.

■ ■■«»»>' WAS TAYLOR A TYRANT? Did Pc Have a Wife that Nagged? The Misery "of a Mixed-np Tribe. The experiment of marriage when both parties have been m the blissful state before and have acquired children, is more of a gamble than most people would imagine. With past experience as a standard, each requires too much of the other, and the kids are the sufferers m the long run. William Taylor, who has got a prosperous bakery business m Adelaide Road, Wellington, hasn't been able to hit it for some time with his wife, whose weak state of health has not been regarded with due seriousness by the family. The old boy, who is a patriarch with white hair land beard and the monkey shave of the last generation, has twice led a blushing bride to the altar of his desires, but he is compelled to acknowledge that his last venture is not an entire success. Mrs Taylor demandsthe attention and consideration that should be paid to a semi-invalid ; and hubby is hanging on to the dollars m his old age, although he has got a profitable business. There were a number of children by the first marriage, the eldest of whom, Belle, is now 30, and bosses Taylor's menage to the exclusion of Mrs Taylor, who complains that there is a conspiracy of silence between Taylor and his daughter whenever Mrs Taylor talks to them. The lady has one son by her own previous marriage, and there are four living children from the Taylor experiment, which took place eighteen years ago. She applied for a maintenance order for herself and the two younger children at Wellington Magistrate's Court on Monday, and considerable evidence of marital misery was given 'm Court. Mr Jackson, for the complainant, call-^ ed his client to prove that Taylor had been guilty of acts of cruelty— not physical, but constructive acts of cruelty. The woman has had the misfortune to undergo two operations since her marriage, and her health generally has been pretty bad. Recently when she had the influenza Taylor refused to come to see her for ; two whole days, when she was pros- : trated, and his unki.ndness to her has • been so marked that she has had to ! leave, taking her two youngest chilidren with her. Taylor's eldest-daugh-ter, j BELLA, WAS 'VERY SPITEFUL i jwhen Mrs Taylor went into the kitjchen and tried to keep everything ! from the unfortunate woman, who 1 was ignored m her own house. Tay- • lor was m the habit of calling her a

d ' thing and a liar and hadn't a bit of respect for her. It was all owing to his daughter, who didn't want to see the suffering wife m the house at all. The woman often endeavored to reason with her ancient spouse, but he invariably got oK the bed and went downstairs. Since her operations (one when the last little one was ten months' old), she hadn't been able to do any hard work, and scrubbing and Washing were an impossibility. When she left the house she took with her Rose and Lily, two pretty flowers of 12 and 10, and one oi whom cried bitterly m Court when she mentioned the unkindness of the father. She had applied for a separation order against Taylor once before, but he had agreed to pay a fixed sum towards her support and that of three of the children. It appears that the recent family rupture arose through Taylor taking a trip to Martinborough to see his son, who was m business there. He didn't seem to think it necessary that his wife should have a trip, too, and went for his own enjoyment. By a strange coincidence Mrs Taylor had a son by her first marriage m Martiuborough also, but when communicated with he replied that he was unable to put his mother up. Taylor, who also meditates a. trip to Auckland after Christinas, departed on his own and left his wife behind. This accumulation of ill-treatment was too much, and she left the house. There are four girls, the two youngest of whom, Rose and Lily (12 and 10), gave evidence for the mother, and xhe elder ones, Jessie and Ivy (15 and 16), supported their aged father. It seems a. pity to drag these youngsters into Court to give evidence m a family row, but .apparently they are the only witnesses to the domestic infelicity of their parents, and they are early estranged from one or other of the authors of their being. It is AN UNNATURAL SORT OF THING but it happens. Taylor's explanation of the whole affair is simply "jaw." His second missus v/as not away round the corner when the art of conversation was served out; m fact, she collared somebody else's share as well as her own, and Taylor and the family got the benefit of it. He and his daughter Eella didn't treat Mrs Taylor with silent contempt, but when the lady got going at the rate of nineteen to the dozen and adopted a sysI tern of persistent nagging, the other members of the family shut up. and permitted her chin to wag without opposition. Long experience had probably shown that if Mrs Taylor's complaints w ( ere answered her capacity for speech increased, and silence 'brought the "last word" sooner than usual. Naturally the woman might be annoyed at being deprived of the pleasure of venting the pent-up complaints of her ill-health on the family. She disorganised the household, ' and often didn't come clown to breakfast until 10 o'clock. She wouldn't have the meal if it was sent up to [her, so they desisted from sending it I up,. Also she was m the habit of go- ! ing out during the da} r and of re- • maining out with the two young chil- ! dren till a late hour at night. The ;old man put her and her two eldest ; girls into a shop once, but the daugh- ] ters couldn't get on with their own I mother and the business had to be Isold. Altogether, she made things- ; awful from pure cussedness and she had every tiling she wanted at home, even to the run. of the cash-box, which by all accounts, contained a considerable'amount daily.. Her demand to gp to Martinborough was most , un- ' reasonable. Magistrate Riddell refused to believe that Taylor permitted her to go to the cash-box when she liked. It had been shown that the woman had obtained tickets or coupons from drapers to pay a couple of shillings per week for clothing, but the old man had given her cheques for £2 and £1/ holding that v lump-sum purchase was cheaper m the long run. •In. reply to Mr Jackson, the- old boy denied that his average takings were. anything like £40 a week, or £30, or even £20. Then the solicitor put' m the butt of Taylor's pay-in book, shdwing that HE HAD JBANIvED '£1383 5s Gd between February and a fortnight ago, or at the rate of £38 a week. Taylor denied that the" Martinborough business, run by his son. was his' own, but he appeared annoyed at the production of the deposit block. Taking everything into consideration his Worship made an order for the pay-* ment by Taylor of £1 a week towards his wife's maintenance, but he would allow no provision for the little girls, who should be m their father's ' custody. Taylor was also ordered to> pay solicitor's fee, £1 Is. Mr Blair was given leave, to appeal,