MISERABLE MARRIAGES.

NZ Truth, Issue 131, 21 December 1907, Page 6

MISERABLE MARRIAGES.

- • _ » THE LIVELINESS OF MRS. LOVE. Judge Button's Boisterous Humor. A Busy Time m Divorce. Getting a divorce is as easy as falling off a, log, or the operation seems to be as simple when Tom Wilford is the advocate. William Oliver Dryden felt that his cup of happiness was full at Petone, when his girl, Mary, Louisa, said she .would be his'n. and later the organ played "The Voice That Breathed O'er Eden" as the married lovers stalkedout of the Anglican Church. There were two robust, squalling pledges of affection m the shape of kids, and everything m the backyard was positively splendid when a villain named Jack; Williamson, who touches up horses with a whip for a living,, came on the scene. Fie disturbed the serenity of ' the family and boned Mary Louisa, who departed with her second love m 1903. In the subseauent divorce proceedings at Wellington T. G. Wilde. .17 Thorndon Quay, testified that he had advertised rooms to let and Williamson and Mary L. came after them. In fact they resided m them as Mr and Mrs Williamson,, and the neighbors didn't know any different otherwise they would have made it hot for the woman. A decree nisi' was granted by Justice Button, to be made absolute m three months (Jthc decree, not the Judge) and the outraged grass-wid-ower was given the interim custody of the youngstersv with costs against ~thc co-respondent. The life of Nat Burgess m Wellington has always been more or less unsatisfactory, and marriage witli him. has been gall and wormwood and other things. One day, some time ago, an ignorant policeman mistook him for a drunken person ancl actually bundled him into a cab and took "him to the station. In spite of the explicit manner m which he explained how he had a rovJ\ with a Chow over some bananas the Beak imposed a fine FOR BEING DRUNK and it had to be paid to escape the horrible alternative of retirement under Governmental control. Then Nathaniel's wife. Amelia, went and confessed to him that she had one night transferred Nat's privilege to a telegraph operator m Centennial Park, Sydney, and there v/as hell to pay after the damning admission. 'At anyrate. it served as

the basis of divorce proceedings, and although the pair had lived .together m seeming happiness since their marriage at Carlton, Melbourne, on June 1, 1900, and had sampled Adelaide, Mangaweka and Mataroa as places of residence, a severance of the fatal knot was sought from Judge Button. Burgess himself gave the above particulars, whioh were corroborated by Robert Ernest Flaws, clerk to Wilford. and Levi, who had interviewed the woman. She said she had made a statement to her husband to the effect that on September 14, 1906, when on a trip to the other side, she had misconducted herself m Centennial Rark, Sydney, with W. R. Jones, tyght-ning-jerker, and that he was responsible for a subsequent abortive child. It appears that Mrs 8.. is fond of ale, whatever mistake was made by. the police previously about her husband, for she came into the solicitor's office several times disguised m beer. The unhappy parties were relieved of each other's society on the understanding that service of the order of the Supreme Court should be effected outside the colony. Burgess was given the custody of the child Evelyn Burgess. The romance of Arthur Oswald Hoskins, a Karori laborer, was rudely dispelled three years ago, when the missus cleared out with the inevitable other fellow. Arthur Oswald married Rose Anna eleven yeai's ago and the parties cohabited at Wellington and Karori, where four lusty youngsters sought a place m this miserable world. A Karori milkman named Jack Nicholl was a particular friend of the family, and developed an unholy affection for the woman, who began to wonder what she had seen m her own hubby to go and marry him. Arthur Oswald certainly isn't much to look at, and the circumstances told greatly m favor of his hated rival, who used ■to take thc missus out while the punr husband remained at home to mind the kids. Hubby got tired of this sort of thing and remonsti^Hed with the mother c-T his children, who told him tp go to, or something like that, and defiantly, expressed her intention to continue the deplorable conduct. Hoskins trbd moral suasion once more upon Rose, who was SCANDALISING- THE NEIGHBORS by her conduct with Nicholl, but the misguided woman said she liked the milkman's society better than that of her own husband, and she was going to clear out with the usurper. The guilty pair made tracks for Palmerston North, the town of the huge square which is getting into the habit of furnishing material forthe divorce court, and they were seen there by Charles Samuel Eagle, brother of Rose, on October 2, 1905. The elopers were living together at the Phoenix Hotel as man and wife. First of all she denied that she was a relative of the complaining person, then she admitted her adultery with Nicholl, and said Hoskins could do his worst. Decree ni? si granted, with costs on thc lowest scale against the co-respoudent. " "Love-Love" was the title of one set of divorce papers which caused much pleasantry between Judge jand counsel. TheophiLus -George Love married his sweetheart Mary Flanagan m St. Pat's Cathedral, Auckland, ia 1869, but the Love experiment was not too successful, and when Mary met a seafaring man naaned Hunt m 1874 she disappeared with him and hadn't been seen since by her long-suf-fering husband. What induced him to apply for a divorce after thirtythree years of grass-widowcriiood wasn't, explained m Court, but there is a certain picturesqueness about Love's grey locks which might appeal to another woman. Love and his first love lived together for two years after marriage without being disturbed with children, which may have been the cause of Mary's dissatisfaction. "TheophilusV means "the gift of God,\!. too-or is it "Theodore ?" Judge Button : It's a case of a . .woman going away^rom her own true Love. - ■ ' Love grinned his appreciation and informed rhe Court through Mr Wil--iord that he had been toiling for ithe Taupo Timber Co. at the Hutt and ••■there was evidence to prove that he shad lived a lonely,, loveless life m the locality. Decree nisi granted, to become absolute at the expiration of three months. "No further order, I suppose ?" queried his Honor, facetiously, and the reference to children which Love didn't, succeed m having born to get the interim custody of tickled the Court considerably. Charles Howat refused to do. .hi 9 husband's duty some time ago,, and Sophia, his legal partner, was compelled to sue for the restitution of conjugal rights m August last year. Charles still refrained from cohabiting, and the aggrieved woman sought the assistance of Mr Wilford to secure a divorce. Howat's deplorable inability to appreciate the advantages of the marriage tie was explained to Judge Byttoh, who took advantage of the open door to divorce that is shortly to be closed and granted a decree nisi.