"HOOT, MON!"

NZ Truth, Issue 240, 12 February 1910, Page 5

"HOOT, MON!"

THE EIELAND- DANCER.

Dances Before tire Law

Ta A TIHIE SET BY HIS WIFE.

A Domestic Philosopher.

She: "•There's Nothing to Cook." Re: "The Easier Eaten P'

Did David Get Through 30 Bottles of Swank m Five Days?

.Much murky muck regarding the marital miseries of the Macaulays was stirred up m the Dunedin Police Court last week when Josephine of that ilk complained that her hubby, David John, had failed to keep up the payments under an order of the court calling on him to fork out 15s weekly for the support of herself and child, and was at present £15 5s m arrears. Lawyer Hawkins appeared for complainant and Lawyer Scurr for defendant, who, on his part, applied to have the order quashed. Josephine, m the box, said, the maintenance order was made m July, 1909.' They lived - apart for two • months, but m the last week m September they again lived together, defendant then owing £3 under the order. Defendant had been continually asking her to go back, and said he was about to get some work. They lived together for two months m ArthurI street,

1 Getting goods on credit all the time. She got no money for tram fares, and as her health was suffering through walking up and down the hill, 1 they moved to Waverley-street, South Dunedin, where they stayed for two : months. The first week there she got 5s for groceries, and 2s 6d the next week. David stayed at Middlemarch for a week while looking for work, and left her ill m the house with r ; -her young child, and with no eatables about.. From that time she had to go to her mother's for her meals. Since then she'd only got Gd from defendant. One day when she drew his attention to the fact that there was nothing, to cook he replied that it would be [ the easier eaten. After retaining from 1 Middlemarch David went to the ' Caledonian sports and came home drunk, and he remained m the same state from January Ist to 6th. He brought home thirty bottles of beer during that tune, and. drank the contents h?Tn<«»Tf He had won £3 m a Highland dancing contest, but she got none of the money. On one occasion, he tore up two costumes, a Long; coat and two blouses, belonging to her.. He'd NEVER BOUGHT CLOTHES FOR HER. Another time he came home at nadDiglit. and asked her to fry some chops he aaaY brought. When she started to do so* he: began calling her names, and. as. she/ knew she wouldn't get ta bed. till about, three o'clock if she stayed, sue went down* Ito her mother's place. Next da.v r about. 4 p.m., she found David and a friend m. the bouse eating lish and cities, and. drinking beer, but she was not asked ta share: m the feast. All defendant did during, the day was to do a little exercise with; i two bricks m the morning, and after ; putting on his' best clothes, lie went, j away all day, taking a handbag witßchimto make folks think he was workingDavid never gave the child anything, and one day she had to go to her next door neighbor's for a bit of bread and a cupi of milk for the baby. There was nothing; m the house, and the child was tocr hungry to wait until she could get to her | mother's. They had been married about, twenty months.' •

Lawyer Scurr raked up a lot more mock during his cross-examination. He found out that at South Bunedin credit couldn't be got as everybody knew David' was walking about doing nothing. The; chops aforementioned were tfee only tMn& m the way of food that BavKt ever brought home. . Sbe migfrfi sometimes; have had bread and butter, bat, for the greater part of the past month there kadi been

NO EATABLES IN" THE HOB3R. After having left her without food for a. fortnight, David got, some m. as soon, as he learned that a summons was being issued. She didn't help defendant to consume the beer he bought with his dancing; prize-money— she didn't drink. He hadn't, spoken at all about work, and appealed to want to starve 'her out. Within half an hour of going into the Arthur-street, honse they had a quarrel about the place. She pitched a small tin kettle at David because he was calling her "names oat of her name." When the clothes were torn op she

THREW A' PLATE AT DAVH), and, on another occasion, shied a bottle of jam m his direction. He was always talking to .her about her relations with men./ She had not told him that the dress which was torn up had been given to her by a man. She certainly didn't know defendant was making a living as a canvasser. It ~would not satisfy her to live with defendant if he had a permanent job— she couldn't live with the man. She had certainly had some talk about her husband's people, because he spent a lot of time between his mother's place and the home of a married sister, where he had afternoon tea and played the piano. One day she was given 8d to get a supply of bread and butter. David's folk said they- would be sorry to see their Jack working for complainant, but she NEVER USED BAD LANGUAGE when speaking of- them. On the clothestearing day complainant said she would get the police up, and defendant slept away from home that night. Mr Widdowson, S.M., at this poiut suggested that the matter should be settled by defendant being ordered to pay under the order, the arrears to be wiped off. It seemed that the couple could not live together. Mr Scurr said his client was starting work soon, but he would only be getting 30s a week. The parties had been a hard-luck couple, and the wife didn't seem to have taken her share of the hard ' luck. ;

The suggested arrangement was adopted.