RADFORD THE RULER.

NZ Truth, Issue 406, 5 April 1913, Page 6

RADFORD THE RULER.

Timorous Times at Temuka. Cruelty, Infelicity and Booze Alleged Separation Order Granted. Generally speaking, the weather at timorous Temuka (a dot on the landscape m the South Canterbury district) on Lhe day after honor had been most patriotically and dutifully done to ' ould Ireland's: patron saint (Pat), was a' perfect one for the washing, drying, ironing, and airing of the dirty linen of the householr! of Mrs. Margaret Radford and James Pepperell Radford. The couple .ARE AGED FOLK, "Pepper" being sixty-eight the. next fog ! Margaret sought from Magistrate Day a separation from her husband, on the grounds that he was persistently cruel to her, failed to provide adequate maintenance, . and that he was an ardent and habitual disciple and supporter of "Mister Booze." : Mr. Joynt appeared for the wife, and Mr. Aspinall for the defendant. Summarised, the evidence phowed that the parson duly performed his "business" between the loving couple on June 23. 1896. the man then hav-. ing . a grown-up family by his first wife, and .Mrs. Radford a little girl by her first venture. According, to complainant', the second experiment' ■ had been a miserable failure, herseif and her daughter being very unkindly treated by faithless, fighting "Pepper." (3n the o.ther hand, "Pepper" contended the parties had lived a life of harmony until the daughter grew some and began to assert- -her voice m family , . N • AND OTHER MATTERS. \ Amongst mother things, Margaret deposed that, the organ blew on June 23, 1896, and subsequent to that essential event they had lived together for three, years and a half at Temuka,, one, year at Grey town, eleven months - atyCarterto-n, . seven years at the Hvtt, -and' four years at -Timuka.i'j When , sosselled, ' 'Popper" was awfully jolly fond of her, paying 1 ' her the same ■ sweet attention that Tim Tracyipays' his punching ball. He , commenced his> ..punch, * practice at Greytown,' continued it at Carterton; repeated \it the Hutt (also threatened^her, with; a- knife), and, af^er returning -to Temuka, had temporarily ? transformed ;her into a chest and arm' muscle developer. About a month : agp,:whiie.she was imitating Joe Ching ior 'Ah Sing m the garden. variety 1 occupation^ (picking lettuce and spring onions) , " Jiunes again "strikingly" chastised her, the .operation being accompanied by filfchy language. "Pepper V' had always been an habitual drunkard, and it >was odds that when ; he*' went out m the morning he./jWbuldVretum home m a state of ;.sweet fullness and angry temper. He^-'wasVx-ery 'quarrelsome at night, and witness and her daughter were compelled to' leave the happy home after midnight m their nightclothes and seek shelter and -protection elsewhere. On the last occasion,- Radford aimised himself •by kicking .the bits o' sticks about the room, tearing and destroying' almanacs, nic-nacs, etc, transferred the coffee cannisters^ tea trays and other handy and useful kitchen utensils from the rightful resting place on to the fio,or, on top of which a dance was performed. Then his swankey - promoted devilment took a more . , CONGENIAL! • AND SCIENTIFIC TURN, and, getting the clock from the front room and placing it alongside the kitchen timepiece, he commenced an argument with the clocks as to which was the most faithful servant, concluding an interesting and instructive address or, discourse (as the Wowsers say) by decreeing that the time-recorders must go as he wanted them to go. Tliat settled everything, and wifey decided it was time to pack the boxes, empty the dust-bin, and depart — she could stand the awful life no longer. When . she asked him for money to pay the baker-boy, he threatened to break her neck for such unreasonableness! He would deal with her, he said, as they dealt with women m tho newspaper, .whatever that implied. In four years "Pepper" had only been idle two months. She swore that she had never given him cause to quarrel or become irritable. Cross-examined, Mrs. Radford said she did start a ' boardinghouse at the Hutt, prior to which she had a home, hubby I providing food, but no clothing.^ It was on March 6 last that she packed up the grid-iron and toast rack, but denied talcing any property belonging to him. When her daughter told her step-papa that a Mr. Dodds had called, he asked who Dodds was, and, being told, he AGAIN LET LOOSE HIS TONGUE. Witness- We have never lived happily it was a house of terror. Defendant (from behind- cover of his counsel): You tell it well! Witness, continuing, said on one occasion he had rushed at Len (son by his first wife) with a carving knife m his hand, and a rough and tumble had ensued. It was true she had refused hubby, marital rights owing to his immoralliy at the Hutt and Temuka. She absolutely denied allegations of giving the glad eye to tho boarders. A son and daughter gave evidence, strongly supporting Mrs. Radford's testimony of the persistent cruelty, the use of foul and offensive language, and other things. A child deposed that she had witnessed defendant givo his wife a "hard hit when the latter was picking iettuco and onions. The hit made her mother en*. Radforu then entered the witness-box and denied point blank the allegations of cruelty, failure to maintain, and drunkenness, he had not struck his wife on the onion bed— lt was only a push. Tho weep-producers wanted thinning out, but the missus was pulling them indiscriminately, and SPOILING HIS LOVELY GARDEN. The insinuation that he had used a poker on the missus was nonsense, as that handy and effective weapon did not repose amongst their domestic utensils. Witness offered to take his missus back ••as his wife," but ijone of the others were desired. Latterly ho had frequently to get his.own breakfast; he had slept m a room -by himself Tor two years. He had been earning 50s a week for some time, but reckoned that it would not last much longer; he was also getting a small monthly pension. Tho Magistrate, after summing up, granted tho separation order on the ground of cruelty, and ordered defendant to pay the applicant 10s per week maixitenance, and also, to contribute the usual guinea to the Costs brigade.