THE SORROWS OF SATO

NZ Truth, Issue 744, 20 September 1919, Page 6

THE SORROWS OF SATO

A Wail from Wanganni

THE BRITISH BRIDE AND THE JAP. SPOUSE.

I An Alliance Which Proved impossible. ■v. The,- story of a white -woman -who ■ took for better or for worse (and it ■ proved the latter) a Japanese husH £>and was related at the Wanganui Court one day last week. H It was a case m which Lavinia Sato ■ applied for a separation order and maintenance against John Sato, a H' Japanese, and described as a .chef by occupation, I 'The white wife (represented by Mr. Cohen) was formerly a Mrs. Hansen, ■ 'Who is a registry-office keeper at She had a number of ■ children, four m fact, by, her former ■ (husband, from whom she is divorced, who according: to the evidence is Htitill alive and kicking. Sato's allegations were that ■■'her Johnny Jap had cruelly treated She averred that on one occasioh he tried to choke her, had pulled out of bed, put her costume under stove, and slashed up with a five blouses and some other | things that were on the line. He also to put out her eyes H;.; ,. L V: WITH A CARVING FORK. At this stage, the. presiding MagisMr. Wyvern Wilson, drew attento a phrase m a letter which Mrs. had written to Sato. Said the ■b.M.: "You didn't write to him as if were afraid of him. You Bay this: hope if there is a God m Heaven will never see your cursed face That would hardly propitiate It would be more like a red rag ■to a bull." Slipper (for the defendant): called him a drunken pig? — What was he? You said he was next door to a Is that correct? — Yes, I think it ■■£ Are you a loyal Britisher? — Yes, I didn't take any steps? — Cernot, I was his wife. Whose idea was it you should get — Both of us. H" It was your idea? — No. Didn't you ask him to marry you? — you allege certain things? — |Hsrb; i did not. H, Mr. Slipper: Here is one of your Hfletters: ''You ask me to tell you when Ham ready to come to you. Do you H^nrant me to meet you for a few hours H^Er come to you for keeps?" You wrote — Yes. came the astounding revelaHfton that John the Jap was the son HBf an admiral, Mr. Slipper mentionl^ftig the fact that John Sato's dad was |^Hv.dmiral Sato. L.avinia had not been of the fact ' that when she with the East she was enterm a nautical family. All she saw HBrSato was an undistinguished,^ humKHle arid useful head cook, or chef Hi The pair hitched their wagon to .the ■kft of matrimony m November ,l9l7, ■BP-'aicordinff to "Lavy" her Jack-o MEkerted his real character, during t^ie ■K^S months of their connubial HUlr' Slipper, then produced a letter HtnUrently vrittcn by .the complamm?Sin that period, which she preHKced with K My Darling Jack. , ■■^lou seem to have been very aifecHDLnfltft" ooined Mr. Slipper. have never been anything else," HKhere weee tou divorced? Kir^Tsot married to Sato at Hfe r r™'a ?^Sy worker?-H, only ■■fes a lew weeks at a place.

You are fond of drink yourself? — No, I am not Didn't he come home and find some? — Only when we had guests. He came home on New Tear's Day and you were at the Marton races? — Tea. Where did you get the money? — I did not have any money. I had a- pass and my brother took me down. in his car. | Didn't he find some whisky and port wine ?— That was sent to me for a Christmas box by my sister-in-law. The complainant further gave a sample of the choice names her Japanese "hubby" had applied to her, and also alleged" that m one of the squabbles Sato had tried a jui-jitsu "stunt" on her. Mr. Slipper: Didn't you call him "a dirty black fellow?" — No, but I said he had a black heart. Didn't he tell you he didn't want to marry you as he wanted to go back to Japan? — No. Didn't he keep you before you were married? — No. / Did you tell him you had three children before you married him? — I couldn't tell him that because I had four. Is your previous husband alive? — Yes. ■ Jack-o had declared that he and his Lavinia lived "A CAT AND DOG LIFE," and His Worship thought that this fact was not contradicted. Mrs. Sato said that the cat and dog business only came into vogue during the past few months. Mr. Slipper: Did you ever swear at him? — No, I am not m the habit of doing that, but I might have said "Damn." Suppose he says you used language so bad that he would not use It m court? — That is not true, i Didn't he ask you on one occasion to take his collar off? — It was more than his collar. Witness went on to explain that Sato had been drinking and went to sleep m a spare room. He came into her room and asked her to undr*ess him as he felt cold. He pulled her j out of bed and she struck him. i You hit him m the eye? — Exactly, i but I did not intend to blacken it. I That was an accident. He pulled me out of bed by the hair of the head. ! Didn't you get his razor and threaten to kill him?— No. J Didn't your daughter take a razor out of your hand? — No, but out of his hand. He was PRETENDING HE WAS GOING TO CUT .HIS THROAT. What happened to the marriage lines? — I tore them up. Did he complain to you about his feet being tired ?— He was always tired. Didn't you introduce him to a Mrs. as "my beautiful husband"? —No. ' ■ ■ • " ■ Didn't he sleep one nigrht m Cook's Gardens? — Not that* I know of. A lady friend of the complainant's said, m evidence, that on one occasion she saw marks on Mrs. Sato's throat. One Saturday night she intended Agoing to the pictures, she saw Sato with a flask of whisky lying on the bed. Witness remarked the hands of the clock,' were bent. Mrs. Sato asked , who did it, and Sato replied he did not. He then struck Mrs. Sato on the jaw, ..who afterwards sent for her brother Jack. to put Sato out of the house. Sato triedAto strike Mrs. Sato's daughter, and tftv ••■'latterr r struck him back. Mrs. Sato rang up the police, but they were a long time coming. Sato was drunk. , Evidence of Sato's alleged cruelty to their mamma was given by two of the complainant's daughters, while Jack-os brother-in-law averred that on one occasion when, he threatened to give Sato m charge the son of the Jap "Nelson" said, "Me very sorry." Holding that there was not sufficient evidence to support the charge of persistent cruelty, and while granting a separation order, without maintenance, and ordering each party to pay its own costs his Worship declared tkat the letter, sent by Mrs. Sato to her spouse was scurrilous. She said she would not be. insulted by a colored person and was mad to marry him. She stated she regretted

he ever came into her life, hated the thought of him, and was sorry to be tied to him. It was a foolish marriage to a man of a different race and different sentiment.