A Divorce Petition From A Glass House

NZ Truth, Issue 1031, 29 August 1925, Page 7

A Divorce Petition From A Glass House

EXrHUSBAND- ADJUDGED FATHER OF MAORI. GIRL'S CHILD

When Samuel McKee, a Tokomaru- Bay tailor, divorced. his wife at the last session of. the Supreme Court at Gisborne, on the grounds of her adultery with another man named Boyle, he wore an air of injured innocence, and although it was then suggested that he was the father of a half caste child, ho gave the assertion- a flat denial.

Nevertheless, the same Samuel McKec was recently ad judged the father of the illegitimate child of Ora Potae, and in* the. course of the proceedings it was stated that within a few weeks another affiliation will 'be sought against him, for'another child has now been born to the same Maori girl.

HAD McKee kept his word and married Ora Potae when he got his divorce, all 'would have been well, but the dashing young man is smitten with another Tokomaru Bay lady, and m Court he admitted that he was -engaged to 'marry the girl who had been acting as his bookkeeper. The case, which attracted some interest, was one m which Ora Potae sought the issue of affiliation and maintenance orders m respect of her illegitimate child. ' Lawyer K. B. Hill appeared for Ora. while the defendant was represented by, Lawyer J. J. Mead, of Tokomaru Bay. ' . '.-••" At the commencement. Lawyer Mead requested that the names be suppressed as his client was an innocent man. The Magistrate: I cannot order suppression; and if he. is innocent publication will do him no harm. ' . , ORA WAS "STRUNG ON." For the complainant, Lawyer Hill said that tho child had been born m January, 1923, and another). child was expected. Ever since the first child was born the girl had been strung on by McKee's promise that he would divorce his wife and marry her. As McKee was now keeping company With another girl, complainant. thought lit only right that he 'should maintain his child. Ora Potae, a Maori girl with few pretensions to beauty, said that she and McKee had come to be like man, and wife. He had told her that when he divorced his wife he would marry her, but had gone back on his promise ras he wished to marry someone else. To Lawyer Mead, witness admitted that she had assaulted the defendant von a number of occasions, adding that this was because of the lies he had told her. ■ .. < Lawyer Mead: You have assaulted yourself? — Yes. ; ■ Torn your dress to shreds?— Yes. ■i And torn your blouse off and hit yourself over the head with bottles? — Yes, ,because he was going with anr ether woman. | And once you snipped a hew pair cf [trousers he was cutting? — Yes. B , You became very violent? — Yes, I ■Hi id once when he ran over me m a Hfnotor-car without lights, and J susRccted that he had another woman m I Jt wasn't until after a serious mental ■111 ness tli at you charged McKee with being the father of this child?— l told him he was, and he acknowledged it. > Lawyer Mead said; that the evidence of the mother was insufficient on which to adjudge a man- the father of the *hild. If there had- been any merit m the complainant's case, evidence would have been brought to, show acts of f£n miliarity. McKee had a bookkeeper vho had been working for him for .hree years, and Ora was jyery jealous )f this girl. To be strictly fair, the ;iri was a splendid -.worker^ but was -a

weak sexually. James McMullan said that he had worked for McKee for twenty- one months and had never. seen anything familiar between the complainant and McKee. ■ • . Cross-examined by Mr. Hill, witness said that he would not expect to see any acts of familiarity when men were present, and it might have been possible for McKee' to go out with her, without his knowing. He had never seen Ora tear her clothes, but had occasionally heard her going' off at McKee. ~ ' , . , The Magistrate: What did v 'sho' say? — Oh, she just abused him generally.-. Samuel McKee, a dark-haired, small - statured, ferrety-looking individual, who gave his evidence with an air of. injured innocence, said that he had never' been m the Potae house. "Ora Potae is getting at me through someone else to-day," he concluded darkly. TOO MUCH— OR TOO LITTLE. The Magistrate: You have said too much or too little now. "What exactly do you mean? Witness: She is always at variance with, my bookkeeper and is jealous. ■ Mr. Mead: Have you ever led her 1o -believe that you would marry her? — No.

.Lawyer Hill: Do yon usually have employees throw cordial over you and scissors at you ?■ — I had a man once before who did that. (Laughter). Did ho ever tjuarrel "with you? — Yos. Did he ever pour cordial over your clothes? — Yes, but ' not when I was there. Difid Ora ever strip her clothes off? — Yes. Dk> employees usually do that? — Oh, you have to put up with all sorts of thintos m these country places. THien am I to infer that that is the usual conduct m Tokomaru Bay? — She was jealous of another girl and wanfaed me to sack her. Assuming 1 that you promised to marry her when you got the divorce and then turned her down, there would be scpne excuse for her present action? — Yes, but that has not happened. Wh»en you -went for a divorce, you were nearly 'brought' up yourself because of this girl? — Oh, yes, if you'd been handling it I would have been. In answer to further questions put by Lawyer Hill, witness said that he was tbe victim of a conspiracy. Lawyer Hill: Is there any reason? — - She thinks I am going to marry the other 'girl. And are you going .to marry this other g«rl? — Yes. At this stage Lawyer Mead asked for a fortnight's adjournment m order that the divorced wife could come forward and give evidence regarding Samuel's fidelity and purity. When the case was called on again an application £or a further adjournment wa»s sought by Lawyer Mead, and an application- for a second order m respect of another child born- m the meantime, was held over. Lawyer Hill said that the defendant's divorced wife had refused to give evidence. Tho Magistrate said that ho was perfectly satisfied that McKee was (lie father of the child and "would make an order accordingly. He would make an order for- £20 for past maintenance, and -current maintenance at the rate of 15/- a week, with costs £2 15s; t