Why Husbands Leave Home

NZ Truth, Issue 1063, 8 April 1926, Page 9

Why Husbands Leave Home

' (From "Truth's" Paeroa Representative.) Holding that the woman had an ungovernable temper, and that : 3he had goaded her husband into threatening her, the Paeroa. Magistrate refused to grant Hilda M. Cornforth, wife of Layton , Cornforth, a flaxmiller, the separation order which she sought on the grounds of her husband's persistent cruelty. ; ,

1 HE wife told the Court a long story of w,be and said that she had only been married about 13 months. Her husband .did not, during the first few.months,of_ their married life, provide her witb?l£ home and she had had, m consequence, to live with her sister, Mrs. McQuillan, at- Paeroa. / Right from the kick-off their married life had been unhappy and .'■ her husband had terrified her with his violent behavior. On several, occasions it. had been necessary to '* seek the protection of neighbors. . 'One night her husband threatened to draw a razor across her throat" and -i rather than , face his wrath she stayed the night at an hotel. ' Disputes about religion had been contributing factors : to ; some of , the scenes. He had, at times, threatened her with a -'gun and had screwed her arms.. • • ■ . A painter named Harry Uren, who lived- next" door to the McQuillans, considered that the whole trouble lay between . complainant , and her sister, Mrs. f. McQuillan. , On one occasion complainant, ■rushed -into his -house terrified be- ; cause her husband had taken down a gun and had threatened to shoot : ; he «\ -• . ■ .■■■ ■..'■'-.■•■.■ „; ■_ He. and his wife, had; Ibefriended complainant because „her husband had turned her into the street. Mary Uren, wife of . the previous witness, said that Mrs: Cornforth had frequently come to her for protection. She had actually seen defendant strike his wife. .. . On one occasion she heard him call out: "For God's sake shut your — — mouth or I'll shoot. you and then myself." ; •• * Money and The Baby Evidence against her sister was given by Mrs. McQuillan. . She said she was "reluctant, to do this, tout she ha^ been m an excellent position to observe the couple during their married life. There had been trouble over financial . matters and the baby. Complainant was very quick temperedandwas the type' of -woman who could be taught nothing. • . Her- sister,, she said, frequently flew into a "rage and when she got that way she could not control herself. . Although witness had seen the husband 'strike' his wife on two occasions she - regarded him as an even-tempered man until he was roused. . Defendant accused his .wife of having an ungovernable temper. ' They had had frequent quarrels, he said, over the housekeeping accounts and the baby. ' >" '"'■. .'"'*■ \ - Frequently," to prevent the neighbors hearing her loud voice, which she

raised to a great pitch when she waa angry, he had to seize his wife and place his hand over -slier mouth. ■ When she got into, one of these moods she would yell at the top of her voice/ bang the doors and run out of the house. She was only 23 when she married,- . but she had plenty of experience m; housekeeping. One night, when they were living m Willoughby Street, Constable McClinchy had heard her screaming, and had ' told her to keep quiet and suggested that she should wash the baby. Defendant said that he handed all his wages, with the exception of 10/* a fortnight, over to his iwife. . He admitted that he may have threatened to shoot her when she , got him very angry, -but he had . never hurt her. I. In answer to the Bench, he said he 1 was quite willing to take his wife back so long as she acted with a reasonable • mind. ' Nora Flynn, of Princes Street, said ' she frequently heard rows m the Corn- , forth home. She had also seen, the. baby In "a filthy condition." : A railway employee named Robert Schwencke, who for a time shared a house with the Cornforths, described Mrs. Cornfdrth as "Ih'e worst-tempered woman" he had /ever met. 1 She used to scream at the top of her voice for nothing. ' Defendant was a very quiet man and he had never. known him give his wife ' a thrashing. ';. The woman screamed and kicked up a great fuss over very little. • Her Terrible Temper : The wife of the last witness agreed ; with her husband's story and also said the baby was kept m afilthy condition. , , The Magistrate safd the interests , of the child were paramount. He considered that complainant had , quite failed to establish her charge „ i of persistent cruelty on the part of her husband. - . ■ The evidence went to show, on the contrary, that complainant was a , woman with aln . ungovernable temper and it was reasonable to suppose that , defendant had been goaded into temper and to threatening his wife. ; If the wife could not makefgthe home tolerable for her husband, she. could hardly claim that - she was entitled to maintenance. * The husband, rather than being ai fault, had acted with restraint. ; The" Magistrate therefore refused to L grant a separation order, but adjourned ■ the case to enable the (parties to draw s up-- a separation agreement. - He would, however, make an order ! for;the mother to retain, the custody of A the child. v