SAID HUSBAND PREFERRED FLAPPERS

NZ Truth, Issue 1175, 7 June 1928, Page 5

SAID HUSBAND PREFERRED FLAPPERS

Who Had Most Power In Powers' Domestic Dynamo ? — Son Was Certainly A Powerful Unit TALK OF A DON JUANj\ND NOISY RACING CAR (From : 'N.Z. Truth's" Special Auckland Representative.) Her word-picture of a supposedly delinquent husband was thrown upon the screen — thus. A gentleman who preferred— well, if not blondes, then nice little things "about seventeen;" a man with a private flat jn the city, four motor-cars — and a grouch! But the ever-observant eye of Magistrate McKean looked sideways at the wife's colorful word-painting and dismissed the information.

THE wife m question was Amy Bliza- . beth Power, who went to the Auck-

land Maintenance Court to say that her husband, Francis Lyon Power, had failed to provide her with adequate maintenance. ;

And just" to set the pot : boiling, her counsel told Magistrate McKean that she had been married twenty years, but that her husband had left home on March 21 and paid nothing for her maintenance since.

On the other hand, Lawyer Sullivan, for Francis Lyon Power, asserted that his client had, for a long time, secured practically nothing m his house — neither his meals nor his washing— until finally he had been assaulted by his son, "a regular Don Juan," to use counsel's own words. He- had lived away from his family since then.

The overture concluded, Amy Elizabeth stepped sprightly into ' the wit-ness-box.

Her appearance was more that of a young 'woman of twenty or so summers; her cheeks were rosy, a big fox fur enveloped her neck and shoulders, and her cloak concealed all but a glimpse of a bright frock.

At Lawyer Sullivan's request .all witnesses left the court.

No sooner had Mrs. Power entered the box, given her name and been asked the first question by Lawyer Keegan, than she loosened her verbal floodgates with such speed that' all it was possible to hear, at times^ were the words: "Good wife. . . ' left home. . . fiat. . . . young girls . . . gay time . . ."

The bench, being quite unable to follow the eloquent flow, looked pained,

Her Daily Penny

and asked Mrs. Power to content^herself with answemng questions : as. r they were put to her. :

"I've been fur "too good < to him," resumed the la,dy; and commenced to reel off much.; more to that effect, when' once. again the magistrate interrupted: "Let"us hear about March ,21, when he left home." .

"Just' before .Christmas, Mr. Power stopped" paying his usual amount— he was playing up—he came home drunk every night " '."'•■'

"Again the bench -begged the eloquent lady to go slow and answer the questions of her lawyer.

With a restrained prompter from Lawyer Keegan, complainant set off once more: "He gave me no money m January or February — each day he would put a penny on the dressingtable, till it got up to tenpence, when he'd say: 'There's money for you' — ;uid that's the truth and nothing but the truth."

''What, about the night before March 21?" asked her lawyer. :

"He'd been talcing things away by degrees — he refused to have his meals m the house — he's had a flat in -the citj r for two years — he said: 'You're too old, I want a girl about seventeen' ; a lorry called — he removed a chest of drawers and some of the furniture from his bedroom."

Did you prepare his meals? — Most decidedly; I'm a very good wife. He said he had peace m his fiat; he went away and I never set eyes on him till now. In hurried, nervous tones, Mrs. Power went on to tell that she lmcl no money since October and had used what little private money she had. Her husband, the court was informllllllllllllllllll!ll!lllllllllllllllllllli!ll!ll!IIIIIIII!llllllllll!IIIHIIIIIillll!lllllllllll!lll!ll

cd, had been "playing •up badly with women m Australia."

Anyhow, he had come over to New Zealand and earned about £8. a week.

If she was not satisfied he had told her to sell everything and keep all the proceeds.

He had four , motor-cars. She had paid some of the money on the house.

"Who paid the bills?" asked Lawyer Sullivan, when he rose to do battle.

"I did; my husband paid the rent," was* the . snappy retort.-

"Who paid the baker's bill?"

Mrs. Power was -launching out into one of her bursts of eloquence, but before she had gone far her husband's counsel stepped close to the witnessbox and, waving a sheaf of papers, demanded m louder tones: "Who paid that bill?"

"I shall not answer that question till I've told you what I want to first," she said, but finally answered: "I did."

There; was no truth m the statement that she had refused to cook her husband's meals; she had given him good meals.

Is it. not a fact that you have encouraged your boy, Farrington Power, to assault your husband? — I emphati(.•aliy deny it.

The husband's counsel then pro-

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duced a copy of ,a letter, which, he •stated, had been written to the wife, addressed to her home at Burwood Road, Remuera, dated March 6.

"In this," said the lawyer, "I referred to your warning, him .to leave the house." Reading, he added: "Please reply, or your husband will be compelled to take you at your word." The only audibie words that followr ed this from the box were: "Dragged down like this by my husband. . . ■ ." "You're not being dragged down," c^ime the gentle, but strained, interruption from, the ' bench. "Why not answer the questions?" . . "Hasn't Mr. Kleegan been acting for you for some time over the escapades of your son?". asked lawyer ; Sullivan.' Mrs. Power's lips chipped out the reply: "I refuse to answer. I don't know anything about his private af^fairs." Didn't you pay his fines?— l did not. When did you cook his last meal? Don't you neglect his meals ?-r-I cook beautiful meais, . . , Is it not a fact that you are out playing croquet most of your time with your Remuera friends? — Give me a chance to answer! I tell. the truth — I wish my husband would speak the truth, too. "Say yes or no," came an exasperated voice from the bench. But it was of little avail; breakfast, and washing followed as topics for cross-examination, but/the only tangible reply to this matter was that; Power would sweep everything on to the floor with his hands before he left the house and say: "Now, servantsweep!" Has your son assaulted his father? — : i No, but my husband has tried to damage me; I have bruises' now from something my husband did m .Ta.nunry. Your son does not work?— He does,.

She explained that her son had his own private means. She didn't know if her, means were £250 a year. Her son was not encouraged to remain at home an idJe boy.

Who purchased the car for your boy when he couldn't get a license for a car m the city? — I didn't; I had nothing to do with it.

Reverting to the important matter of meals, Lawyer Sullivan asked the excited complainant whether it was not a fact that all her husband ever had for meals were sausages.

Very indignantly, she. replied: "I've never had a - sausage m my House."

As to telling him to "get out," it was untrue. "If this is my last minute on earth I would say I have not told him to go. He wants these women."

Later, out of the medley of questions and answers, she said: "Ever since we were married he has refused to pay the bills."

Who paid the gas bills? — Let me get my bag.

"Never mind your bag! Who paid the gas bills?"

But 'again the magistrate • was constrained to urge the lady to answer the questions.. Finally she admitted that her husband had paid the bills till last March.

Pressed as to her financial posi-

tion, Mrs. Power became once again more or less incoherent. Lawyer Keegan rose to display a large bJue paper, which he announced, was a declaration of income from Australia, and proved that .her income was just over £3 per week. > . . ; Lawyer Sullivan: "I only want to ask where the destitution is?" The bench replied that it was not necessary to show destitution. Lawyer Keegan then intimated that he was not calling 1 any further evidence find the opposing counsel put his client, Francis Lyon Power, m the box. All his children were over sixteen, he said. As to his meals, they were certainly not regularly cooked and he had not had a meal m his house since January. . "What about this carrying on with girls?" asked Lawyer Sullivan. ''It's absolutely false." Power explained that he 'had received the hospitality of two young: men and two young women who played some musical instruments. At their place he had. some beer — "afl I did was to reciprocate and ask them to the house." Have you tried to get' your son tb work and give up motoring?— Yes. Who assaulted you? — My son. The father said that he had no wish to fight. Did he assault you badly? Was it with his fists or a stick? — He used.jujitsu on me. x . ■ ■ . , ■■; Power then told how he had done his best to bear the pain and indignity to which his son had put 'him. When this took place, . Mrs. Power was out, but as a result of the son's conduct, the .father brought the police to the house. The son refused to work and had no private income. He goes about dressed up as a

dude, d,oes he not? —^Yes, he does; he walks about with gloves and

walking-stick.

Replying to Magistrate McKean, Power said that his son did all this on his mother's income.

It was shown that the husband's lawyer had written to Mrs. Power m February hoping for an amicable arrangement, but the result had not been satisfactory.

As for the son, who .was the chief bone of contention, Power said: "He comes home very often at 2 a.m. and keeps his car, which is a big racing^ car, going outside my window to annoy me."

Power had also something to say about meals. He never saw a tablecloth, but as a rule yesterday's newspaper was used for one.

This • statement brought a longdrawn "Ooh!" from' the wife, who sat at the legal table.

Power always paid the bills, he assured the court, and his wife had never said one word about getting letters from the lawyer; nor did it alter her conduct, which, m fact, became worse.

In the matter of washing, he had to do his own, "while his wife, "like the rest of ■ the' Remuera ladies," was always playing, croquet. Power had to come to town for his breakfast.

Licivv-yer- Sullivan asked him about the bruises his wife said he had inflicted on her.

He replied: "I can explain one of the bruises; she made a desperate attack on a croquet ball — and hit her foot."

How old is the boy? 1 — He's twentythree.

From his wife came the correction "He's twenty-two!"

Did your wife tell you to leave? —

Letters Ignored

Yes,, she said she had enough money- to keep herself.

Mrs.' Power's language was then questioned. As defendant seemed reluctant to reply.j counsel reminded him that he was not at a Sunday-school

The language, however, was - more a reflection on the 'husband's health than actual . Billingsgate, when it was repeated; '•••"'.

Under fire from Lawyer Keegan, Power stated that his only income was his salary; he had received £500 recently from some estate transaction.

He had a car; his last holiday was two years ago, when he went to Australia at a Mr. Silk's expense.

He was not frequently out at night or for dinner.

Why did you leave home? — Because of the disagreeable way I was received at home. 1 would come home to a dinner of sausages, badly cooked. The boy is principally the trouble.

To Lawyer Sullivan, he replied that he would go home to-morrow if the boy were away — "things would be better."

In weighing up the situation, Magistrate McKean drew attention to 'the letters which had been sent by Lawyer Sullivan to Mrs. Power and which had been ignored.

"I can hardly believe that the allegations Mrs. Power makes are quite correct. The evidence of the complainant is unsupported; I can see no reason to prefer her statement to her husband's. Some of her statements are improbable.

"It has not been shown that her son has any private income and it is extraordinary that the mother does not know her son's income."

It would seem that money had been given him by his mother that he should do things to which his father objected. The information was dismissed.