SOLICITOR LEARNS HIS WIFE'S SECRET

NZ Truth, Issue 1175, 7 June 1928, Page 8

SOLICITOR LEARNS HIS WIFE'S SECRET

Suspicions Aroused By JO. ■ ■• . . . w ,

'TWAS AN INFANT THAT GAVE THE GAME AWAY '• ■ ■» ■ ■ ■ . ■ ■ , ' ■■■ ..■-.• 1 '• ■ (From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Representative.) . The plea of incompatibility is the facile excuse of modern immoralists, who chafe at the restrictions of marriage. It might fairly be said, however, that although Ida Mary Dobbie 3 wife of a young solicitor with a somewhat ponderous sheaf of Christian names to his main title, was guilty of immoral relationships with a lorry driver named Peterson, she must have had but little m common with her husband.

imiiiiiiti U II U

Palmerston North, for the purpose of seeing their small daughter. .

On June' 3, 1927, he knocked at the door of the flat where Mrs. Dobbie lived and was surprised to see his wife, who answered, with a three-months-old baby m her arms. " '. ' He questioned her concerning the baby- and received the reply: "Oh, I am looking after it for a person who is away at the, football match." - He said nothing more, at the time,, but asked Mrs; Dobbie to dress Barbara, so that he might . take her out. • When she returned with the child, Mrs. Dbbbie proffered- the information th^t she was receiving £1 a week for looking after the baby, .whose mother ■Was. expected that same afternoon. "You' may see her on your return from the football match," conceded Mis. Dobbie, and, with that, her husband left the house, accompanied by his.; daughter ;■ , . ' v V Later m. they day he returned to his wife's flat, where he was introduced to a. Mrs. Stone, the supposed mother of the child. , ■ •■'.'.• • AfteV an.cup. of. tea, Dobbie left 'the 'flat, made bis way to the station .and boarded the north- '■,,,. bd'u'nol train. ■ ■'" ■• . ' 'Not at all satisfied with the explanation his ■•wits. had giyen him concerning her relationship to the child, the peti-. tioner told the court that he wrote his Wellington, agent, Lawyer •Alf.Mazengai'b, r equ es.tin g h im to search the register of births, deaths and marriages. Accordingly; Lawyer. Mazengarb issued instructions for one of his clerks to search, but without result, and'Dobbie was advised to '.that' effect. •, In "September of that year, however, Dobbie received a, copy x>f a. -birth certificate /froth Wellington, : the original of which had been/issued m Palmerst'ou North, ■ ' ' .'-..' - , ; It concerned the birth of a female child, registered as "Diana Dobbie." . Further inquiries were, then instituted • as to the identity of the corespondent and a private enquiry agent was employed with that purpose m view, but without result. Divorce prpceediirgs Avere, however, set m motion by the petitioner on September. 30,. 1927. In November, 1927, Dobbie received through the post a letter-card, addressed to him 1 m an unfamiliar %nd.

maternity hospital m Ruahine Street, Palmerston North, said she remembered Mrs. Dobbie, whose child was bom on March 11, 1927. Yes, she observed, she remembered Peterson. , At four o'clock m the morning a man rang up to inquire after the health and condition of Mrs. Dobbie. She had "been very annoyed at the time and the incident had embedded itself firmly m her mind, although she did not know who the man was at the other end of the wire. He was told that Mrs. Dobbie was progressing satisfactorily, to which he replied that he was very pleased, indeed. .' . , A few days afterwards Nurse Shortt said that Peterson was introduced to her as Mrs. Dobbie's brother. When his honor showed the nurse the photograph sent to the petitioner, she unhesitatingly identified Peterson as the man who posed as Mrs. Dobbie's "brother." The "sister" and "brother" seemed very much .attached to one another, said the nurse, and he would sit quite close to her, holding 1 her hand and behaving m a most' affectionate and, uhbrotherly manner. . . Constable Grant, who is stationed at Terrace End, added a little color to the pattern by relating a short, but nevertheless significant, incident. „ One night, he said, a young fel.low rushed into his house, asking him to eject ..a woman from ,a house m Summerhay Street, occupied by a man named Peterson. . When the constable arrived at the house he found Peterson waiting for him at the front- door, where, he was told that a woman named Mrs.. Dobbie Was standing at the back door and that she refused to leave. . ' According to • Grant, the co-respond-ent ; >also said-, that Mrs. Dobbie had a Child of which he was supposed to be the father., , It appeared from what the constable told the cotirt that Peterson had taken the baby out .to some friends of his who lived at Rongotea, asking them to look after it. Mrs. JDobbie had not known of, this, but when she did she was furious and straightway went out to Rongotea, asked for the child and brought it back to Peterson's house..

When Mr. Justice Ostler had expressed himself as completely satisfied that the respondent had been guilty of misconduct, the petitioner calmly collected his papers and rose from the table with an air of subdued triumph, whilst Mrs. Dobbie, casting hurried, bird-like glances around the practically deserted courtroom, exchanged a few words with her counsel, then walked quickly through the swing dpors of the main entrance and so on to the road' of altered circumstance.