A MELBOURNE CLERICAL DIVORCE CASE.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1149, 16 September 1882, Page 2

A MELBOURNE CLERICAL DIVORCE CASE.

A disgraceful case is shortly to come before the Divorce Court. Some time since Mrs Mandells, wife of the Church of England clergyman at Flemington, eloped with Mr Keily, the organist of the church, who has for two years been living in her husband’s house. The correspondence discloses an amount of heartlessness and effrontery that is appalling. It appears that Mr Mandells and "Kelley are each 41 years of age. Mrs Manaells leaves two grown up daughters by her Jhusbaud, also an infant. It seems that she was left an orphan in England, and was brought up in an orphan school, and then afterwards she became a governess, and met MY Mandells. Just after he was ordained he married her, and they came to this colony where they have been living respectably for many years. Neither the husband nor any of the friends of the family had any suspicion of Mrs Mandell’s infidelity until the last moment. She suddenly left her husband’s house, and next day a letter was received by him from her stating that for two years she had loved Mr Kelly, and that she was living with him at the Bush Hotel. She said that she would have liked to have confessed all, but had not the courage to speak it. The fact was that Mr Mandells was not the father of her last child, nor the one she was about to bear, but Kelly was. She had hoped as it grew older the last child would become more like Mandells, but daily it became more like Kelly. She then, in a cool “manner, asked him to send her her under clothing, and other clothes, and stated that Mr Kelly was very kind to her. Of this Mr Mandells took no notice, but shortly afterwards she received a second letter, stating that they were staying at the Railway Hotel, but Mr Kelly had taken a house at Sandridge, where they intended to live. She again asked for her clothing, and stated she had no money. Enclosed in this letter of a most audacious character from Kelly to the injured husband, in which he assured Mr Mandells that he had adored his wife for two years, and during all that time had been faithful to her, and had not been intimate with any other woman. He added that he intended to remain faithful, and then proceeded to suggest that it would be inconvenient for her to be confined away from her “home,” and that for the sake of her daughters, Mr Mandells should receive her back to be confined, after which an arrangement could be made for her to live with him (Kelly). Mr Mandells has filed a petition for divorce in the Attorney-General’s office.— “ Town and Country Journal.”