AN INTERESTING STORY,

Observer, Volume XVI, Issue 947, 20 February 1897, Page 2

AN INTERESTING STORY,

Trouble About a Birth Notice.

There is a young married man who drives a quill in a local shipping office who seems to have peculiar notions of how to treat a wife and run a household. That is why he appeared at the Magistrate's Court on Saturday last at the suit of his wife, to answer a charge of desertion, and of leaving his wife, and three children under the, age of seven years, without the means of subsistence. Neither of the daily papers has mentioned the case, and that affords a special reason why the Observes should step in and tell the wife's story. Another special reason is that it is rather a remarkable story.

The wife, whose name we suppress, but who lives in Parnell, says that her domestic troubles began about twelve months ago. Her husband seemed to have a great deal of night work to do, or nocturnal engagements to fulfil. At any rate, he had very few evenings at home But the fat went into the fire when one night the lady came across her husband out at ArchhiU, with a young lady upon his arm. She was a stranger to the wife, but subsequent enquiries elicited the fact that she was a waitress in a city restaurant, whither the gay and festive clerk was wont to repair for his luncheon.

Excuses were of no avail and the amorous Benedict therefore promised amendment if the fault were condoned. He obtained forgiveness, and by way of carrying out his promise of amendment, he left home for nine weeks, taking up his residence elsewhere and having his meals as before, at the restaurant where the waitress carried round the succulent hash. At tha same time he inaugurated an era of stern economy in his own household. Orders were given only for the barest necessaries of life, and with a view to the wife being schooled into the severest frugality, Bhe has had during the past ten months, the bewildering allowance oL four shillings to herself. So she says, at all events.

Bat this was conjugal tenderness itself to what followed. The clerk did not hit it well with his wife's relation's, and apparently forbade them to ever cross his threshold. Eight weeks ago the third child of the family was born, and the wife's mother presumed to break the ban of exclusion in order to visit her daughter and proffer what assistance might be in her power. Bat the stern and inexorable son-in-law got to hear of the visit, and, according to his wife'a statement, on the day after the child's birth he threatened her with a horse-whip-ping for having suffered her mother to enter the house.

"When the baby was three weeks old, the wife and mother had the extraordinary hardihood to take upon herself to get the birth notice published in one of the daily

papers. Most mothers like to see these little' events chronicled, but the father evidently has Borne occult reasons of his own for shunning, publicity of that kind. His reasons are matter for conjecture. At any rate, the publication of the birth notice transported him with wrath, and the' fiat went forth from him that a separation was the only balm that would assuage his wounded feelings. In order to convince his wife that he meant' business, he gave her notice, so she says, to clear out on pain" of ignominious expulsion. But she didn't. Then a draft deed of separation was sent np for her to sign, one of its articles being that her husband was to be at liberty to live where he liked and with whom he pleased, the wife undertaking not to molest him. In return for this license she was to enjoy a similar measure of freedom. But, with a woman's and a wife's strange perversity, she would not sign. She yielded bo far> however, as to consent to attend at the office of her husband's solicitors to discuss terms of arrangement. This was the husband's little opportunity, and he took it. During his wife's absence on this business, a furniture van went np to his house, and it was stripped of a goo d deal of its furniture. He also called upon the butcher, the baker, and the grocer, and stopped their supplies, paid off the landlord, and signified that he would be responsible for no more rent. Finally, he cut off the gas. Thus left to her own resources, the wife was obliged to seek refnge for herself and her three infants with her parents. • The matter is now before the Court. The husband offers to contribute 25s a week for the support of his wife and three children. But the wife's solicitors claim that she is entitled to an allowance of at least 30s a week, and the case stands adjourned for the magistrate to decide what is a fair allowance. Of course, this is an ex parte statement, and, no doubt, the husband has another story to tell. If so, we shall be happy to afford him the opportunity of placing it before the public. We understand that he objects to any intimacy with his wife's relations, and that, for some considerable time, there has been an estrangement between him and them on this score.