The Sun.
London, England, 1862-11-04 00:00:00

A CASE FOR A DIVORCE COURT.

Patrick John Ruddy, alias Readdy, alias Hen-
riques, an Irishman, about forty years of age, ap-
peared yesterday before Mr. Selfe, at the Thames
police-court, on a summons, charged with assault-
ing his wife Maria Young Ruddy.
Mr. Abbott, a solicitor, of St. Mark-street, White-
chapel, conducted the prosecution. Mr. Wakeling,
a solicitor, of Clerkenwell, defended the accused.
Mr. Abbott, in opening the case, said it was one
of a grievous nature. The complainant was a lady of
high respectability, and was married to the defen-
dant, then in poor circumstances, eight years ago;
she brought him a fortune of £l,OOO, and £4O
a year besides. The defendant had most grossly
illtreated his wife, and after turning her out of a
large-eight-roomed house, near the Victoria Park,
and proceeding to Scotland upon business, she was
obliged to seek a temporary shelter with her three
children in a stable belonging to her husband, and
to apply to the parish of Bethnal-green for relief.
All this time her husband was living in the most
luxurious style, and when she contracted debts for
common necessaries befitting her position and
nothing more, he caused to be printed and cir-
culated a bill, of which the following is a copy ;
" This is to give public notice that I will not be
answerable for any debts my wife Maria Ruddy
may contract, nor for any act she may do. I
therefore caution any person not to trust her, and
as she represents me as the owner of house pro-
perty. I take this opportunity of denying the same.
—P. J. Ruddy, 23rd January, 1862. N.B.—Pro-
ceedings are being instituted against those persons
who assisted the said Maria Ruddy in unlawfully
secreting her husband's property." Now it was not
true that Mrs, Ruddy had secreted her husband's
property, or instigated others to do so. At the time
the bill was issued, the defendant was trading in his
wife's maiden name, as " Henriques and Co., ship
chandlers, and general railway and machinery fur-
nishers, 3, Queenhithe, Upper Thames-street, and
18, Great Alie-street, Minories." Mr. Abbott put
in defendant's trading card as above, and sa'd Ruddy
was in affluent circumstances when he published
the printed bill, and would not allow his wife com-
mon necessaries. The defendant wished to drive his
unfortunate wife, a lady by birth and education, into
a workhouse, and, failing in that, had the audacity
to issue another printed bill as follows :—" This is
my third caution to guard the public against giving
trust or credit to a woman who goes about in hat
and feathers, and grand silk dress, calling herself
Mrs. Ruddy ; although I allowed her to call herself
my wife, she has no right to do so. She took from
me last January in cash .£225, after breaking and
smashing the windows. She sold and made away
with the furniture of an eight-roomed house which
I then rented for her. She sold, to Dillon, the
beer-shop keeper, Green-street, and others, lime
and sand which cost me £5O, and was worth a good
deal more to me. She went round, assisted by a
house-agent named Brown, to the persons accus-
tomed to do business with me, stating the money
was theirs and not mine. She has taken the money
from some of the customers, and others who would
not pay her she abused and caused great disturb-
ances at their houses, and therefore prevented them
dealing with me. She declared she did not care,
provided she ruined me for her satisfaction. In her
efforts to get trust she said her husband was in a
large way of business, and the owner of house pro-
perty. Ido hereby declare lam not the owner now
of any house or other property.—July 27, 1862.
P. J. RUDDY."

Mr. Abbott said the placard was a gross and ma-
lignant libel on a respectable lady. The parties
were married, and he handed the marriage certifi-
cate to the magistrate. The defendant had made
his appearance before the City Chamberlain, the
courts at Westminster, police courts, and county
courts, as Ruddy, Ready, and Henriques ; he had
taken away two of his children and would not let
their mother know where he lied put them, and had
finally assaulted her in a savage manner.
Mrs. Ruddy, a care-worn lady, corroborated the
statement, and gave a history of her privations and
ill-treatment since she had been married to Ruddy,
and said her marriage was a mistake and most un-
fortunate. She went to her husband's premises, 18,
Great Alie-street, which he had vacated and emp-
tied on Friday, 233 ult., and was sheltered by Mr.
and Mrs. Clare, who occupied apartments there.
On Monday, the 27th, her husband, who did not
expect to see her there, arrived with five van loads
of merchandise, and upon seeing her called her a
stinking faggot, and a thick-skinned devil, and said
" I'll do for you." He then proceeded to use her
with great roughness, tore her dress, and threw her
with great violence into the gutter. She got up
and made an attempt to enter the promises. Her
husband closed the door upon her, and her dress was
caught in it. He wanted a police constable to take
her into custody, and he refused to do so. He then
seized her and threw her into the street a second
time. He had been in the practice of turning her
out of doors, and leaving her destitute occasionally
for several years, Her only offence was, she had
outlived his liking. She was left destitute four or
five weeks ago.
In cross-examination by Mr. Wakeling, the wit-
ness denied that she was addicted to strong drinks.
She sold some woollen rags which she found in his
warehouse for £1 14s. Her husband was a genera

merchant and a rich merchant.
In re•examination by Mr. Abbott, the witness said
her husband had been away from her a fortnight
before she sold the rags. She had never abandoned
her husband and children.
Mrs. Pearse Patchett, of 18, Great Alie-street,
confirmed the statement of the complainant as to the
assault on the 27th ult., and said Mrs. Ruddy fell
near the feet of a horse attached to one of the vans.
mr. wowing, ic.r ow defence, mßde elaborate