The Sun.
London, England, 1814-07-01 00:00:00

LAW ti.tiittlie3ECiL

AtICIIES COURT, DOCTOILY 'COMMONS.

tIRUCLTY AND AbULTERY."-SnITA $l.ll-11/21{.

This was a suit foi• a Divorce at the instanct of
Louise, the wife of George Thtimas Smith, Esq.
of Devygyfilehi, in the county a Carnarvon,
Wales, against hith, on the ground of cruelty',and
Adultery.
It appeared that the parties were •trarried iu
October, 1794, at St. Mary's Chapel, Waleot, in
Somersetshire, Mr. Smith being then undei• age,
and Mrs. Smith, a widow; of the name of Morgan.
They took up their residence in Gloucester-strut,
Yortman-square, where they continued
latter end of 1795, and had one daughter: .About
that time, Mr. Smith entreated -his wile to make
an alteration in his faVour with regard to
some property over which she, retained a right
by her marriage settlement, and, upon her refusal,
began to treat her with considerable harshness
and cruelty ; one instance of which, in particular,
occurred in January 1796, when he forcibly lock-
ed her up one morning in her dressing-room, and
went out ; but •upon his return, finding she had
been - liberated by the servants, and was then at
supper; he asked her angrily how she dared to
conic down stairs ; and upon her replying, she
-thought she had a right to do so in her own
house, he laid hold of her with great violence,'
and dragged her to the bottom Of.the stairs ; but
the servants having opened the street door, and
alarmed the neighbours; she y:as rescued from

_ .
further violence the interference of 11r. and
Dash wocid, wlio resided iii the adjoining
house. A deed of separation was afterwards Cu-

tered into between them, and she made him an
allowance front her separate property of 2001. per
annum, through the medium of her trustee,-under
the marriage settlement. He then,formed an int-
. proper connection with a person of the name of
Trefusis, since deceased, and lived with' her at his
house in Montague-place until the spring of 1800,
when he abandoned the connection ; and Mrs.
Smith was induced, through interference of.
his father and mother, to resume her cohabitation
with him, and execute a deed releasing all the re-
maining property she possessed independent of
him. They continued together at their residence
at Pendy Fryn, in Wales, and in 1807 had a daugh-
ter born. About this time a person of the name of
Hannalkaidd came into thefamily in the capacity of
dairy- maid, and was shortly after made housekeeper.
• Mr. S. having accustomed himself to a separate bed'
during his Wife's confinement, persisted in doing
so, after the was weaned, and this first ex-
cited a suspicion in the family 'of an undue inti•
macy, between him and Hannah Dodd. His be-
haviour to his wife was also materially changed,
and in July, 1808, broke out into' violence. The
cOnnection with Hannah Dodd becoming matter
of observation ia the neighbourhood, was at,
length discovered by Mrs. Smith, who insisted on
her being distitissed the house, tied Mr. Stnith
at first refused, but at length acceded to through
the remonstrances of friends, and she quitted their
service in August, 1,808. He. followed her not
long afterwards, abandoning biS wife and child, and
they lived 'together at West-end, HanipStead, un-
til Feb. 1809, when Ml's. Smith, having till then
continued at Penny Fryn, with her child, quitted
it, and repaired to the honse of her brother, John
Ileilyer Burt, Esq. at Colton, in Staffordshire:and 1,
Mr. Smith then resumed his 'residence, at Yctidy
Fryn, with Hannah Dodd. 111 April, 1811, Mrs.
Smith removed with her child to Loamington, in
Warwickshife„ where sere received a visit from her,
'husband, who insisted upon taking the child home
win] hint, and she finding resistance useless; was
induced to accompany them. upon their arrival
at ready Frytc, she obtained a separate apartment
for herself and the child, Mr. Smith and flannah
Dodd having likewise separate: which.
they kept locked, but were occasionally heard go-
ing into each other'S rooms. Mutters continued
in this state until August,' 1811, whenMr, Smith
deprived his wife of the society of her child, and
ordered its bed to be curried into his min room.
Her only motive for residing in the same house
with him being thus removed, she quitted it, and
has ever since lived with her brother at Colton;
Mr. Smith still continuing his connection with
Hannah Dodd. • -

A variety of witnesses were examined in sup-
port of this.case,on the part of Mrs. Smith.
No defence was offered; but the Counsel for
Mr. Smith observed, that the only act of violence
relied on, appeared to have occurred a consider-
able time since ; but as the rest of the circum-
stances were so fully proved, it would be useless
to raise an iargument upon, this single objection-
able point.

Sir J. ItitcnoLL then recapitulated the circum-
stances of •the case ; and being of opinion that
they were fully borne out in the evidence adduced,

pronounced fur the divorce.