The Centre reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1871-1940, 1877-01-18
NONAN's WEAKNESS.
A T.caf Trom the Docket OF Divorce Court.

Leaf Trsm thc norkct OF "a Dt,orre Court.
Not long since singular suit tur III
yurce was tried in one at the courts Of
the West The plaintiff, from all nc
counts. appears 70 have been reckless
and unscrupulous ndyenturor and the
defendant "a very good, amiahlc, much
abused. long sun ring woman, The
husband, IN oricr to have some pretcAt
for getting rd uf his wife. claimed thnt
she had neglected has personal comfort
in the grussest manner. dthed hi, uu-
thority. stolen his money and been
cuuuubially umtaithful to HIM ia repeated
instances 70 prove tins he produced
witnesses uf "a very questionable chuuc-
ter, who were made g. contradict them
selves hy the defendants counsel uud
shown 10 have nu soCid or moral stand
ing, even ia community where the
requirements for what is vaguely known
as respectahlity are not remarkably high,
Indeed, their testimony WAS 80 cilcctudly
uvtrthruwn as Ia leave little doubt on
the mind Of the Judge that they had been
subUrucd. though he had uu means Of
proving his belief.
The plaintiff. with sublime uudAclty,
inumated that injustice hHd been done
HIM. and asked through his counsel for
Ii postponemcut Of the case, that he
might bring more witnesses, since those
he had introduced seemed "a bv dis-
credited Tie court refused b. grant the
motion, and tAe trial went uu the teat-
m0uv for the defendant beng drly
opened. Then a number Of well known
and Trustworthy witnesses sWvrv tAA. the
husband had treated his Wlty sAameiully;
that he had often been seen drunk; that
he had repeatedly htstgu her: That hr
had pavned her lewclry "a get mu.ry 90
gamble with: that he had c1usurted with
vile women, aUi behaved, lu o word like
a thorough paced villain When this
damaging evidence hal h.an gwen, and
the feeling OF the court and the specta-
tors had been plainly furrshalowed, the
plaintiffs counsel, with "a view to cuun-
teractlng the effect, grose and asked, II
any such state uf facts were credible, why
the defendant would have resisted the
divorce. "Is Il in human nature for
auyboiy 10 endure such treatment, be
inquired, "und vet show uuwlllugncss
% be FREE from its continuation, when
the opportunity Is not only offered, but
the demand frequently urged 2 Tins
question was SO pertinent aut the al-
swer So difficult, apparently, that some
thing Ike reaction srt IN, uud the law
yer looked dclghtelly around thr ranm,
rrgarliug with an air ~ triumph the
spectators. who. In the remote West have
quite as much Ia do with trying causes
AS the Judge himself. Nothing dlscum-
fitted. the defendants counsel recalled
one Of his witnesses. and elected the
information that he ltho witness often
asked Mrs. -- why she did not leave
her husband: that he had told her that
il was "a duty she owed to her friends
as we'll AS to herself Her invariahie re-
ply. with broken subs, WAS IN substance !.
4" / cannot. cauuo, leave him, Tor ! love
him 50. Ha doesn't mean a. he bad;
he's good sometimes, Il is Hs bad as
spciatuus that are the cause ui b; all.
He'll Toe better after awhile, I'm sure.
You wouldn't want me o. leave him Il
you know how / lowed him.
Here the louugrrs in the courtroom
were plainly moved, and when the Young
wife, who. though pale wrr'cAcd, and
crushed looking, bore traces ui past
beart.. gave way "a her suppressed emo
.ruS IN a Hood az tears. there wvrc loud
murmurs and audible threats. portsnding
no good b the plaintiff The judge HIM
self, who Was uat al a.iAmaut, remarked,
ia a few moments, with q guiyur ia Inns
voice, that there was no need uf cuuuuu-
ing the c1se: that the sult WAS dismissed,
with costs Ia the plaintiff The decision
was r,ce.yei with "a ahoui 81 mingled JOY
and rure The u,uous husband under
stood It's meaning and declined to qui,
the courthouse. The spectators were
finally got ont 10y the sheriff and his
deputies. after which the plaintiff claim
ed their protection. and stole of secretly.
Otherwise. no doubt. he would have
been roughly handled hy the crowd,
who hung about for some time, waiting
Tor his appearance, as one OF them grim
ly observed, in ouler "a got better nc
quuutrd with the gentleman.
According 10 the local journal, the
gentleman departed abruptly from town
the same evening greatly 81 the dlup-
puinimcut Of the community who would
have been only too happy to show It's
appreciation 81 him in well fitting coat
of tar and feathers. The same journal
also mentions that the maltrvatol vile
disappeared the day following, and cx-
presses the opinion, based ON trust
worthy information. that she had gone
after her scJundrel husband It. canclu-
sion is that " women are Gwiully queer. -
Further aiyices indicate that the late
plaintiff has probably married q number
81 women Tor such property as they
might have: turned it into cash; spent il;
got rid of them 10y abuse. flight or law;
and that he bas thus far escaped the con-
sequence of his manifold SINS He rs
represented as n "mean looking cuss,
but " regular heart smasher among the
fair sex. - NetC York Times.