Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-06-07
DITORCE BUSINESS ON CAPE COD.
How Young Women Rush into Mat
rimOny and Creep Out.

man SUOOO one SlOc OF 0cf ana q young man
with lowing beard on the other. Then the
girl told her story. She wanted divorce from
her husband. Judge Lord looked at her crlti-
cally fer an instant as though astonished, not so
much that pretty girl, who dressed and looked
as though she had run into court from school.
should want divorce as that she should have
already been married. But she said she had
been married four years, and that her husband
had left her after living with her a few weeks.
She admitted that the husband was living in the
county, but urged, with pretty tremulousne5s,
and the young man with the beard corroborated
her story, and she went out OF court smiling and
congratulated by several of the other girls and
Dy Two or three young men.
Another case was called. There stepped to
the stand slender, gray-eyed girl. She seemed
to be less than is years old. Her feeble, totter-
married, she said, five years, and her husband
would notsupport after the first three months
of her welded life.. The husband, a f1eshy
young man, stood up In court and admitted It,
Judge Lord frowned and nestled in his seat.
But he simply said, 81 will consider the mat
ter"
airy appearance that may have been caused by
the eye glasses she Wore, stepped up next. Her
husband was sea-captain,, who had promised
to take her to sea, but when he got as far as
Boston with her he left her at hotel
"Nell, Why did he leave your"
Il suppose he loved another woman BETTER"
This sea captain had lived with the girl few
months and although he has often been In tie
same town since he left her, yet he had refused
to have any thing to do with her for three years.
The young woman got the decree she desired,
and cler1cal-lO0k1ng man escorted her from
court.
Next came pale-faced girl, whose features
were regular; but whose complexion was sallOwr
She seemed sickly. She was married in 1874,
and after week OF honeymoon her husband
left her with the remark that he wanted moth
Ing more to do with her.
Ibid you go to htm?"
f'NO, SIR.
'Why not?"
Because his mother was always picking at
| Then Judge Lord. who had been visibly grow
| 1bg Indignant, arose. cit is shocking TO con-
| template the state OF morals in this great com
monwealth that is here to be observed Has it
come to this? am here to administer the law
| as 1t stands. The law says that de5ertion for
three three years Is cause for divorce: But see
woman agree to get married. They feel that
they'll live together so long as they find 1t mu-
by sort Of tact understandns thew can 'g IV
separate and then one or the other at the end OF
three years brings in libel for divorce for de-
The degree is granted, and then they are at lib
erty TO go on and do the same thing over and
over again. say 1t Is terrible to Contemplate
such state OF morals In this commonwealth.
A dark-eyed brunette stepped to the stand,
and wanted divorce because she had been
ha: sh language to her. With the brunette were
an aunt and f1ne-looking young man from
Boston. The young wife wore fashionably-
made garment. and over her wedding ring was
another in the setting OF which diamond
gilstened. Her Jaunty hat was draped with
long black ostrich feather She looked plead
long, Shad0Wy eye-lasheS. But after listening
to her story Judge Lord again arose.
g. must say that it is terrible to contemplate
such state OF society. Why" and here he
turned to the lawyers who were in the bar
why, out OF all the large number OF divorce
cases before me recently, t.ere were only two
MOI hot nnn
this show that young people are entering into
this solemn contract with the most trivial ideas
OF its importance, and with the feeling that
they can be freed from the bonds whenever
they like? / am not responsible for the laws as
they stand: ca only administer them. But
sh w n say m 50 Ia as can prevent IT, they
OF such state OF morals"
The supreme court was in session 10 days. In
that time there were heard two civil causes,
and one Of these was the simple proving of q
viii. The entire time OF the court, with the ex-
ception OF that part OF 1t devoted to these two
cases, was taken up in the hearing of divorce
suits There were 30 of these in ALL Two of
them were based upon clearly proved adultery:
the others were those OF this bevy OF young
girls who filed up to the courthouse, and sat
LII rows like school girls on the witnesses seats.
There Is probably no part OF the United
States In which there are fewer foreigners than
Oh Cape Cod. The people who live here are the
deseehdentS OF the first settlers. The cape Is
full OF traditions and the orthodox church has
always had strong fOOthOld here Yet there
the cape than IN any similarly populat area
| In the country. Young men and young women
| are to be found in every town who have been
man and Vile, but are so no longer.
| The clerk of the supreme court says that the
| girls On CAPE Cod ale married very young and
| member OF the bar adds: g Young, Or not at
| all" At this term there were three fllbels as
| divorce cases are termed here, on Inc docket
| with similar names-Percval agt. Percival 1t
was all in the falnily-the father and his Wife,
| ard the son OF these two against his wife. The
| mother decree
| father, who is a peddler, very honorable avo-
cation on the cape, managed his own case in
| court. He cross examined his wife, his son
and daughter, and shouted SO loud In doing it
that the keeper OF the jail, who was out in the
| fields with two cOnvicts at work, went under
the window OF the courtroom to hear what
was going On, wheyeupon one OF the convicts,
| Zach9us POcknet, q descendant of the Indians
| whom the Pilgrims found on the cape, ceased
| his hCeing and smoked @ SLealthy pipe. Percival
| gave his own testimony On the witness stand,
saying that his wife'S father drove him out OF
the house with currycomb. and then, going
inside OF the bar, asked Judge Lord whether
he should address the court or the audience In
his plea. "You may do as you choose. / don't
think the audience win have much voice In
your own case you have done yourself 1njus
tice, and In managing it, every step you have
taken has been bad one. But you had the
| right. Go on"
"Well, then, judge" Percival shouted, "Iet
her have the divorce, and I'm ready to support
|
Percival married her to prevent an action for
bastardy, and as soon as the ceremony was over
left her, and has refused to live with her ever
| since.
land yet you ask for divorce. I shall grant
none. II young man and women marry, no
matter II the girl is In disgrace, and either OF
them say S before the ceremony to the other, q
shan't live with you,' and still the ceremony is
performed, shant construe the refusal to live
together afterward as deserJiOn. II q young
woman is willing to bind herself to a man for
lie 10 save herself from disgrace when he an
nounces that he will never live with her, she
must abide by the consequences"
Since the law making the dessertion for three
| years good cause for divorce has been passed
applications for DEGREES have more than doubled
In some parts OF Massachusetts, especially In the
| rural districts.
sW"It is for you to say" said Judge Butler of
the U. s.. district court to Philadelphia jury,
''whether man who plays poker for money can
have good character"
~Sexton Davis, who was conspicuous In the
Adventists sacrifice case, at PocaSSet is said to
have become almost POsit1vist In religion since
| the tragedy.