The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1881-07-27
The miseries Of Marriage

Yesterday Mrs. Maggie ]. Smith, by hel
attorney b. g. johnson, fled in the office Of
the district clerk. her petition for divorce
from her husband Maxwell Smith. 1t was
on the l4th day of June, 1877, that he mar.
ried her, the marriage ceremony bsirg per-
formed in this city. They lived together for
time as happy rs larks, and continued to
live together until the second week in Nov
ember, 1879, when matters reached crisis.
According to her statement he inflicted
such unfeeling and outrageous maltreatment,
gross and brutal cruelties, as to render her
life burdensome and uncomfortable as his
wife. AT the time of her marriage she was
only II years old, and was living with her
father and mother in Ellis county, who were
kind and loving parents, psssionstely fond of
their beautiful daughter. When Smith
asked her hand in marriage
her Voc parents "set down" on
the project. She knew that her lover was a
minor but at his instance sho eloped with
him without the knowledge or consent of her
parents, and did knowingly and falsely rep
rts'nt to the county clerk of Dallas county,
that her lover was over eighteen years old
and that the marriage license was unlawfully
and fraudulently obtsined of the clerk, by
the authority of which the marriage rite,
were performed, thereby inAictipg a gross
cruelty on her She So that she loved him
most truly, devotedly and clandestnev, and
left her home aud went to the s Charles
hotel in this city, where he engaged rooms.
Within three hours af or her marriage he
came into the room where SIZE hal retired
and began using pr0fane and indecent Ian.
gusge toward her in most insulting manner
The following day no told her that he had
plenty OF money and proposed that they
take an airing in the way of bridal tour |
through the northern states, and they board
ed train bound for Baltimore, Maryland, |
where they arrived in due time and pat up !
at a hotel. While soiourning In that city, |
about eight days after their marriage, while
she was lying in bed feeling i'll, no arose and
d shed lot OF filthy water on her and ia ked
her out of bed. However they continued
their trip on TO Philadelphia and took rooms
AT the Commercial hotel, where they lin
gered for about two weeks. 1t was here that
he charged her with being unfaithful aud he
threatened to desert hor ard he did, leaving
thirty dollar board bill behind him, telling
tho proprietor that he had left her money to
a week or SO that he had gone to Camden,
New jersey, end she followed him. He took |
her to the Parsons hotel in that place, and |
after remaining with her about one week he
deserted her again, going to his relatives in
Queenstown, Pennsylvania. On learning of
how she had been treated, brother of her
husband sent her money with which che paid
her board, redeemed her trunk and para.
phernalia from the irstc landlord. She the,
went 70 Millertown, Pennsylvania, and threw
herself upon the charity of cousin OF her
husband. who came along again, took her to
a hotel and remained with her until another
board bill Of fifty dollars had accrued, when
no lit out. They came together again. He
beat her and she clung the closer TO him.
They came 10 Waco, Texas. He deserted
her there and came to Dallas. She followed
him. He showed her wedding ring and
deserted her sgain and she has not heard
from him since. Hence her petition for di
vorce.