Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-04-10
sREAKING The BONDS.
TWO DIVORCE CASES OF MORE THAN UsUA
INTEREST AT NASHVILLE.


NASHVILLE, April 9.-The World pub
fishes the following: On September OH last,
Mrs Msry E. Reed filed bill in the Circuit
Court asking for divorce from her husband,
Scott Read, alleging therein az a ground for
divorce that only knowing Mr.. Read for
some four weeks previous to their marriage
she took the word of one McDearmon, lady
friend Of hers, for 1t that he was all right,
and upon the strength of this assurance con.
scented to be his wife; that Mr.. Read was
sick at the time Of their marriage, and the
Petitioner Mrs. Rsad) sat up with him all
night and early on the next morning wss
informed that the man whom she had lust
welded was the son of full. blooded negro
by his fathers side, and a bright mulatto by
his mothers side. Without alleging that
from tn i hour she had nothing more to do
with him, she ssys that had she known this
fact prior 10 her msrrisge, nothing could
have induced her TO become his wife. The
bill then shows that according to the
laws of 1882, section 1, chapter 10,
and section 2437 of the Code, a marriage
cannot be contracted between a white per-
son and a negro or mulatto or persons of
mixed race, and that such a marriage is void
for want Of constitutional authority. On
January 9ih, last, the defendant filed his
answer admitting his msrrisge with the
complainant, but added: This defendant
most emphaticslly denies that he ia ofmixed
blood and the descendant Of the negro race.
aud it is wholly untrue that defend ants
father and mother were colored people. That
on the contrary, defend. t's parents were
white people of good blood and lived and
died In this county" He also denied every
allegation IN his wife's complaint. except
that they were married. Mrs. Read. for
some reason, has Tot been able to prove her
case. and the MISTER dragged along until
yesterday, when Judge Reid dismissed the
case for want of prosecution. A World re-
porter saw Mr.. Read yesterday, and he GER
tainly does not have any Indication Whatever
OF having negro blood IN his veins, .nd il Is
simply impossible-iudgirg from his looks-
for his father to have been full-blooded
negro. II, as the fscts seem 10 show, the
allegation that Mr.. Read was person OF
mixed race and his father and mother COL
ored people is untrue, the filing of this bill
was one OF the most heartless, vicious and
slanderous prosecutions that ever entered the
heart Of woman, or was planned by her in
genious wits for Riding herself Of an un-
congo1ial yoke-fellow.
Another instance Of an utter disregard for
rybody's feelings but his own was shown
in the case Of a nan who was granted d.
vorce from bis wife by Judge Reid last
Wednesday. The ink was scarcely dry on
the judgment roll where his freedom from
the chains OF matrimony was recorded, when
be procured license to marry another woman
in this city, and within siI hours after the
j judgment was reached q o'clock pm this
fearless swain was married rs o'clock PM
again. As a World scribe Was copying the
docket in the G cult Court Yesterday after
noon, a young man put his head in the door
and asked If Mrs. - had been granted
divorce that de- >. The deputy CLERK replied
in the affirmative, whereupon the gentleman
smacked his lips and sid, "Tbat iniorma.
ton is worth $1,000 to me-" The lady re-
ierred 10 il very pretty, petite and attractive,
and Mr.. Hudson seemed TO have little doubt
from his past experience with liiigants Of
this sort that there was wedding On the
taps