The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-05-26
from the pententiary, whittier he should
have been sent for his perjury and general

law of the state providing that cases may be
reopened within three years of the date of
decree. This is supposed 20 give absent de-
PENDANTS chance to correct the injustice Of
ex parte proceedings, but the provision is one
of doubtful public policy. Serious complica-
tions sometimes arise from the reopening OF
cases, DEGREES being annulled after the petit
toner has married again. Could you imagine
anything more unpleasant than state OF
affairs like that! 1t is not absolutely safe to
remarry after a Chicago divorce till three
years have passed. but in vast majority of
cases one or the other of the emancipated
parties is welded again in three months. In
fact, that is what a great many of the petit
TONERS want divorce for. A few months
ago the newspapers announced that after
hearing a certain case the Judge had granted
decree. That was on Sunday. On Monday
the wife .who'supposed she had been divorced
married another man, Tuesday started on
her wedding tour, and on Wednesday was
called back by q telegram announcing that
the newspaper was mistaken, that no decree
had been granted and that none was likely
Usually five or six months are required to
get a divorce case through the Chicago
courts, though Of course they are often put
through in much less time. Some pass in
few weeks, and now and then one is ratified
through in twenty-four hours. There is
divorce lawyer in this city who boasts of
getting a decree in ten minutes after filing
his suit. 1t is not necessary to say that the
professional divorce lawyer is a pestiferous
nuisance, ranking with that other social rep
tile, the private detective. Chicago divorce
lawyers used to advertise all over the coun-
try and guarantee to get DEGREES for clients,
no matter how distant their residence or how
Aimsy their evidence. The legislature has
made it u penitentiary offense TO advertise
for divorce clients in this state, but the law
is evaded by Offering to mail copy of the
divorce laws for postage stamp. Hundreds
of letters are received in this city every day
from persons who want to know if they can
get a divorce without coming here in person,
and some ignoramuses even go SO far as to
send along history of their case, with their
marriage certificates, asking that q decree
Of separation be sent them by return mail
Not infrequently a postscript like this is
added: "Please attend to this without delay,
for am engaged to be married on the - day
of next month, aid you can see that l have
no time to lose.n
A Chicago divorceacourt In operation is an
interesting study. There is usually great
crowd present. In nine cases out of ten the
complaining woman appears in court gayly
dressed, no matter if her charge against her
spouse is failure to provide for her wants
The unfortunates are often voluble, and
they are prone to unloose the walls of their
leo 20, l>,,,,. Iii. L..
dren into court, instinctively believing that
the presence Of the little ones will gain them
sympathy. Sometimes the court room looks
like foundlings home. Most of the Chicago
judges are literal in their queries and insist
upon literal answers. They want spade
called a spade. Contested cases are some
times fought with great bitterness, but 95
per cent. ST cases are not contested. The
courts rattle off these default cases with sur
prising rapidity. On recent Saturday
Judge Jameson tried three dozen at the rate
of ten an hour. The fees are So to begin suit
and 81 for writing up evidence. All testi-
mony is taken down in shorthand, and that
in default cases is written out in full in
the records, SO that if the defendant ever
comes around and wants to know on what
grounds decree was entered against him
his curiosity may be satisfied
1t is very difficult to make people under
stand that they cannot get divorce by
agreement. The faintest sign of collision is
sufficient to throw a case out of
court The law does not recognize the right
Of persons to practice a sort of legal free love
in that manner. Even when the defendant
confesses to desertion, cruelty or adultery,
the court usually requires coroborating evil
ience. People also find it very difficult to
understand that mental torture is not cruelty
under the law. A man may so annoy and
torture a woman that she will want to 60 off
and die, but this is not cruelty in law, unless
he direct and natural tendency Of this men
al suffering is to injure her physical health,
,r threaten to do so. The law assumes to
protect the physical only.
Desertion must be voluntary. If hus-
Dand drives a wife out she does not desert
aim; but if he invites her back and seems
1enitent, and promises in apparent good
'aith to treat her better III future, she must
.eturn to him or be guilty in law of deser-
lion. Removal to the next house, or even to
he next tenement, is desertion just as much
IS if the removal were to foreign country
A gain, even though a husband pays for his
wifes support, he is guilty of desertion il he
'efuses to live with her. But the husband
has the aight to choose the home, and where
ne goes his wife must follow, no matter how
much against her will or be guilty Of deser-
ion. These are general interpretations of
he law, applicable to other states as well as
illinois.
There is no limit to the number of times a
| man or woman may be divorced. An at
ache of the district court in this city remem-
,ers woman who was in her day divorced !
Tx times, once as the plaintiff and five times
IS the defendant. She was buxom, hand |
ome artful woman, whose greatest delight |
t seemed to be to charm some poor man into |
and then to torture him into the |
livorce court Five times she succeeded in |
his, but at last caught tartar, who declined
% appeal to the law to protect his good |
lame and honor, as his predecessors had
lone, and instead took his satisfaction in |
hrashings so frequently and vigorously ad- |
ninistered that for once the fair prosecutor |
vas compelled to apply to the courts for re-
ief Instances of the second or third divorce |
ire by no means rare.
The records Of the Chicago divorce courts !
how some interesting figures. Two-thirds |
# the suits are begun by wives. Only one |
,alf of tho SHIFTS result in decraos Desertion |