Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1888-06-27
ODD SET OF BOOKS.


bookkeeping for Deserted wives-Mari-
tai Troubles In New York City.
To be a sergeant in police court in
wolves u peculiar and somewhat burden
some duty, that of acting as banker for
the receipt aud disbursement of ths
weekly stipends paid by husbands to de
serted wives A sergeant is fortunate II
he has not above thirty such bookkeeping
accounts on his list. and in busy court
the number may run Up TO l50 or IT'S
The obligation Of the husband to support
his wife assumes not romantic aspect In
a police court The obligation is not to
the woman as her desfrt for services rem
dered or for affection's sake. but to the
city, that II may not have a pauper on its
hands This attitude Of self defense of
the community as against the husband
colors the proceedings which q woman
must go through before she can compel
her husband to provide for her. The first
step involved Is a visit to the commission.
ers of charities and correction and an ap-
plication for reqaisition from them on
the police justice in her district requiring
him to issue an abandonment warrant for
the arrest of the delinquent husband
The law being framed directly to pre-,
vent the increase Of paupers and not to
punish the man. the wife Is called upon
TO swear on the face of the warrant that
she will be e charge on the public unless
her husband supports her. That Is all
she has to do with the matter as a prin
cipal In the polics court 1t Is the city
against the husband. with the wife merely
as witness She is called upon to testify
q second time that she Is In the position
of q pauper and that the city viii have to
support her If her husband does not
Under such circumstance the amount
awarded the woman is seldom large, the
object being simply to keep her out Of tho
poor house The weekly sum which the
husband is put under bonds to pay her
varies according 10 his wages, but more
closely according to the ages of her chill
dren. whether they can work and help
support her or whether she can get work
and support herself Four dollars q week
or Sc is as high as it often gets. and
sometimes it is not above $3.50 or s.
Women who brace themselves for weeks
70 submit to the moruying ordeal OF
swearing out such Warrants against their
husbands are sometimes surprised TO
learn the exact basis of the law
IL a man has beaten woman and made
her life an almost insupportable burden
TO her. but asserts that he has not aban
doned her. that he viii go home with her
and live with her. then that woman Is not
In danger of becoming pauper. and tho
police justice. though he may feel the ut
most compassion for her, can only tell her
to go home with him. and have him up for
assault if he beats her The woman often
will not venture to appeal to the court
again, for an assault complaint. she hav
ing learned that any other is useless. will
mean her husbands Imprisonment and
stoppage of the family income. The man
very naturally comes to the conclusion
that whatever he does his wife will have
TO put up with it. and acts for the future
very much as he pleases Aman who has
a decent income has his wife even more In
his power She imagines she can secure
his punishment for deserting her for a
prettier face than her own She tries
She opens her eyes when she finds the
abandonment warrants open the door to
so many dollars a week only. II he can
support two women that is his business.
not the courts He gives bonds to secure
her bread, with not too much butter, and
goes back to his newer fame 1t is
couples of this sort largely for whom the
police sergeant is banker They don't
care to meet personally. and the court
official collects. pays and takes the re
ceipts 1t is getting to be q"ite bust
ness in its way