, 1888-06-27
ODD SET OF o


bookkeeping for Deserted Wives-MEri-
tai Troubles in New York City.
To be q sergeant IN q police court In
wolves a peculiar and somewhat burden
some duty, that Of acting as banker for
the receipt and disbursement of the
weekly stipends paid by husbands to de-
serted wives. A sergeant is fortunate If
he has not above thirty such bookkeeping
accounts on his list, and In a busy court
the number may run up to $50 or 175.
The obligation of the husband to support
his wife ssume o not romantic aspect in
a police court. The obligation is not to
the woman as her desert for services rem.
dered or for affections sake. but to the
city, that 1t may not have q pauper on its
hands. This attitude of self defense of
the community as against the husband
colors the proceedings which a woman
must go through before she can compel
her husband to provide for her. The first
step involved is q visit to the commission
ers of charities and correction and an ap-
plication for a requisition 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 tho increase of paupers and not to
punish the man, the wife is called upon
to swear on the face of the warrant that
she viii be q charge on the public unless
her husband supports her. hat Is all
she nas to do with the matter as n prin.
cipaL In the police court 1t is the city
against the husband, with the wife merely
as witness. She is called upon to testify
a second time that she is In the position
of a pauper and that the city will have to
support her II her husband does not.
Under such circumstances the amount
awarded the woman Is seldom largo, the
object being simply to keep her out of the
poor house. The weekly sum which the
husband is put under bonds to pay her
varies according to 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 a week
or SO Is as high as 1t often gets, and
sometimes it is not above S2.60 or So
Women who brace themselves for weeks
to submit to the Notifying 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 q woman and made
her life IN almost i~nsupportable burden
to her. but asserts that he has not aban
doned her. that he will go homo with her
and live with her, then that woman Is not
In danger of becoming a pauper, and the
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 II he beats her. The woman often
will not venture to appeal to the our
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. Amnn who has
a decent income has his wife even more In
his power. She imagines she can secure
his punishment for deserving her for a
prettier face han her OWL. She tries.
She opens her eyes when she finds the
abandonment warrants open the door to
30 many dollars q week only. If 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 flame. It 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. pay and takes the ro-
ceipts. 1t is getting to be quite a bust
ness in It's way.