The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-06-20
ODD SET OF BOOKS.
| Bookkeeping for Deserted Wives-Mari-
tnl Troubles In New York City.

Bookkeeping for Deserted wives-Sfari-
taI Troubles In New York City.
To be q sergeant in police court in
wolves 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 busy court
tho number may run up to 100 or 10
The obligation of the husband to support
his wife assumes a not romantic aspect in
q police court Tho obligation is not to
the woman as her desert for services rem
dered or for affections sake but to the
city, that il may not have Il pcCpor on its
hands This attitude of self defense Of
the community a against the husband
colors the proceedings which woman
must go through before she can compel
her husband to provide for her The first
step involved is a visit 20 the commission
ers OF charities and correction and an ap-
plication for a requisltiOn from them on
She police Justice in her district requiring
him to Issue an Abandonment warrant for
the arrest of the delinquent husband
if INV NiAll- lAat4ib AAlfAA ~ ~ liir
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 n charge OH the public unless
her husband supports her That Is al
she has TO do with the matter as a prin
cipal In the police court it is the city
against the husband. with the wife merely
Is witness She is called upon to testify
n second time that she is in the position
OF pauper and that the city viii have to
support her if her husband does not.
Under such circumstance tho amount
awarded the woman Is seldom large. 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 20 his wages. but more
closely according 10 the ages OF her chill
dron. whether they can work and help
support her or Whether she can get work
and support herself Four dollars n week
or So is as high az it often gets and
sometimes IL is not above $3.50 or So
Women who brace themselves for weeks
TO submit TO the mcrtifyug ordeal of
swearing ont such warrants against their
husbands are sometimes surprised to
learn the exact basis Of the law
If a L.au has beaten q woman and made
Ler life an almost iusupportable burden
% her but asserts tlot be has not 0ban
doncd her that he viii 20 home with her
and live with Lcr, then that woman IS not
H. danger of becoming pauper. and the
police Justice though he may feel the Mt
most compa ion for her. can only tell her
10 20 home with him. and have him up for
assault if he beats her The woman often
viii not venture 20 appeal to the court
again. for ~ assault complaint. she hay
ing learned that any other is useless. viii
mean her husbands imprisonment and
stoppaCe Of the family income. The man
very naturally comes 10 the conclusion
that whatever he does his wife will have
20 put up with it. aud acts for the future
very much as he plcascs Aman who has
q decent income has his wife even more in
his power. She imagines she can secure
his punishment f0r deserving icr for a
pretticr face than her own She tries
She opens her eyes when she finds the
abandonment warrants open the door to
SO many dollars week only II he can
support two women that is his business,
not the courts IL gives bonds to secure
her bread. with not toe much butter. and
goes back to his newer flame 1t is
couples Of this sort largely for whom the
toiicc sergeant Is banker They don
care to meet personally, and the court
official collects, Pays aud takes the re
ceipts 1t is getting to be Cite a busi
moss in its way.