Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-04-26
WIVES IN THE CITY.
LITTLE REDRESS FOR WOMEN DE-
SERTED BY THEIR HUSBANDS.

OK ED by tf6lh nOOOS>CO'
Marital Troubles Brought to Light in the
Police Courts of New York City-Choice
Between Pauperism and Starvation
Delinquent Husbands.
Men tired of their wives occupy more than
affair share of the time and attention Of the
police magistrates The law gives very lit
tie redress to women deserted by their huS-
bands Before magistrate can interfere at
all in behalf of the woman she Is obliged TO
apply to the commissioners of charities and
correction for a requisitiOn to the magistrate
in the district in which she resides. This
requisition empowers, or rather orders, the
magistrate to issue a warrant for the arrest
of the delinquent husband. Before obtaining
this order on the magistrate the applicant Is
obliged to swear that she is without means OF
support, and that she viii be obliged TO call
on the city to support her if her husband is
not compelled to provide for her. II she asks
for any Of the luxuries Of life she viii not
get them, because, having secured the arrest
of her husband she merely occupies the posi-
ton of witness in the police court. She has
sworn that she will have to be supported by
the city if the city does not compel her hus.
/ band to provide for her; therefore the city
takes charge of the unfortunate woman's
affairs, and takes the husband into custody
merely 10 protect itself from having another
pauper to support.
FIVE DOLLARS PER WEEK
This being the case, the woman IS rarely
! allowed more than s. per week by the mag.
str 70 tIa -
two or three children If she has no chill
| dren and can do work, or has children who
are able to work, and who turn any of their
earnings over to her, these facts are taken
into consideration and the amount the hus.
| band is ordered to pay her is correspondingly
| lessened
| The husband may have made the wife's
life so miserable that she cannot live with
him. He boldly announces, however: 81
never refused to live with her. She left me-
am willing to take her home with me now
and support her."
! How is thisl Is he telling the TRUTH
I the magistrate inquiries.
Il could not live with him He abused
me, called me all manner Of vile names and
said he wished I would leave him. the
woman answers.
Although the magistrate may believe
every word the woman says he is powerless
to do anything but tell her to go home
/ with the husband, and, if he abuses her, tc
come back and have him arrested for disor-
1 derby conduct or assault. If the woman re.
! fuses the justice has no alternative but tc
dismiss the case and let the woman starve OF
become pauper, supported by the city
/ Many of these applicants for support have
not been actually abandoned, but have been
! doing more than their share toward main.
tanning the household, while the DELINQUENT
husband has been turning a mere pittance OF
his earnings into the house, drinking up the
remainder and abusing his family every time
! he got drunk.
''If you would only give him talking to
and make him promise TO do better, Judge.
the wife says. Don't lock him I'D. The
little money get from him is better than
none, and if he is locked up he can't earn
anything"
LECTURING THE DELINQUENT
The magistrate thus appealed to delivers a
lecture to the delinquent and dismisses him
with the threat of prompt imprisonment il
he does not treat his family better. The jus.
tice, however, rarely believes that this WI
have any lasting effect, and it very rare
does. In most instances the man is r IN
firmly convinced than ever that his fairly
are unable to get along without him, and ne
feels sure that his abb ID wife will not dare
to appeal again to the court through fear
that her little income viii be still further de
creased by his imprisonment. Accordingly,
he usually acts worse than before. If he
continues to give some little support to his
family his wife bears his abuse as best she
can.
Sometimes such men become so reckless
that they cease to be of the slightest benefit
to their families and are locked up. The law
Is next to powerlesS with men whose income
will allow them to live apart from their wives.
II such men choose to contribute to the sup
port OF their wives they may abandon them
at will and a police magistrate can do moth
ing TO aid the deserted wife. Many wives
are unable to swear truthfully that they are
liable to become paupers. Many others Will
not submit to the humiliation of swearing Sc
even if it is true.
Many refined, well educated women submit
TO all the Illuminating preliminaries to secur-
ing the abandonment warrants, because OF
their just Indignation at being abandoned for
women whose physical charms are superior
! to their own Such applicants are surprised
to learn that the law is not framed to punish
such ofenses, but merely to prevent an in.
crease of the number of paupers. The de
linquent Is merely called upon to give bonds
to give his wife certain amount each week
Rare indeed do such men face their il jured
wives, even once week. Some place has to
/ be provided for the receipt and delivery OF
the weekly stipend. This has led the sergeants
of the various police courts to assume duty,
which has OF late grown to such proportions
that it has become decidedly onerous. Ser
seants of the police courts have more than
fifty men on their lists who are thus handing
in their weekly installments. These are passed
over to the deserted wives, and receipts taken
In many of the buster courts this list will i'll
clude from 100 to $50 nameS.-New York
Evening Sun
The Chinaman's Moral Ledger.