Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1889-08-09

The Flack Divorce.

IL tDe luNcSttRdttoU VI thc "'Ne''
fraudulent divorce Of Sheriff Flack, OF
New York, will stir up general public
selling on the subject of divorces, 1t VIII
be good thing. II, however, II un-
covers only the villainy of a New York
ofSicial and reveals the fact OF his adul-
ferrous associations, the investigation will
produce little benefit TO the public at
large. Such instances Of marital inf
deljty are not rare i'm city like New
York, and among officials in the city
government they are by no means un-
common. The bigamist ought to be
punished i'm this instance, II he Is
guilty, but If the investigation goes no
further than this one case II Is doubtful
II the washing of the dirty linen of the
Flack family will I'm the end prove gem
orally beneficial.
There is no more fruitful field for in
vestigation anywhere than the divorce
courts. There is nowhere so much per-
jury and fraud and evasion of the plain
meaning of the law as are found In the
divorce records. We make no particular
charge against the integrity of our
lawyers or Judges. but II is altogether
likely that in many cases in our own
courts If there he no conscious fraud
committed, the lawyers and Judges nrc
wofully imposed on by either husband
or wife, or both, who are anxious To lie
freed from the chains ofmatrimony. n
divorce that is secured by connivance or
collusion on the part of the married pair
IL illegal. How easy it Is for the
husband to go away for awhile
and the suit for divorce he brought by
the wife ON the charge of desertion. The
testimony is taken by an examiner who
has no interest In the matter save his
fee. A sister or brother or good friend
Of the libellant is readily on hand to hell
it along by testifying that Mr. Blanl
has not been seen about the place, that hi
present whereabouts are unknown, ant
that he does support his wife. TIN
testimony is read in n low tone of voic,
to the judges who in many instances d'
not listen. The court crier marks th'
proclamation in a mumbling voice ont
the welded pair are twain. The worl,
may hear of il through the enterprise
ofa newspaper reporter and II may not
We venture to say that one-half of th'
divorces that are granted in Lancaster
county are secured through the. .collusior
Of the parties or the perjury of wit
nesses. II may be asked how this de
plorabie condition Of affairs can bt
remedied. 1t IL a difficult thing to gel
ut and is perhaps II defect in our man
ner of granting divorces. II the eX
aminers who take the testimony woulC
be empowered to scrutinize the caus,
for divorce more closely, inquire int,
the antecedents of the parties, take ju
dicial notice of the credibility of tn,
witnesses who are always particula
friends or relatives Of the libellant II
fact II he would be clothed with some
thing Of the powers of master, IN
stead Of being merely reporter to tax
the testimony which the court listenin
does not hear-then divorces would nc
be 30 frequent. But more than all thi
Is the secrecy Of the matter. Create
publicity, throwing out into the brigh
light ofthe public gaze the fact that iher
is an application for divorce, the cause
and tine witnesses without the demoral
izing details this, while il might OF
fend the fastidious taste of somt
would go great way towards lesser
ing this hideous evil. II any on
wishes to find a mass of fraud, perjur
and rottenness let him look into tn
files Of the divorce records.