The Portland daily press., 1892-02-22
YOUNG MRS. BLAINE FREE.
and Opinion of the Court in the
Divorce Suit.

DEADwooD, S. D., February 20.-The
decision in the Blaine divorce case was
handed down today. In reciting the
grounds on which the divorce suit was
brought, the judge said "The couple
were extremely young and the match
was ill-advised. The testimony shows
that the first two years of their married
life was all that could be wished. The
cause of their separation was the I'M
friendliness of the family, especially the
elder Mrs. Blaine 1t seems the family,
becoming reconciled to the marriage, in
vited the couple to visit them at Augusta.
So far as MI Blaine, the elder, was con-
cerned, the plaintiff was properly treated,
but Mrs. Blaine, ST., did all in her power
to make the life of the plaintiff unhappy.
She had evidently concluded it best to
separate them and laid shrewd plan to
surround them with difficulties which
would result in apparent desertion on the
part of the plaintiff. In other words, she
treated the plaintiff SO cruelty as to cause
her to be so unhappy that she would
leave the family home so it would seem
that the wife deserted her husband.
Young Blaine's conduct, under all cir
cumstances, was very reprehensible. He
does not seem to be made of the stern
stuff we might have expected, coming
from the family he does. As soon as he
got under the domination of his mother,
he seemed to become estranged from his
wife. He treated her with neglect and
inattention. The evidence SHOWS his de-
sertion was the result Of the Vaccinations
of his mother and his treatment OF the
plaintiff was reprehensible and bad in
every respect.
The Judge describes the wife's sickness
and young Blaine's disregard for her con-
dition and says: s'It is hard for the court
to find language to describe its feeling
against a young man who could act this
way. The evidence shows that the con-
duct of the plaintiff was that of a loving
wife at all times. Her appeals to him
showed her to be pure and noble wo-
man. That man must have been given
over to hardness of heart to have resisted
such appeals from the mother of his
child. All the testimony shows that the
plaintiff did everything within her power
Incumbent on a good wife to do, to make
her husband return to her who seemed
to have been estranged from her by his
mother. ] conclude from the testimony
that the plaintiff has not only been ruth
lessly deserted without justifiable cause,
but that tie defendant has refused abso-
lutely to provide, for more than Two
years, any of the necessities OF comforts
Of life.''
The following letter was made a part
of The courts remarks:
NEW YORK, Sept. s, 1888.
Dear James = Indeed l am so wretched
without you that can bear it no longer. For
the sake of our child and the one to come,
will 60 to whatever home you provide even
under your parents roof. Iwant to do what is
right for rs both, and on receipt of this letter
if you say Come" will come. Think of all the
future Of our child if we live apart T you
could only see the bright little fellow! He has
grown so cunning. Do write me at once. I
Shall watch every mail. We 60 to New York
Hotel tomorrow Always affectionately,
MARY.
The plaintiff is granted a divorce from
James G. Blaine, Jr., and the child,
James G.. Blaine, third, is given to her
care. 1t is further ordered that the de-
fendant pay the plaintiff $1,000, 5000 suit
money and $400 attorney fees, and 500 a
month for support of herself and child.