Evening journal., 1896-11-24
MURPHEY'S DIVORCE.
Tells the Court How He
Prayed for Deliverance.
BUT HE MUST PAY ALIMOEY

BUT HE MUST PAY ALIMOEY
WHEN IN FINANCIAL STRAITS
HIS PRAYER WAS ANSWERED
AND TWO ENGLIsHMEN MADE
HIM A CASH OFFER FOR HIS
SlS,55O FARM
MY wife had deserted me. l was left
~ care Tor myself, business reverses
were upon me, | was compelled to do
ny own housekeeping and milk my
oNH COW. In this condition / prayed
my heavenly Father for deliverance." "
Thus spake rather handsome and
Well-dressed old man from the law
yer's table. in Superior Court. yester-
day afternoon. The court addressed
MIN as Mr.. Murphey."
David j. Murphey, of Newark. ap-
peared in his own behalf and made
application for new order of the
court IN his divorce proceedings. Mr.. |
Murphey seems to be aggressive i'm |
trying for divorce from his wife
VINO, he claims, is not satisfied with
ms style of living and he has applied /
at number of terms of court and I
cialnls such unfair treatment" at the 1
hanus OF lawyers that he holds the 1
rlsht 10 appear in Superior Court in /
person and fight it out
Wnen he applied before a rule was /
made that he deposit 5000 for his |
WiIes counsel fees and costs. and pay
30 a week alimony pending progress. of /
the suit. He having discontinued the /
application for divorce. prayed the
court to eliminate the order for s5 a
week alimOny which Is now charged
up against him since the tling of his
suit He presented a letter from his
wiies brother, George l.. Crawford. a
prominent member of the Philadel-
phia bar, agreeing TO accept $500 and
release him from all further claim for
maintenance. The $500, he declared.
had been paid to William G. Spruance.
counsel for Mrs. Murphey.
AT this juncture of the application
the court interrupted Mr.. Murphey
and demanded that he be silent. as
the records of Superior Court in his
case showed that he had been repre-
sented by counsel-William s. Prickett
who had never withdrawn from the
case The court could not hear both
counsel and client, and he could not
be heard.
kIUIHuI
that he had been unable to proceed be-
cause Mr.. Murphey had never de-
posted the 5000 counsel fees and IS a
week alimony, and had treated him
discourteously as his counsel. He
therefore, could have nothing to do
with it.
Mr.. Murphey begged the court to
hear him out and allow him to state
his reasons which were, in his iudg-
ment, conclusive. he said that as a
citizen OF the state he was being so
harassed and dragged down by q bur-
len that he must necessarily be con-
signed to the almshouse
A MANIA FOR DIVORCES.
William c. Spruance, counsel for
Mrs Murphey, had arrived in court
BY this time, and stated that this man
has a mania for making di-
7orce applications. For several terms
and at sessions of the Legislature he
had made aggressive fights for legal
In order to protect his estimable
wife from these follies of his later
lays, application was made for the
order OF court now hanging over"
lim, and this has brought his divorce
activity down into a walk.
AS to the $500 alleged to have been
paid counsel for defence las a full
settlement of all CLAIMS of the wife"
L was simply paid to obtain Mrs. Muir
)heys signature in the sale of their
home farm, near Newark. This trans
lction was made through Mrs Muir
lhey's brother, Lawyer Walker. Of
Here the court interposed this re-
hinder:
But, gentlemen-Mr. Murphey.
iont you know that a wife can make
no such release? Such a thing is alb
iurd. Mr. Murphey, she is your wife"
NO DESIRE TO DISTRESS HIM.
But aside from that" said Mr.
'pruance, there is no attempt on our
lart to distress this man. We have
lever claimed one cent of alimony nor I
We do expect to, but simply hold {
his order of court to protect tnis esti- ,
nable woman, who is a victim of a {
mans craze for divorce" /
HOW DELIVERANCE CAME.
Mr.. Murphey begged leave of the :
ourt to show a letter from his wife's Z
lrother, the Philadelphia lawyer,
lgreeing to release him from any ali ;
AAOAAaf Nhola Va AAA AAAAA nltMaiE UPON
payment of the $500 to Mr.. Spruance y
or his wife,
when ! prayed to my Heavenly !
Father for deliverance," said he. Il \
hink within two hours carriage I
containing two Englishmen drove up 4
% the house and made me a cash offer
,or my home farm, a place that cost Z
ne S18,550
Il Immediately sat down and wrote i,
o my wife TO sign our deed to these :
nen. Debts were pressing. farming {
vas continually deteriorating, and this T
seemed to me like a God-send / told :.
NY wife in the letter that if she did T.
lot sign our deed it would be a dellb- =
rate violation of the marriage vow. N
aiken before God and the church and u
ur fellowmen. Then Lawyer Walker a
'Hered a release of every claim, per- N
onal and collateral. for $500 cash. as \,
ms ms letter shows, which / paid over to v
lr Spruance" n
ne court informed Mr. Walker that
could not hear him longer and ruled
nat the old order should hold good