The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-02-14
DIVORCE, BUT NO ALIMONY.
cu1CAGo,s RAPID FIRING COURTS
NOT JUST AZ REPR ia ENTED.

Not = Bakers Dozen OF Aalu0tcnteo cases
at Present where Aiinonv IL Paid 60
the Court Cierk-v.-ied E~etons witch
an One,ai Gets Out OF s<os n Mo.th.
Poor Chicaeo! Ono by one her Rlorlcs are fad
ing. According TO the latest news that has
blorn 10 from the Windy City. the automatic.
,spid firing divorce court which has been such
an advertising feature Of Chicago. isn't all that
I, has been represented to be. Chicago may be
the promised land toward which restless wives
turn longing footsteps. but according to tho lat
a., showing 1t isn't n land flowing with alimony.
At the present time. according to the Chicago
Ctrnricls, there isn't q bakers dozen of adjudi-
,ntcd cases where alimony passes through tho
bnqds ot the clerx OF the courts. According to
a law rassed n dozen years ago, every bill for
divorce fled has had n plea for alimony at
tech-i. In most cases some provision has been
made for the support Of the wife. The fact,
therefore. that there are only twelve cases now
on the Judgment docket providing for tho pay
men, Of alimony nlls the Chicago Investigator
with such a feeling OF righteous wrath that he
Immediately begins to write in words Of four
s,llaLles. Just as II he lived In Boston. But no
m!nr'r, his Chicago love OF figures with his
touch Of sentiment. and announces that S405
coyer, tho entire monthly alimony handled by
the clerks deputy, MIR. Bradley.
MIR. Bradley. according to the Investigator. 10
nothing II not arithmetical. He has made .
calculation concerning the business. and he
,,rikes a mean average of amusement and
trouble from the result. About $3.50 worth Of
the allmony affords him amusement. 500
worth demands his sympathy. and S65 gives
him trouble unrelieved by amusement Tho
process by which these three ingredients arc
extracted Is the official side of the alimony
business. Here is a case In which. according 70
~ A. n-- go
some OF his $3.50 worth OF amusement
Enter u Divorce whose heart has not been
badly sprung by the decree, but who, neverthe-
less. has a ~yearning to get q Arm grip on her
former husbands money. She strides into tho
clerks office with her nose In the air and wrath
fully demands to know tho reason why her
silnony Is not paid forthwith. Mr.. Bradley
unctuously remarks that this 10 so because the
defendant has no; brought IL In to him. and
therefore he cannot turn IL over. There 10 one
plaintiff in Judgment with alimony attached
WHO makes almost monthly p~ilgrimAges and sho
always ha, n session with Mr.. Bradley.
why is II that my money is not herel' sbe
demand, attracting the attention OF the whole
.ilce with her strident tones never car get
Mr.. bradley bends humbly before her,
srrs q hs hands out over an ample vest front.
with a vide ding and with the palm. do wn and
makes reply something after this fashion:
MY DEAR Mis- I'll Permit me to suggest
Letting agency. I'VE only receive the trust
funds and pay them out to the proper persons.
run down the defaui,ing defendants. and hence
It happens at times that when the fair plaintiffs
gall there is no money In the ofiec Tor them.
We. OF course, would like to collect the money.
but the court won let U.s.
WHY; the Judge said l could get 1t hero.
and so die M lawyer
"'Ehr bs IN from ma To CritlCisA tho W0rda Of
counsel. but In spite Of the pain Il Etves me tn
this extent. When the money 10 here you can
get II, but when u Is not how can YOU You
hand aud a partial closing of the eyes.
NO: don't. How an l TO get action on tina,
Get somebody to go into court and take q
rule to have your husband show cause why he
should not be attached for contempt
Twill that get the money
Madam with a low bow and right hand
should Se, 1T will. II not, 1t will got the mar
Well, of goes madam and gets q lawyer to
make the motion, the money Is FORTHCOMING,
Who m.do The nm motion visits Mt. Bradley and
want. 10 know where he Is to get his fee. Here
h /. T 4 sci soiis stasI' i.w sss. ~ Fee. :s' sas n l.nsn th 70,
snd Mr., Bradley SMILES blAndly. but that is all
makes up the sum OF the amusement the clerk
extracts from the alimony business"
The 500 worth OF sympathy comes with the
cases OF poor women who arc In actual need OF
the al!mouy which the recreant husbands neg
lect 10 pay. The sos worth OF trouble 10 the
effort the deputy makes to get these men into
court and make them feel that q Judgment for
siimony is not a thing to be trifed with.
There Is one peculiar case among the twelve
which are on the Chicago docket II 10 Dawson
vs. Dawson and 10 fifteen years old. The wife
received All order Tor $3.50 = month as alImony,
an amount which the husband regularly and
promptly paid. The wife. however, refused 70
take II because she had TO sign q receipt for Il
she said she wanted her husbands money, no,
the courts. She couldn't DO prevailed on Ia
take IL under those condltions. and IL accu-
mulAted until there was about 81 1000 "a
her credit. Then Mr.. Bradley succeeded In in.
ducing her TO sign n receipt but after that she
again refused. Her mind had become affected,
so she was placed In n sanitarium. and the bills
Tor her maintenance were sent to the court and
paid out OF a balance which her husband keep.
always on hand for the purpose.
This Is the Oldest Of the twelve cases. OF the
others. one Il twelve years old. the rest are ell
under -FOUR years. Any one less optimistic than
the Chicago Investigator might see In thess
!acls an indication OF another moral than the
one he seeks to point. II has been observ red thai
There Is only ore thing worse for the memory
thah the passage through . divorce court THAI
thlng 10 tn be married after being divorced. It.,
good memory that doesn't forget to pay ali
nony under those circumstance
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