The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-01-29
DESERTED WIVES.
New York Has 1 ), 900 Men I'm
der Bonds
To Support Wives They Have
Abandoned.
TADETI TO MON I'M Tm
TOPEKA is NOT IN 1T
Even PropOrtiOnally In Num-
Der of Deserted Wives.
Five Thousand Cases In New
York Courts In One Year.

New York Jan. 29.-In view of the
fact that Is runaway husbands were
last week caught and placed under
bonds in Essex Market police court to
support their complaining and helpless
wives, an Investigation along this line
of law breaking has revealed a start
ling situation. Statistics show that
there are now in Greater New York
over $4,000 men under legal bonds to do
that duty they solemnly swore to do
when they took to themselves wives to
love and cherish for better or for
worse.
Never a day passes in our police
courts but some sobbing woman, with
features pinched by poverty and want.
generally with a baby in her arms,
pleads with the MAGISTRATE to compel
a head of family. More than 100 such
cases were heard throughout the city
last week and last year nearly 5000 of
the city's army of $4,000 wife deserters
were put under bonds.
The youth of many of those who suf-
fer from this cause is another striking
feature disclosed by the investigation
Twenty per cent of the wives VINO seek
magisterial aid are under the age of 21-
Fifty per cent of the cases occur when
both contracting parties were still in
their teens at the time of the marriage.
In addition to these police court cases
of which record is kept, many deserted
wives, of course, nurse their sorrows in
silence, and the outside world knows
nothing of these marriages which have
proved a failure.
When these wife deserters are
brought to book they invariably plead
hard times as an excuse for devOting
the whole of their scant resources to
their own requirements. It then be
comes the duty of the magistrate to
place the husband under bonds to pay
over for his wife's support a reasonable
sum, probably one-half his earnings.
whatever they may be.
Speaking for the reasons of this con-
ditiOn of things, Magistrate Brann Of
Yorkville court said:
The real cause. I believe, is that
many of the men lead fast life, and
their love for their wives grows cold
when they are attracted by other wo-
men, In many of the cases if 1 at
tempted to put the husband under
bonds he could not give them, and SO
would have to go to prison, and the
wife would suffer more than ever. So.
as far as possible, I try to get them to
adjust matters, and suspend sentence
while the husband gives his wife a
part of his earnings
Magistrate Kuldich of Essex Market
court said:
Men, when they are brought UP on
charges of abandonment, very general
ly attempt something in the way of ex-
tenuation by explaining that they are
out of work. But the lack of founda-
ton for this plea is shown when these
men are put under bonds to pay their
wives SO or 81 week Almost invaria-
bly, they live up to the contract"
Mrs. Elizabeth b Grannis. president
of the National Christian league for the
Promotion of Social Purity, said:
My sympathy is much more with
such unfortunate men than with the
mischievOus scamps in high life. who
desert their wives and boast of it
She declared that while she differed
from Dr. Rainsford, who is an active
member of the league, on some subjects
she wholly agreed with him in his re-
cent warnings. Social purity is her
cure for all this, and she will ask leg
iSlation to promote it.