The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-27
THE GIRL IN THE CASE
1T WAS A BABY THAT CAUSED TROU-
BILE BETWEEN THE HOWEs.
The Husband Also Laid Down Arbi-
trary Rules of Conduct
for His Wife.

A queer story of domestic discord and
Cnhappiness was related in Room q. Super
Tor Court, yesterday, in the divorce proceed
ings brought by Elizabeth Howe against
William A Howe. The latter is a travel
ing man, ard until their separation a few
months ago he and his wife lived for a
time in the north part of the city, Mrs
Howe is thirty-nine years of age, and is a
woman of neat appearance. Her husband
is about the same age. Howe did not ap-
pear yesterday. but was represented by his
attorney
There is girl in the case, but she is very
young. 1t appears that Mrs. Howe's rival
for the affections of her husband was a girl
baby who came into their lives about eight
years ago. In reciting the story of her
wrongs, the plaintiff said she was married
to Howe or Nov. H. 1875. They lived to-
gether happily enough until March, 1891. At
that time they were living in Greencastle.
Their first real trouble was when the hus-
band, over the protest of the wife, brought
to their home a nine-months-ol1 child.
The plaintiff had no children of her own and
did not care to take the responsibility of
bringing up the child of another woman.
She bitterly protested against the presence
OF this one in the household, but her hus-
band was obdurate and she finally con-
scented to be mother to the little one. In
a year or two the child was adopted into
the family under the name of Ruth G.
Howe"
The plaintiff declared that after little
Ruth was adopted her husband became a
changed man in his manner toward her. lie
appeared to care nothing for her society.
Indifferent to her and proceeded to Law
ish all his affections on the child He
seemed to take the infant into his heart
and there was no room there for the wife.
He became very jealous of the little ones
welfare, and often charged his wife with
peglecting the infant. He treated her, the
plaintiff declared, more as a mental than
wife. He refused to permit her to attend
the theater or other places of amusement.
He chided her about her general conduct,
and finally in the month of June last, he
sat down and wrote out long list of COM
mands which he said he expected her to
obey. The plaintiff says that in this list her
husband prescribed the most arbitrary,
cruel and offensive rules which were to gov
ern her conduct. In July of last year he
prepared to go on a vacation, and did spend
several weeks at Maxinkuckee, Chicago and
other places. He was gone eight weeks, and
took his foster daughter with him. Mrs.
Howe said that before he left her husband
expressed the desire that she would leave
him, and went SO far as to try to bride
her to desert him. She says he gave her
800 with the understanding that when he
returned he was not to find her in his home.
The plaintiff agreed to the proposition, and
told the court that she meant to keep her
word but fell i'll in her husbands absence
and was unable to go away. When prepar
ing for the trip, she said. the defendant,
with a sheer, offered to take her along with
him If she would pay her own way The
separation took place after Howe's return
from his trip. The plaintiff says that after
the separation howe took the little girl
away and has her with him at the present
time.
In the complaint filed by the plaintiff it
was charged that Howe criticised his wife
conduct in speaking Of her to others, and it
was asserted that he once made the state
ment that he was afraid to give her money
lest she should run off with some man.
These charges were not sustained by the
evidence Judge Harvey granted the d.
vorce and awarded the custody of Ruth G..
Howe to the defendant.