The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-03-02
BOWEN DIVORCE SUIT
Husband Files Answer Charging Wife
With .Hammering" Him.

The Bowen divorce suit now oelng pre-
pared for Judge Dales adjudication prom
ises to be one of the most interesting
cases of the kind ever tried in the district
court of this county. MIR. J. ). Bowen
has secured the services Of Judge l. %.
Wall. and his answer TO Mrs. Bowers
netition for divorce was fled yesterday
II is almost "a strong in us allegations
as IS the petition which it seeks to coun-
teract.
Mr. and Mrs. Bowen are well-to-do
farmers Of Kingman county, or were be
fore Mrs. Bowen came to Wichita They
own a fine ranch in the southwestern
corner of the county, and it is well i'm
proved and richly stocked. Mr.. Bowen
admits in his answer that besides this
homestead he has property over and
above all Indebtedness amounting to 5000
Mrs. Bowen claims that ne IS worth
great deal more than this, and she will
try to get her share.
Mr.. and Mrs. Bowen are growing old.
They have braved the usual hardships of
pioneer life together, and during those
hardships there seemed 70 pe not a ripple
of discord in their married life. They
az 1
IN due time thereafter there was born to
them son. whom they named Earl. He
is now with the father, it is said, is 20
years old and a bright young man.
1t is hard to tell which Of the married
pair began the trouble that has culmi-
mated in this divorce suit barring the
tales Of the neighbors. Mrs. Bowen
claims that she always conducted herself
las a dutiful wife should which is
stereotyped phrase much used 10y divorce
LAWYERS She claims that in 1906 Mr..
Bowen began to accuse her Of beinig in
sane. and finding that the accusation
annoyed her. he punished her by increas-
ing the accusations and administering
them in alopathlc doses. She alleges that
he threatened 10 send her to an insane
asylum to avoid the expense Of keeping
her and that he afterwards threatened
to beat and wound her. She says that
he finally became SO cruel in his manner
toward her that she could not live with
him and she pulled out for Wichita. As
soon as the law would permit she began
this action against Bowen. She claims
he is worth 81 o90 besides his ranch Of
100 acres. and that she helped him make
II all.
Now Mr.. Bowen denies each and every
one Of the allegations Of his wife except
the date Of their marriage and birth Of
their son. Earl He also puts in few
allegations himself He says that Mrs.
Bowen has not. as she alleges. been a
resident in good faith Of Sedgwick county
but that she came here for the sole 2ur-
pose of beginning this action against him.
He denies that she has conducted herself
as q duuful wife should He says that
until seven years ago she was a fairly
good wife. bur after that she became dis
satisfied on the farm and began TO neglect
her household duties. ard ceased 70 be
81 any assistance whatever to him. He
states that she was gone away from home
most Of the time, but that he neverthe-
less furnished her with money and clothes
far beyond the means that his Circum-
stances justified. During the last two or
three years. he says. her conduct was
quarrelSome and diSagreeable to him and
their son and the servants. He says that
she even cursed him and on several occa-
sions threatened TO kill him. In July, 1855.
he alleges, she made an assault on him
with a heavy hammer. but that their son
caught her hand and prevented her from
killing him He says that Airs. Bowen
with them, and her son. and was easy TO
fly into rage at the entire household.
Notwithstanding all these shortcomings