The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1901-01-29
TOO MUCH MOTHER -|N-LAW
Hoboken Couple Say Hard
Things and Then Make
It Up.

Gottfried Wilds, of Hoboken, exacts
peculiar tasks of his eight-year-old step
son Charles, according to testimony of
the boys mother, heard before Justice
George Seymour last night. Wilds had
his wife summoned before the Magistrate
to answer a charge of assault. The hear
ing. which lasted more than two hours,
developed a strange medley of facts in
connection with the domestic affairs of
the couple Wilds's face bore a long cash,
which he swore his wife had inflicted by
throwing bunch of keys at him. Mrs.
Wilds made counter charges in her de-
fense, alleging gross cruelty, outrageous
treatment of the boy Charles and pre-
sumptuous interference on the part of her
mother-in-law, who was present at the
hearing.
II admit throwing the keys she testi-
fed, ssbut did so only after my husband
had held my head under the kitchen
faucet to cool me off, as he expressed it.
His treatment of my boy is what par
ticularly vexes me- though. He makes
the boy blacken his shoes, comb his hair
in the morning and butter his bread and
sweeten his coffee at the breakfast table.
Imagine husband compelling his step
son to do those things for him. That is
stepfather regards him as a lackey-a
common drudge-and because l object to
it he beats and abuses me-,
do you mean that your husband COM
pels the boy to comb his, the husband S,
hair, or do you mean that he, the hus-
band, compels the boy to comb his, the
boys, hair?" asked Lawyer George DAILY,
the witnesses counsel
81 mean that my husbands hair is
combed by my stepson on the former S
compulsion, just as l mean that his bread
is buttered and his coffee sweetened and
his shoes blackened and his pipe lit and
his hat is brushed by the boy replied
Mrs. Wilds. when Charlie does all
these things for him, Charlie is then told
to saw wood by my mother-in-law, who
persists in coming to our house and nag
ging continually at me- She says her son
is too good for me. She is always telling
him to break up house and go back and
live with her-and we've only been mar
ried three months tao.'
That's right chimed in the mother
in-law, 'she is too good for you. He's too
gentle man for woman of your calibre.
Instead of giving you his $40 salary at the
end of the week, as he does, he should
compel you to keep yourself. You're all
together too extravagant for boy like
my Gottfried to get along with. He'll
never be rich with you"
Gottfried was asked his age by Lawyer
Daily.
"fll be twenty-nine at my next birth
day, if / ever live to see it, he replied.
looking at his mother in a careworn way
Mrs. WildS, the elder, gave glanceS of
maternal affection and sympathy to her
boy and looked hard at Mrs. Wilds, the
younger, who began to cry.
.It's all your fault, the wife said be-
tween sobs.
mo. it's all your own fault returned
the mother-in-law savagely. You better
make the best of it now though and
Il don't wish to be separated from
Gottfried" continued his spouse, still
crying. II want to live with him and be
away from you. We never quarreled until
yod came between us.
'sYou better draw up separation papers,
judge said Gottfrieds mother.
"Tll do nothing of the Sort replied
Justice Seymour. 7 don't profess to be
endowed with the wisdom of Solomon,
but can plainly see that these young
people could get along together if left
alone Kindly don't think | am becoming
too personal in expressing the opinion
that your son would be far happier If you
remained out of his home, Mrs. Wilds. i
have so much confidence in this opinion
that shall dismiss the complaint against
your daughter-in-law and advise you all
to go home and try to forget what you
have said about one another this evening.
The case Is dismissed.
Gottfried took the arm of his wife and
left the court room smiling. His mother
followed them scowling