The Savannah morning news., 1902-03-04
DIVORCE MILL GROUND.
wife of DefauIter Given Verdict BE.
cause of His Crime.

wife of Defaulter Given Verdict Be-
cause of His Crime.
A number of divorce cases, in which
there was no opposition on the part
of defendants to the grant of verdicts
were taken up in the Superior Court
yesterday Immediately after Judge
Barrow's charge to the grand jury had
been concluded. OF the cases tried
and disposed of the parties to all but
usual on divorce day in the Superior
Court of Chatham county, on which
occasions the colored brother and sis
ter are usually very much in evidence.
Sensations were few in the divorce
Gases tried yesterday Practically the
only ground alleged for the grant of
a divorce was desertion, though there
was one marked exception.
This was the case of Eleanor Eta
Mathews, who secured a first verdict
of total divorce from w. C. Mathews.
The ground upon which the verdict
was rendered was the conviction of
her husband of the offense of larceny
after trust and his sentence by the
court to serve term of five years in
the penitentiary of the state. This is
what the law terms an Infamous
crime, involving moral turpitude," and
is ground for the grant of total
divorce.
Mathews, IL will be remembered was
formerly the manager of Murphy &
Co.'S stock exchange in this CITY, from
which he suddenly departed with sew
eral thousand dollars of his employ
ers' money. He was captured after
a long chase, in Juno. Alaska, and
brought back to Savannah to stand
trial. He was tried, convicted and
sentenced and is now serving a term
in prison camp in South Georgia.
The papers in the divorce case were
served on him there.
At the time of her husbands arrest,
and even during his trial, Mrs.
Mathews manifested considerable So
licitude as to his welfare and
comfort. but her interest in him seems
rather to have evaporated with the
passage of time. She must wait how
ever, until the next term of the court
before a second verdict and decree
will be rendered and her freedom from
her husband finally secured.
A second verdict and decree of total
divorce were granted in the case of
Rosa l.. Anderson against Julius An
derson. The peculiar feature of the
permitted to marry again and the de-
PENDANT is just as unable to contract
legally a new marriage as he was be-
fore the grant of the decree.
According to the showing made in
court Lula Hodges and Judson Hodg-
es were married on May 25, 1898, and
lived together just four months. At
the expiration of this somewhat brief
honeymoon the husband deserted his
wife and the desertion has been con-
tinued ever since. A first verdict of
total diverse was granted.
Lula Vereen secured a first verdict
of divorce from her husband, James
Vereen, on the ground of desertion.
The parties We're married in 1888 and
lived together for ten years, at the
end of which time the husband desert
ed his wife and their five children.
Nelson Washington was given a Sc
cond verdict and decree of total d.
vorce from his wife, Maria Washing
ton. The plaintiff said his wife had
deserted him and that he had done
everything possible to bring her back.
without any success. He thought he
was entitled to a divorce and the jury
thought so too.