The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-01-04

dren, boy and a girl. The woman
herself took the stand first. The law
yer asked her few questions, but they
were not what the court desired.
Il want to know all of this story"
said the judge. start at the begin
ming and tell US how this trouble first
! started"
HE never treated. me right since our
marriage; he has always been mean
| to me, and" -
Tell just what he did, and When"
interrupted the judge.
Then the woman told the same old
story of how her husband spent all
his money for liquor, failed to provide
for the family, and came home late
at night and abused her.
Did he ever strike you?"
| mo, but he SWOre a. me and wouldn't
give me money!"
The son, a bright boy of sixteen,
said his father drank, but that he pro-
vided enough to eat, and he had never
seen him strike his mother, he had al
ways treated the children kindly and
furnished their clothing. The boy said
his mother. and father often quarreled,
| but when questioned by the court, adj
mitted that his mother sometimes
| started the quarrels.
ANY more witnesses 2" asked the
judge.
The daughter was called. A little
child, not more than nine years old,
stepped up to the clerk, held up her
little hand and was sworn; then she
started to climb into the big chair
reserved for the witnesses. The judge
| laid aside a paper and looked at the
| witness for the first time.
THAT child cannot testify here; she
| is too young. A court of this kind is
no place for a child like that" said the
| judge, and after giving the young at
| torney a good lecture for producing
such q witness, he announced that the
| application was denied. You go home
and treat your husband right, and he
will probably treat you right" was the
| parting injunction of the court, as the
woman gathered up her wraps to leave
| the room.
AIimony Is the Thing.
When the next case was called
young lawyer stepped before the bench,
| and a gOOd-lOOking woman of perhaps
| twenty-five left her companions in the
| rear of the room and took d seat in
! side the railing.
The womans testimony was heard.
| Her husband had kicked and choked
| her, and at one time beat her into in
| sensibility. The rest of the testimony
J was in the form of dispositions. At the
| close the judge asked:
well, is that alp"
mo, sir; there is the alimony. This
womans husband is making sos
month. We want $12 a week"
The judge looked out Of the window
| for moment, jotted down a note on
| piece Of paper, and examined a legal
! document the attorney had handed
| him.
Make it $10," he said, quietly, and
| another case was called.
The woman in this case considered
| herself the most miserable creature in
fI,n r-I,a
! the eyes of the whole world were upon
! her. She managed to speak her name
| and age without crying, but when the
! attorney asked when her husband had
| deserted her she gave q little sniff1e.
| The next question brought a sob, and
the third one provoked a wall. An
! other question, and the case came to
| a standstfI1 while the woman wept.
| The spectators craned their necks to
| get a peep at the woman, and when the
| bailiff raped for order they sank back
| in their chairs. Finally the woman
managed to- answer few questions,
| and was led from the court room by
| her attorney. The ordeal was over,
and she had her divorce; also her maid
| en- name.
A Case in High Life.
Another case was that in which the
| plaintiff was very refined woman of
! thirty. She was stylishly attired, and
the sealskin coat and furs she wore
| indicated that she was not in want.
! The woman was accompanied by her
| father and mother, the father fine
| looking man of sixty and we'll known
! army officer. The daughter had also
married a regular army officer, and
| when he was sent to the Philippines,
| he promised to send for her, but had
never done SO. When he returned to
this country he went to the home Of
| the plaintiffs mother in Washington
| and took his little daughter; he is now
| stationed at a. fort in Texas, where
| the daughter lives with him. After
! few questions had been answered by
| the plaintiff, her father and mother
| testified, and the decree was granted.
Thus the grind goes on. Five min
| uteS sometimes, again ten or twenty are
required to annul a marriage, and the
echoes of the divorce court are not
| heard in the Office of the clerk of courts
| on the floor below, where young and
| loving couples are waiting their turn
| to get to the marriage license window.
| Quite often woman leaving the court
house with decree of divorce in her
| possession will brush against a young
| couple who have just secured a mar
riage license. And CT the two, it is
| hard to guess which is happiest.
Wed in November, Divorced in June.
The court records for the past year
show that June is the greatest month
| for divorces, with December a close
second. Last June thirty eight mis-
mated couples were separated and in
| December the number was six less.
January is the dull month, both in the
| divorce and marriage license business.
| Only eight divorces were granted last
| January, but in no other month was
the number nearly so small.
| An investigation Of the records of the
| marriage license department for the
| past few years shows that November
| is the banner month in st, Paul, and
| not June, as is generally supposed.
| The records also disclose the fact that
| the number Of licenses granted are not
increasing in proportion to the growth
| of the city. This is partly accounted
| for by the fact that the marriage IL
| cenSe business in st. Paul is conducted
in very careful manner, and many
| applicants, Who are not entitled to a
| license, are turned away, only to go
to some other place where the dccu-
| ment is issued with fewer questions
once in a while young man, not yet
OF age, will fool the clerks, and receive
| the coveted license. but these cases
| are rare, If the clerk is convinced
| that the applicant is lying in order to
| secure license, there is no license
| forthcoming.
Young Women Are independent.
Another reason advanced for the fail
| ure of the bureau to show the proper
| increase in the number Of licenses is
sued yearly is that fewer girls of mod