The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1907-02-13

o%O%oAO<o%o%o%o .
as when it is?" asked Mrs. Drake, as
she laid down a handkerchief she was
| embroidering for her contract husband.
The truth was told to her.
Regret Marrying.
Then why didn't the notary say so?"
Perhaps you didn't ask" was sug-
gested.
Il guess that is it. We took it for
granted, just as three or four other
friends of ours have-nOt," she added
quickly, that we regret having mar
wife for the last year just because we
love each other. l wonder what Fred
will say.
There are four other couples living
in this neighborhoOd who have been
married by contracts meant divorce. If
you have never been married by con-
tract law, you do not know what it
means"
Daniel O. Michel, of Fort Hamilton
is known as the Marriage Contract
here dl t IldHy VI CIClc
Sans soldier boys down there. OF
course they move from post to post un
der orders from the war department.
Some of them marry by contract in or
der that, should they move away, they
/ may drop old ties and resume new ones.
And they all go to Notary Michel.
Many people come to me to be mar
ried under contract law said he.
These people have in many instances
believed that by mutual consent they
could be divorced and have the right
to remarry l have always explained
to them that this is impossible. l have
taken great care to have the marriage
contract filed, for l always make three
the man, and one which is sent the next
day to city hall.
There We're William Gregory, of the
Saith Coast artillery, and Miss Grace
Brown. They wanted to get married,
but they didn't want to walk into any
church. They We're completely taken
by the marriage contract idea. So the
other day they presented themselves
to Notary Michel. They were married,
and now they know the truth. Now
| they understand.
This marriage contract was real
| gOdsend to the army folk said Pri-
vate Gregory. 1T means this, that a
great many boys of the army will walk
to a notary and sign contract while
they will not go to a church. l did not
consider the part-time idea at ALL be-
cause we meant to be married. We
were married in this way because we
| chose to keep it q secret for a time.
But 1 know people married by con-
rangement. The sooner they find out
that it isn't the better.
| What is the use of getting married
if you do so with the idea of obtaining
divorce? | don't see the point I
guess if they really came to find out
about it a good many people about here
are married who think they are divorce
ed
There the case rests.
What are the people to do who have
torn up their marriage contracts, and,
! believing themselves to be divorced,
have married again?
| Take Mr. Mrs. Frederick Mason, who
live uptown in the Bronx. at No. II
| Wadsworth avenue They have been
married by contract for three years.
| They have achild two years old. Until
they heard the news they believed they
could terminate their marriage con-
tract at pleasure. While they are now
perfectly happy, they had mutual un-
derstanding when they married. To-
day they find that the law has quite
upset it. Mrs. Mason was very frank
about it, too; she had rather liked the
contract idea.
! why, gasped Mrs. Mason. when
| Mr.. Mason and 1 were married we did
not understand anything Of this sort.
We consulted a lawyer about the mat
ter and undoubtedly he chose to mis-
represent or else did not really know
the law on the subject. He gave his
| opinion that the contracts Were dis
| soluble on the consent of both parties.
| Mr.. Mason and l had always believed
| that the real right of the marriage re-
| lation existed only so long as two peo-
pie loved one another. so we thought
| that at last a true law and an ideal
one had been passed.
1--WE have always kept the contracts
in Kansas City, my old home, and
and Mrs. Mason looked absolutely
pale, I'VE came very near tearing them
up once and thinking we were divorced
think of such a thing under the cir
cumstanceS!"