The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1909-09-16
UNION OF YOUTH
AND OLD AGE CRIME
Judge So Declares in Freeing
Child Wife-Mother from
Octogenarian
FOURTEEN AND EIGHTY WE'D
Mother Of Girl Scored from the Bench
for Having Schemed TO Ensnsrc tic
Old Man - Divorce Granted on
Ground Of Personal lndignties.

Seattle, Wash.-A divorce on tho
ground of personal indignities has
been granted to Mary Landers who,
in 1905, at the age of fourteen and
half years. was married to Leroy @.
Landers. man in his elghtieth year.
Judge J. T. Ronald OF the Supreme
Court, in his decision, characterized
the union of childhood and old age as
a crime, scored the girls mother as
having schemed to ensnare the Old
man and get his money, and stated
robbed of $1,000 by a sister of the
wife. The plaintiff was declared to
have been perhaps the most innocent
of all the parties concerned. Yet she
was characterized as ignorant OF the
value of money. and incapable OF
handling it in trust for her two-year-
old boy, the fruit OF the marriage.
The wife was ordered to deed back
to the old man property re had given
her, and this, with the remainder or
Lander's property, is to be placed in
a trust fund for the use of the aged
husband and father and the sGsten-
ance of the child.
The couple were married Av-. -
and lived on Landers's ranch. near
Burton. on Vashon Island. Ear.y Last
spring the wife left Landers, and Wan
her baby and her sister and 81 200 O.
the old mans money came to ScG.,,e.
Landers accused her of larceny. but
afterwards withdrew the oonplaiu.,
and the matter was settled b. CON-
promise.
Then the young wife commenced
divorce proceedings. On the w.-E.sz
stand she told the court that LaaGers
was cruel and abusive when he WAS
drunk, which was often.
Landers piteousiy appealed 10 the
court to give him back his lit,le
wife" Mary is all right; she is a
good little woman II they would only
leave her alone" said Larders.
The aged husband told the court
that the mother of the girl was TO
blame for the trouble and was con.
stantly at him for money. According
to the plaintiffs statement, Landers
is worth $4,000 and owns a valuable
patent on "Landers's logging jack"
Judge Ronald's decision, as render
ed, was in part as follows:
This marriage, n the first place.
was a crime. The girl is perhaps the
most innocent of all the parties con-
cerned, and she is not altogether limo.
cent. l think the marriage was insti.
gated and brought about by the ma
chinations of the mother of the wife.
In answer 10 the question by the
court as to why this mother permit
ted this marriage, even going her.
self with the old gentleman to pro-
cure the marriage license and swear.
ing falsely to the age of her daugh-
ter she answered to the effect that
she had four children to support and
what was she to do?' This answer
shows that the mothers motive was
one looking toward relieving herself
of responsibility of supporting the
daughter.
He gave the wife a note and mort
gage which he owned for something
like $3.50; he gave her some lots
which cost $1,000. AS the result OF
that marriage she has one boy nearly
two years old, and one child unborn.
'If ! don't divorce these people it
will be but few months at the long
est until the old man is dead; then
what he has left will be dissipated by
this child wife, who doesn't know the
value Of money.
Il will grant the wife a divorce on
the ground of personal indignities,
which have rendered her life burden
some"