The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-04-13
IT HITS THE ROCKS
John Rurkhart's Matrimonial
Craft Is Wrecked.
Young Husband Becomes Own
Cook and DishWaSher.

Another child love affair went on
the rocks today when Judge Whitcomt
granted John H. Burkhart a divorce
from Cora B. Burkhart who were
married at the tender age when love
Ia not complete without the parental
Q. K. Young Burkhart found matr1-
mony a horrible nightmare instead OF
q dream Of roses and asked the court
to set him free.
Three DEGREES were the sum total OF
Z short grind of the weekly grist in
the divorce mill. Two of the sorrow
fuf ones were wives. while the third
applicant was an unfortunate husband
who cannot find his mate. All of the
applicants were accommodated with
DEGREES and left the court house hap
py and conIented-
John Burkhart was 10 when he
married 17-year-old Cora Paisley of
Granville. One week after the we'd
ding celebration, Mrs. Burkhart re-
fused to cook her husbands breakfast.
The husband complained not and
thereafter it was customary for the
wife to sleep late and to eat break
fast in the kitchen alone. Then Mrs
Burkhart visited the neighbors in the
afternoons and the husband, who
worked for the wooden mills. came
home to a cold supper or no supper at
all. Thus Burkhart became his own
cook and dishwasher.
Each week he gave his wife his pay
check. He bought her good clothes
and tried to make her happy. For his
love and attention. Burkhart said his
wife and mother-in-law once volun-
teered to cut his throat. Another time,
ne said, they tried to give him car
bo1ic acid, but he refused to take it,
Then Mrs. Burkhart went to" Shawre e,
Okla, where she is living with her
mamma. She refuses to return to her
husband in North Topeka.
He Loved Another.
Frances w. Shaner told the court
that George L. Shaner told her to
leave home and to stay away. She
accomm odated him and wanted sep
aration papers to be sure she would
not be compelled to go back. She said
that Shaner's occupation as a shoe
maker Melted S125 to $135 a month,
but that he gave her only 25 cents
to so cents a day to provide for the
table and that often there was not
enough to eat. She earned $3.50 a
day as dressmaker. Shaner loved an
other woman, she told the court, and
she thought this woman and the
liquor houses received a large per cent
of the shoe makers earnings. Shaner
and his wife formerly lived in Cald-
well, Kan.
Didn't Want Wife.
Nettie Hewett enjoyed the affections
of Roll Hewett just four months. Then
Hewett went away and never came
home. The wife did not know where
to find him.
1t was July u, 1909, when Nettie
Richards was married to Hewett. Her
new husband was employed as
street car conductor, but he absorbed
too much liquor and was soon out of
job. Then the husband went to Sa-
lima and worked in a livery stable.
There is plenty of work here"
Hewett wrote to his wife on a pic
ture postcard, but you stay in To-
peka."
Hewett left Salina a few weeks lat
er, the wife learned. She heard that
he then went to Denver, where he
was employed as a bar keeper. But
efforts to locate him have failed and
Mrs. Hewett has concluded that mar
riage really isn't the success 1t ought
to be. So Judge Whitcomb gave the
woman a divorce and her maiden
name.