Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-04-09
DENOUNCES
RUSH F Or
DEGREES
Judge Ellis Urges Stricter d.
vorce Laws in Talk to Jury
From Bench.

Having heard for four days the
woes of the unhappily mated. Judge
w. d. Ellis squared off and took a
vigorous rap at Georgia's divorce
laws in a short talk he made to the
jury Thursday, at the close Of the
divorce docket for the present term
of court
Judge Ellis declared that II It lay
in his power he would not do away
with divorce entirely-"because a
gentleman should not be linked for
life with a shrew and virtuous
woman should not be tied to a brute"
but he would make divorces harder
20 obtain.
"The easier it is to obtain a di-
voree, he paidsssstbe more divorces
there win be. The spectacle we have
Just witnessed, of more than hun
dred persons securing their release
from the matrimonial halter by the
law IS a fair sample OF what goes
on In this court six times a year At
every term Of court l am Inundated
that such a condition of affairs can
exist and ! do not believe there has
ever been divorce court jury that
didn't go away Disguised.
Would Make Both Testify.
my idea, which ] Incorporated in
bin that tried to get before lhe
Legislature but which was killed by
some divorce lawyers. is that there
should be no total divorces granted
On the uncorroborated testimony OF
either party Women come here and
swear that their husbands are brutes.
and year later their husbands come
here and prove by their own testi-
mony. that they are refined gentle
ment.
There should be no marriages
whiting six months or year after
divorce has been granted That
would end a great many Of this d.
vorce-in the morning and-marriage
ln-the afternoon business
Somebody should be appointed ny
the State to conduct one side of these
divorce cases. Ninety per cent Of
them are undefended. and men and
women who are called brutes and
worse do not seem to think 1t neces-
sary to deny the statements am
told in the country districts of Geor-
gia 90 per cent Of the divorce cases
are among the negroes but I sup
port you have noticed that in Atlanta
80 per cent Of them are whites.
Urges Punishment.
Twenty years ago divorce was
rare, and a divorced man or woman
was conspicuous woman on the
streets. The evil has grown so that
| II now permeates all ranks Of So
/ ciety, and person who has not been
| divorced is more of rarity than
one who has. And during the trial
| OF these seventy cases this week,
| there has not been the wall Of an in
FAINT I'm the courtroom no children
have been here"
Judge Ellis declared that the man
who marrtes a 10, l6 or II year Did
| girl and then mistreats or deserts
! her, or causes her to become H.,
! should not merely be made the do
/ PENDANT In divorce action. but
should be tried for a more serious
| crime
Eight cases were disposed OF in .hc
! final session OF the divorce court
Thursday
Mrs. Margaret Tuggle was granted
q second divorce from 3. Pinckney
/ Tuggle She married Tuggle in 1908,
| when she was but rs years old be-
cause. she said, he threatened to
shoot her II she didn't Her parents
refused to let her live with him and
she got divorce. In 1911 she mar
ried Tuggle again. She said her
maiden name was Margaret Bowlcs,
and asked that It be restored to her.