Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-01-19
SCHOOL DAY
ROMANCE
WRECKED
Actress Warns Against Wedding
Young-Husband Allowed Ten
Cents Day Seeks Divorce.

Another child marriage had its I'M
happy ending in the divorce court OF
Judge Pendleton Monday in the
granting of a final decree to Mrs
Audrey Stephens. a pretty actress in
the Jewell Kelley Stock Company re-
Gently in Atlanta, and one of more
than 100 persons seeking divorce in
the same court
But If the verdict was attended by
any sadness in the heart of the child
who was only 10 when she became a
bride she failed to show it.
why, this honestly is the happiest
moment of my life" she exclaimed
after leaving the courtroom. 81
could scream, | am so happy. | just
believe / will take a car out to the
river, where / can scream to my
hearts content.
I've been married woman almost
ever since ! can remember. ! think
l must have married just out OF
spite. / can't imagine any other rea-
son in looking back on 1t DOW.
Leave School to Wed.
Luther my exhusband, you know
and | were attending night school to-
gether. l was just 10 and not out
of short dresses yet. One night as
we left he suggested that we get mar
ried. ! told him | would. 1t was just
a childish prank, | know now. So
without letting my parents know any
thing about 1t, we got married.
1T was only a few weeks after our
wedding that he began to be mean 10
me. ! tried to be good to him, 50
that we would get along together, but
he paid attentions TO other girls, and
finally l was compelled TO leave him.
After l went on the stage he never
did anything to support me. Instead,
| was supporting him. | suppose ne
thought there wasn't any use of his
working So long as ! was making
money. The climax came one day
when | found another girl sitting on
his lap.
81 left the house so as not TO make
a scene, but I met him on the street
with her later. l couldn't restrain
myself any longer, and l told the girl
that she had better be at home than
to be around town with other women's
husbands. Luther was furious and
beat me terribly. A policeman ar
rested him and he was given 80 days
r. Recorder Broyles. The girl ran
away.
Don't Wed Till You're 20"
NO, / wouldn't advise any girl to
get married at the ridiculous age at
which | eloped. No girl knows her
own mind and heart then"
But Mrs. Stephens, or Miss Audrey
Thomas, as she now calls herself, re-
Stunning her maiden name, is not en-
tirely out of sorts with young Dan
Cupid even though he did play her a
mean trick six years ago.
"A girl is not old enough to marry
until she is 90" she remarked. As
it happens, Miss Thomas is just 20.
There were 102 undefended divorce
cases on the calendar when court
opened.
In that of C. H. Garrison against
Fannie S. Garrison. Garrison was
bandpainted as the typical hen
pecked husband by his attorney, Leon
Greer.
10 Cents Day His Pin Money.
Ten cents a day was the usual
amount Of spending money his wife
would give him. according to his pc
tition. Sometimes, in fit of gen
crosby, she would give him Is cents
That gave him a nickel on which Ia
have a good time, as he spent 10
cents for car fare.
This state of affairs was brought
about, il was said, by the wife's de
mand that every bit Of his weekly
salary be turned over to her.
"Why didn't you hold out some
thing for yourself?" inquired Judge
Pendleton.
81 didn't dare" replied Garrison,
amid the laughter Of the court. She
had threatened to kill me once, and
feared she might carry out her
threat"
Lucille Watts said that her husband,
Martin Watts, had followed her
around to her different places of EN-
plOyment with a revolver since she
had left him. and had threatened her
life. She declared that within three
weeks after their marriage he began
and had abused and threat
ened her until she was driven
through fear 10 leave him. She was
given "A verdict.