Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-01-01
rwENrY-rHREE PER CENT OF
WEDDINGS END IN DIVORCE,
STATISTICS SHOW.
PROPORTION IN 1914
IS UNUSUALLY HIGH
Seventy Eight Couples Divorced During
Year Compared With a37 That Were
Married-Wives Most Frequent APP
pIicants For pivoree-oddities Shown
by Statistics. ~

A really appalling proportion VI
marriages is unsuccessful. It is scarce
" believab1e, but It is a fact, that one
out OF every five marriages locally ends
in separation by divorce Yet such Is
the only conclusion possible based upon
a comparison of the number OF divorces
granted in the county In the year 1919,
compared with the number of weddings
in the same twelve months.
A compilation and comparison OF
these statistics show that for each i've
weddings In the year there were one
and a traction" couples divorced. The
figures are: The weddings IN the coun-
ty in the year were 337; the divorces
granted numbered rs. The number OF
weddings is q fair average for a period
OF years, but It IS true that the number
OF divorces granted by the district
court during the same period is eX-
cepttonally large.
Most Divorces to Wives.
The records OF the divorce court for
tina year show that wives. probably
because they are more often sinned
against than SHINING, were the more
numerous applicants for divorce. The
large majority of the divorces was
granted them. OF the rs DEGREES of oi-
yorce given, So were to wives and q
were TO husbands.
The divorce business was quite even
~ distributed during the four terms
of court held in the year. BY terms
of court the following were the di-
vorces secured in each: January. -;
March, II; September, IS; October, Il.
The commonest causes for the d.
yorces in the order named We're: Cruel
and inhunan treatment, often comph-
Gated with drunkenness. haoitual
drunkenness, and desertion.
Few Divorces Contested.
Investigation shows another quite
\ surprising detail of the divorce court
business. That is the very small per
cent Of divorce cases that are con-
tested. In the vast majority of cases
the separation was evidently mutual,
for when the cases came to trial the
one against whom proceedings for O.
vorce were brought very seldom ap-
peared to contest the cases. Usually
when such contests were Instituted the
real point at issue was question OF
alinlony.
OF all the divorce cases heard by
tested.
Few Applicants Denied.
A very very small percentage of the
applications for divorce was denied,
especially in the uncontested cases
which it should be understood gives
the Judge practically no option in the
matter but to issue a decree of divorce
where the application has fully proved
grounds for divorce.
But there have been cases in the To-
cal court where the judge has denied
a decree of divorce, even when the
husband or wife against whom the
case was instituted did not appear il
court.
Judges Often Investigate.
Judge Nichols, when on the bench OF
this district, often adopted plan Of
quietly investigating for himself phase:
of divorce cases not developed in court
He sometimes issued subpoena him
self for the defendant, had the person
brought into his chamber, and there
examined him. In one such instance
when the person so subpoenaed paid M
attention to the summons, Judge Mich
OILS sent the sheriff with a bench war
rant for the person. In that particula.
case the person so summoned was TIL
applicant for divorce. For reasons
known only to the Judge, the court re-
fused that application for divorce.
Judge Cummings has adopted :
somewhat similar plan. He very fire
quentfy takes applications for divorc
under advisement, after the applican
and his other Witnesses have appeared
in court, While holding the case IN
der Amusement the Judge quietly insti
tutes an investigation OF his own int
the real merits and status of tn
couple.
Weddings Show Increase.
A slight increase In the number Q
weddings in 1914, compared with 1913
is shown by the records. The total o
337 for 1914 is nine more than tn
s2s, the total for 1913. An unusua
feature Of the marriage license record
of the year Is that every license issue
was used, none was returned Such a.
incident has not been noticeable for
number of years. For example, Of tn
32s licenses issued in 1913, thre
licenses were returned and not useC
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