The Detroit times., 1915-12-15
Mrs. COttingham Post
pOned Children's
Additions
FAMILY TROUBLES
AIRED IN COURT
VIM. Snyder, Building
Inspector, Denied a
Decree By HOsmer

Because she " TOO busy with
other household o ties to bathe her
children ON S drday night, Mrs.
Elizabeth Cotth ,am had to give
the youngsters .,eir Saturday bath
OF Sunday. hats why William
Cottingham became so enraged q,
her he doused her head In the bath
water until it nearly drowned her
according 10 the testimony OF Kath'
leen, the 17-year-old daughter of the
Cottingbams, who told Judge Hos
mer. Wednesday morning, about her
parents marital troubles.
MY father put my mothers hetd
in the bathtub, and then he choked
her." said the daughter. "He came
home on Sunday morning while
mother was giving us our baths
Usually we had our baths on Satur-
day night Father demanded 70
know why we hadn't had them the
night before. and mother said she
had been too busy. Well, I'll give
YOU bath. then, said my father.
and he grabbed her and held her
head in the water
Mrs. Cottingham told the court
she could count on the fingers OF
one hand the number OF nights her
husband had not stayed out until
from 3 to 5 a. M. They were mar
ried in January, 1897, at Boutwell,
Can, she said, and Immediately the
husband began his practice of stay
ing out all night. He was a gambler
she said.
i"One time,'~ she related, after hi
had been out all night gambling ant
had lost all his money, he came
home so enraged over his loss tha
he took his spite ont on my hat anc
my watch. He tore I'D the hat. The
watch he threw on the floor anc
then iumred on 1t until he haC
mashed II into bits"
I Cottingham did not appear to con
test the suit. and judge Hosme'
granted decree on grounds OF cru
city and non-support.
: Myron p. Champion was freed
from the marital tie to his wife
, Lucy A. Champion. on the grounC
! that she was nagger and treated
him with cruelty. They were mar
ried at Ciflinburg, Pa. in Septem
ber, 1875, but Champion had expe
| rienced enough OF the married life
by February. 1912, when they sepa
rated. and since then the two have
lived apart.
According to the testimony offer
ed by Champion, his wife conducted
a millinery store for 35 years wher
he wanted her to devote her atten
| tion to keeping house for him.
"She didn't have to keep the mil
linery shop, for l was always per
fectly able to support her. salt
( Champion. II objected to the mil
I linery business, but she never woulC
give II up. She preferred It to keep
| ing house. and then created the I'm
preston among our friends that 1
was she who was supporting th'
| family"
"She had an ungovernable temper
Champion said OF his wife, and OF
one occasion she got so angry will
him over trifling affair thato sh'
struck him in the face with her fist
In 1909 he had an operation perform
ed at st. Mary's hospital. he said
and his wife was very much dis
pleased because he recovered 81
rapidly. She told him, he said. tha
he was let out OF the hospital to-
soon.
Having lived with Mrs. Snyder 70
25 years, William Snyder, cit
building inspector, ought to stick b
, her the rest OF his life. in the opir
ion OF Judge Hosmer. The Judge dt
MED the decree OF divorce whic
Snyder sought. The court said h
could not deprive Mrs. Snyder c
the support she needed from he
husband. as she could not supper
herself