The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-01-03
SHOULD BE IDEAL!
Man and Woman, Deaf and
Dumb, Can't Get Along.
Fighting Out Divorce Proceed
ings in District Court.
HIS CORN TO Her CHICKENS?
Not on Your Life-Nor His
Wood for Her Stove.
OF Course if He Could Eat
ChickenS-Oh, Well!

Conversation had nothing to do with
the domestic troubles of Cordelia and
John w. Fitzpatrick. Neither can talk
and neither can hear. Both are deaf
and dumb Attorneys suggested that
their home life should be ideal, Yet
their divorce case is. on trial in the
first division of the district court
Both the plaintiff and the defend
ant belong to the Dunkard church
which prohibits divorce. Mrs. kirk
patrick is little, sweet-faced old lady
and she was CARRIED in the little black
bonnet and black gown which desig-
nate those of the Dunkard faith, in
the court room today. Her husband
sat across the table from her, thanked
bv men who scorn the razor and Such
personal adornments as jewelry ana
coat collars
The husband, who is the defendant
in the action, tried to start "conVer'
sation" across the table several times
but Mrs. kirkpatrick appeared not to
understand the s; .ent language. After
each failure to stan something kirk
patrick twisted his tt4ce into expressive
wrinkles and slumped dow into his
chair Neither ard anything the at
torneys were saying. They could
talk only with each other and Mrs.
Kirkpatrick blocked that.
The stories of the couple were told
by the attorneys. A. p. Tone Wilson
talked fer Kirkpatrick and j. B. Larl-
mer served as interpreter for Mrs.
kirkpatrick.
Mrs Kirkpatrick alleges that her
husband has abused her thru the long
years since their marriage except
when he had his own way. She con-
tends that his ;-ttitude towards mar
riage is that the man is boss and that
-I,<., f1a i- to do hnf
work and mind her boss. Altho she
doesn't look it, her attorney admitted
that on several occasions she had pit
ted her VIII against that of her hus-
band and that perhaps that was re-
sponsiole for the present trouble.
The Woman's Story.
when they were married." said
her attorney, she had eight acres of
land near Silver Lake. The defendant
tried to farm it and made a failure.
They sold that farm and bought an
other place near Burlingame. Again
he failed as a farmer. After several
more failures they came to town. All
the property they have grew out of
what originally belonged to her and
there is less now than there was
when they were married. Now he
wants to go back to farming again
and because she refused to buy him
a team and fit him out to go to work
he has been abusing her. All their
property is in her name.
A. P. Tone Wilson, for Kirkpatrick,
stated that he would attempt to- prove
that what little money the couple has
is behind all the trouble; that rela-
tives have interfered with the idea of
cutting kirkpatrick out of participa-
ton in the funds. He declared that
Kirkpatrick had always been a hard
working and sober man; that when
ever he earned a dollar he took it
home and that handicapped as he has
been it was not surprising that the
couple had accumulated no more
money than the amount they began
with.
Kirkpatrick charged that his wife
failed to cook his supper for him. Mrs
Kirkpatrick contended that she did
cook it; that it was in an oven and
warm when her husband reached
home, altho she was in town shop
ping.
She charged that he refused to allow
her to burn his wood in her stove or
feed his corn to her chickens
He replied that he was willing for
her to burn his wood when she cooked
his meals and to feed his corn to her
chickens providing he could help eat
the chickens.
The Kirkpatricks live in Highland
Park.