The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-04-13
TOpekan Tells OF Horrible SIN
fernO" Wife Made of Home.
Attacked Him "WhiIe Asleep
With Hammer" He Says.
STABBED HIM WITH KNIFE
Used Tongue and Threatened
With a Pistol, He Claims.
w. l.. CritchIOw Answers His
Wife's Divorce Plea.

For the present, William L. Critch-
low holds the record in district court
for calling his wife names without
becoming profane. He filed an answer
and cross petition today in a divorce
suit she brought against him recently.
She had not overlooked much when
she furnished the information for her
petition. If Critchlow overlooked
anything in his answer and they both
tell the truth far as they go, the
Critchlow fireside has furnished ma
terial for a motion picture.
Here is one choice little para graph
in hubby's cross petition descriptive
of wifey's disposition:
she possesses a violent, irascible
vicious, uncomfortable temper which
frequently causes her to plunge into
maniacal frenzy and while under the
influence and stress of such frenzy
she possesses more of the attributes
and propensities of fiendish demon
than a wife"
Having set forth the alleged natural
characteristics of his chosen life part
ner, Critchlow proceeds to relate little
incidents occurring in his household,
all due of course, to the stress of
frenzy"
Attacked Him i'm Bed.
He charged that on one occasion she
attacked him while asleep in bed with
d
slip of the attorneys typewriter. Mr..
Critchlow is not expected to testify
on the stand that he was asleep in bed
with a hammer What he meant, no
doubt, was that Mrs. Critchlow at
tackled him with a hammer while he
was asleep in bed
Following that narrow escape he
says, e threatened to kill him some
time while he was asleep. armed her
self with loaded revolver and now
carries it. Critchlow says he fears she
will plunge into another maniacal
frenzy" some night and carry out her
! threat.
Critchlow is forced to keep track of
lot OF hardware to protect his life,
according to his petition. Having
| learned to watch for the hammer and
the loaded revolver he must also keep
tab on the family pairing knife. He
declares that on one occasion his wife's
| violent, irascible, vicious and uncon-
| trollable temper arose and about the
same time it plunged her into a man
| iacal frenzy she plunged a pairing
knife into his breast in the region of
his heart.
Tongue Sharp Weapon.
Nor did Mrs. Critchlow confine her
weapons TO hardware, says Critchlow
her tongue, he claims, was used plen-
TRULY and effectively. Her fayorite
pastlme, according TO the cross petit
ton, is to abuse his parents and when
tndl grows stale she tries to convince
MN that she has been unfaithfuI to
/ her marriage vows
| Critchlow doesn't believe it. He
doesn't believe she mas been unfaith-
lul, but that's her own statement for
it, he says.
In the face of all this Mr. Critch-
low declares he has been a loving
| ana dutiful husband; that he has
turned all his earnings over to his
| wire ana gone without money him
| self; that when their final domestic
eruption occurred. she had all the
money-about $1O0-and that she
stu has it, while he is penniless.
Because of all these things. Critcb-
low asks the court to pay no atten-
ton to Mrs. Critchlow's assertion. that
ne knocked her down and split her."
| but to give due consideration 70 bis
counter charges and grant him the
| divorce.
The cross petition was filed for
Crltchlow by the firm of Mote &.
| Rooney.