New Britain herald., 1919-06-11
lk1TUAL' WIFE IS NOT TO BE DESIRED
|harrlage Annulled Because of
 Ideals Of Child Question

New York, June 11.-Dissatisfied with his spirit wife, John Sherwiu Conabeer, IT,, wealthy wholesale coal dealer living at Greenwich, Conn.,, made out so strong a case against the ideals of Mrs. Florence w. Conabeer of Weehawken, N. J., that Referee Charles L. Hoffman filed yesterday with Supreme Court Justice Gieger1ch recommendation upholding Cona- beers suit for annulm lent of the mar riage of four years ago.
 The referees voluminOus report IS replete with testimony in which each principal charges it was the other who held children in adherence and re- fused to have offspring. But the bal ance of testimony seemed to weigh in the plaintiffs favor.
 Conabeer recently inherited $115 900 from his father, a deacon in the Baptist church at Greenwich. His business is in this city. He is 25 years old, three years the senior of his wife. The couple met in 1912 when the defendant was a student at the Bar nard school. In the courtship that followed, Conabeer's letters to her were addressed to Dear Fluffy, Dear Shrimp" 'Dearest Sweetheart Kitten" At that time he was ''Your Sherwill forever
 HystericaI at Talk of Babies.
 For two years prior to their mar rialge the couple were engaged, and in that period frequently discussed babies.
 'I told her that as I was the last of my family that the name would die out if I did not have a child" Cona- beer informed the referee. "When said l loved pretty little babies, she became hysterical and exclaimed God, not the human race, is the cre- ator of children. Love and marriage should be purely spiritual
 '"When we were married, my father, since deceased, told my wife he would like to be 8 grandfather, and would be willing to take care of our child II she would become a mother. She said that the more children that people had the more common they became.
 Later she objected to living in apartment buildings in which there were children. After four years of this I lost patience and faith in my wife's beliefs in a spiritual marriage and we separated"
 oo11e~- beer, the plaintiffs mother, testified that her daughter-in-law said:
 '1All children are dirty and smelly things The less refined people are the more children they have.' Mrs. Coma beer charged that her husband was the one who did not want children and said she wanted offspring g.
 Man Offspring of Spirit.
 I, +o,> +I,o. marriage is "legalized lust,' she tolc the referee:
 1 T have seen many unhappy mar < riages. So many men have gone ou with women other than their wives Women have come to me and hay told me how happy I would be if had a husband devoted to me wh would remain by my side. Perhaps because of those facts I did happen t. mention such things. I may have saie that I like little baby girls better thai boys, because I could get more pleas ure making them pretty dresses an things.''
 Do you remember saying that mal is the offspring of spirit? ?" she wa asked
 "I may have said that"
 Did you make a statement tha God was the only creator of chil dren?"
 1T have heard such statements tha God was the only creator of children And He is. He is the creator of u all''
 Turning to the plaintiff, the refere demanded what was meant by a lette in which he wrote, Dearest Sweet heart: I love you dearly, Florence my only child, the only one I wi have.''
 The husband explained. T don know. I was just a schoolboy the1 I was foolish, I guess.'
 He was then shown letter which he wrote to the girl he wa courting: What any one sees children I don't know. Of cours there are some nice ones, but the ger era1 run are not worth a nice pup"
 Of this Conabeer said: T mig1 have held those views once, but changed them when I fell in love-"
 In another epistle he declared h ''sou1 was gone" since he had falle in love with her.
 Tn explanation, the plaintiff test fled: T meant that she had such il fuence over me that I would whatever she wanted done. I W; then experimenting the first thrills a boys emotional love. I felt tn when we were married I could col uuer the world"
 At Superior Court holden
 Waterbury, within and for tl