The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1921-02-05
SCRANTON'S DIVORCE
PACE RIVALS RENO'S
Eighty of List Of Efghty-four
Cases Are Heard in
One Day.

Specie, Despatch 10 TIE New York HERALD.
SCRANTON. Feb. 4.-Scranton made q
strenuous effort to-day to snatch the
divorce title from Reno. eighty cases OF q
list OF eighty-four having been called be-
fore Judge George w. Maxey. The re-
naming cases will be called In the morn
ing. Judge Maxey will have had the dis
tinction of pushing through to compile
ton the busiest divorce court session
Lackawanna county ever has known.
Although on the bench only year.
Judge Maxey s displaying a rather In
teresting desire for busy court sessions,
and to-day. even though 1t did establish
precedent In divorce circles, thevolume
of work proved nothing new to the young
jurist
One of the first cases called was Edna
May Wardwell VS.. Ambrose Wardwell
Mrs. Wardwell charged that her hus-
band harnessed her to cultivator on
the farm and made her live all last win
ter OH rutabagas. Court and spectators
got u surprise when Frank T.. Boyle. at
torney for the petitioner. called former
wife of Wardwell She testified that she
got a divorce after Wardwell put her In
harness on the cultivator. A character
witness in his testimony told the court
that in the community In which the
Wardwells lived the husband was known
as "bruiser."
George n. Richards testified that he
got the biggest jolt in his life a few
years ago when he went home one
morning and found another man in his
home with his wife. Both were intoxi-
Gated, he said.
II tried to chase the man from the
house. but he would not co. Richards
went on, as he related several instances
of his wife hurting dishes In bis dircc-
ton.
What's she throwing now" asked
Judge Maxey.
'Highballs. I guess" was the ready
response of the witness.
Because she would not take glass of
whiskey with her husband, Florence T..
Plummer testified that he threatened 10
shoot her. The Plummers were married
May %, 1890, and their troubles began
almost Immediately. Mrs. Plummer.
upon being questioned by her attorney,
Robert L. Scraggs. declared that on
many occasions Piummer threatened 10
shoot her.
Morgan Wlllianss war romance was
shattered just as soon as the war ended
and his allotments to his youthful wife,
Cat Uterine. ceased, he told Judge Maxey.
Williams testified that when he re-
turned from service his wife absolutely
refused to live with him. and further
more, told him she had married him for
his allotments.
Another shattered war romance was
that Of Margaret II. Hunt against Claude
Hunt Mrs. Hunt was q nurse In New
York when she met Hunt, who was in
military service. This was June "a, 1918.
When the war was over both returned
to Peckville to live with Mrs. Hunts pa
rents. They were there only a month
when Hunt left. going TO North Dakota.
That was the last she ever heard of him.
the libellant testified.
Hazel Styles and Harry Styles were
married in New York August .. 1918.
They came to Scranton to live. They
were here only a short time, Mrs. styles
testified, when her husband began to
drink heavily. Domestic relations went
from bad to worse. and finally Styles
left. she declared. and has not been
heard from since.
BY maintaining five minute schedule
to-day the list was practically cleaned
up by Judge Maxey. Several continu-
ances were granted. but for the nj ,st
part the list ran on scheduled time.