The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1921-03-11
DIVORCE LAWS
UPSET FOR $1,000
Elizabeth City Girl Wanted a Di-
vorce-Her Attorney Has
Law Amended To Fit
Her Case.

Inefe was a lone woman member of
the recent General Assembly of North
Carolina, Miss Exum Clements, of Ashe.
vile. Miss Clements was quiet, staid.
demure and unobtrusive member. There
was nothing militant about her; she did
MT go to Raleigh shouting for woman's s
rights or proclai1nipg Eve told you So
She just took her seat in corner and
let the men run that law-making ma
chine without interference from, her. And
presently all the male members began
to wonder what the little woman from
Asheville wanted to come there for any,
way. And most of them decided that
if she ever made known what she want
ed they would obligingly let her have
it, because she was so friendly, so self
effacing and so NICE
The male members of the General
Assembly, both Houses, thought they
had found what Representative Glenn
ents wanted one day when she dropped
bill into the hopper striking out the
word ten in line two of Sec. of Article
1859 of the North Carolina Consolidat-
ed Statutes. The members were occu-
pied with road legislation, stock law leg
islation, tick legislation, appropriations
and every other kind of legislation. They
didn't pay much attention to the Glenn
ents' bill. It appeared that she wanted
to so amend the divorce law that five
years would be a sufficient length of
time for husband and wife to live
apart in North Carolina ia order to get
q. divorce. VERY vel, if that was what
the women wanted, let EN- have It!
In some such frame of mind was the
average member of the General Assem-
bly,.
GIiss Clements made no fuss about her
bill. Nobody made any fuss about it
and it travelled thru the routine of pass
age in the House, went to the Senate,
got thru there, was ratified and became
a law.
The true history of that Clements
Divorce Act which makes it easier by
five years for an estranged couple to
get a divorce in North Carolina is an
interesting story which this newspaper
has not hitherto been enabled to tell.
That Clements Divorce Act is nothing
more nor less than the work of an en-
terprising Elizabeth City lawyer and
how he came to put the thing over will
give local gossip something to talk
about for a week.
There is a certain highly estimable
little woman in Elizabeth City who
wants a divorce from her husband from
whom she has been separated for five
years. Her father took the case to
T Qcfn
of $1,000 if Mr.. Cohoon would get a
divorce for the daughter.
The, law was against him. There are
only four grounds for divorce in this
state First, either husband or wife |
must have committed adultery; Second, |
either husband or wife must be naturally |
impotent; Third, the wife must have |
been en- ciente without the knowledge |
Of the husband at the time of marriage;
Fourth, husband and wife must have
lived apart for ten successive years.
The Hon. Walter L. Cohoon could see
out one way to get that thousand dol
ar fee and that way was to amend the /
Divorce Laws, Attempts to amend
;hese laws had been made before, but
such attempts had invariably precipitat-
ID a fight and ended in defeat. But
Walter Cohoon is indomitable. The Leg
stature was in session and he packed
,ff to Raleigh and stayed right there
until he got what he wanted. He wrote
he bill which Miss Clements introduced
md Miss Clements was persuaded that
t was a right good bill for the relief of
he oppressed women of her sex. And
10 one thought of Cohoon in connection
With the bill, tho everybody wondered
rhat was keeping Cohoon in Raleigh
II these weeks.
There was a Baptist preacher in the
1eneral Assembly who might have
ucked the Clements Bill but Walter
Johoon and that Baptist preacher struck
% such an intimate acquaintance that
he preacher couldn't see the Divorce
sill thru Cohoon, or see Cohoon thru
he Divorce Bill. The preacher never
ave trouble.
And so here's the inside story of how
he drastic divorce laws of North Car
lima got an amendment in the recent
-eneral Assembly.