Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1922-01-26
SALEM DIVORCE SUIT
WITH CRUELTY TESTn,0 =,

WITH CRUELTY TEsTR1o.Y
IN the superior court here Wednesday,
with Judge Allyn L. Brown presiding, the
court. was occupied all day until $50 in
the afternoon with the trial of the divorce
suit; of Katie Allen Purcell of Salem
against William H. Purcell of Colchester.
Mr.. Purcell who is a farmer is contest
ing the d1<orce, which his wife asks for
1 on the grounds of intolerable. cruelty and
| halbftual intemperance, the latter. it is
CLAIMED, for year past. She asks ali
| mohy and the custody of their daughter
| When court adjourned the evidence
was all in and it was agreed that the at
torneys, Clayton Smith for Mrs. Purcell
and Thomas E. Troland for Mr.. Purcell
would make the arguments Friday after
the short calendar session
The five year old daughter of the
couipQe was in court with the mother. but
during some of the recesses spent the time
in the anteroom sitting on the fathers
lap.
Mrs Purcell was first called to the
stand by Attorney Smith. She testified
that they were married June 49, 1912. and
that her husband was cruel 10 her almost
from their marriage day. She was on the
stand about two hours and told a. long
story of the troubles of the family and
of her husbands drinking habits. She
|
dare to go back to live with him. When
her husband came on the stand later in
the day he fatty contradicted about CIV
eryth1ng she testified to concerning his
drinking or his treatment of her
Mrs Fay Palmer Reed of Groton. Mrs
PurcelPs sister, supported the testimony
/, Ct the wife as did also Ira D. Clifford anf
Allce Houston, to whose home Mrs. Pur.
cen went at times of trouble between her
self and her husband
! Thomas A. Day. who married a s,ste7
A VI nls. Furcell, and in whose home the
couple lived fer a time testified to rnr
cell shooting at Mrs. Purcell tbe I'll
gong through the windshield of an ar+o
: mobile. Testimony by Ernest L. Snenca
closed the case for the plaintiff
Testimony for Defense
William H. Purcell, 80, the defendant
llVed after their marriage on his fatb
r. ers farm. That summer she went ban
l. 10 town, saying it was too lonesome q
l. the farm This he said was her on1
g reason Tor leaving. He denied that h
y ever threatened her with chair a
Threw her out. Later he found her 1,v
ing and working at East Hampton an
ne got wor kthere in a mill. He foun
a that she was known as Katie A11en !
n
10 his wife went back to Colchester as h
g telt he could not stand indoor Wort
% Ihey lived in the village and he wor1
eo on his fathers farm, five miles ava,
l. often walking the distance, wheN h
= did not have horse, although his fatr
. er often provided a horse Five yea,
N ago his father gave him a farm with /
III mead of cattle and a horse as q birtI
day present. His wife refused m 90 I
h1ff
le TO go every Sunday to Colchester 70 e.
T, the baby, taking vegetables and 9TH.
es farm produce Mr.. Purcell said he fir
IN quently asked her to come to farm h,
~ she refused and in the fall went I
&c cheshire to live with her brother IT.
ID Witness visited her there and the ne,
spring he she\ came to Colchester far
to live with him. Her sister came the,
ay later for time, but she used to g
in out nights and not come back till Il
re next morning. He told his wife tn
e. the sister must either stay home nigh
IL or leave the place The sister W,
" married and her husband was in Ne
nd London. In order to make his wi
as better satisfied the witness said
ne bought an automobile, taught her to r,
as 1t ana she had it to go to dances al
the moving pictures at night while
he STAYED home with the baby and I
in. mother in-law. Mrs Purcell kept urgiI
n MN to sell the farm, witness said, al
us he finally sold it for s4,10o and pa
de off a, lot of outstanding debts Sin
he the, third of last April he has given /
lie wife $685. in cash which was from t
as proceeds of the sale of the farm.
me At present the witness said he is wor
ing for his father and is getting S
month and his board and washing.
has no other resources
The witness testified to their got
to live at the Thomas Day place
ed | Salem. although he told her it was
TX place for them. They gave Day and
az son their board for the place and lar
ar charged them 81 a day for the boaro
on Floyd Day. 1t was never paid. D
W. told him he would have to sue for it.
pm Mr.. Purcell testified to a conversat ii
with his wife at Canterbury two wee
Of ago. when she told him she wanted
ION vorce more than anything else and II
Cd she wanted year for good time a
to after that when she came back,
a would marry him again if he wanted
ME She advised him against trying to C
his lect the bill for Floyd Days board
10 she said Tad Day was helping her
re- get, the divorce and she would help h
Der and they would beat the husband
Purcell denied that he was habitua
ms drunk from September to the time Il
gu the farm was sold. He denied that
,rs' offered Day a drink in a hay field.
, ~ told Day that he had shot twice at
i.i@ wife through the windshield of the
YES tomobite, but didn't, hit her, or that
told Day he was going into the house
cut the. heart out of his wife.
eet, Purcell also denied that he had d.
as as his wife had testified in grabbing
hat iackknife, pushing her up against e
7 a door and threatening to cut her he
the out. He denied that he said in JUS
| to Beebe,s court where .he was char
had with breach of the peace and intoxi
80 ton that he was. guilty of all this Z
;, a more When he pleaded guilty he me
ers, that he was guilty of breach of
peace He contradicted the testim
was of his wife that Paul jeffrey grab
fish his hand when Purcell had pistol poi
lder ed at her head The witness said
reat that he didn't threaten to strike his v
IN with horsewhip at the Norwich
who grounds. f5 ts -t5s e s..s-s. s,-
Purcell said he wanted the custody
the daughter and could furnish as e
rles a home as the child ever had. 1t woulC
| with l,is 70 and r,oother and bic