The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-05-23
CAN A MAN LIE
TO WIN A WIFE?
SURE HE CAN
But IF She's From BoS.
ton 1t May Not
Work.
BY FORREST WHITE.
Consolidated Press Correspondent.
ICnnuriphf 1000 hv The ArPuSl

Copyright, 1922, by The Argus.)
Los Angeles. Cal, May 23.-The
Fextent to which a man may prac-
tice deception in the winning and
wooing of a maid, when such mis-
representations chiefly concern his
virtues, graces, accomplishments
and social standing, is the fine line
which Judge Hahn has been asked
to draw in the suit for annulment
of marriage brought by Laura s.
Fowle against Charles A. q. Bios
som.
Ministers, welfare workers and
club women at once pounced upon
the suit as raising a question OF
vital Importance to the whole
country, already agitated over the
question of uniform divorce laws,
! to make stronger the bonds of wed
lock. The majority opinion today
seems to favor a definite and fixed
code to hold in check the imagina-
tive wanderings of the male wooer
and to grant the wife relief If she
] can prove that her husband has
transgressed the limit in his rose
ate dreams of past and future il
the course of his wooing.
"A Man of Vision"
Judge Hahn, however, has founc
another angle to this particular
case, that largely is geographical
1t so happens that Laura S. FoWle
before her marriage to Blossom
was a prim and pretty maid of Bos
, ton, schooled in the precepts o
New England manners, while Bios
som of Los Angeles was a produc
= of the great west-the glorious an
boundless west of freedom of actlol
!; and vision-a man of big coun
try. who saw things in big way
: to put it politely. The annulmen
! of the marriage is asked on tn
L ground that Blossom deceived tn
, lady as to his educational and Sc
ciaI standing, to say nothing of tn
glorious future that awaited thel
l in the great west In a word. q
{ had exercised his supposedly IL
alienable right to exaggerate IN n
l mean measure and had obtaine
her consent to marry him throug
fraud and misrepresentation.
But She Is UncOnYinced.
In the tongue of d true Boston
ese the lady fair testified that Bio
som told her he was member
. prominent clubs, a graduate
4 Harvard, that he had been ADM
4 ted to the bar in Massachuset
and a number of other things, a
of which she found untrue wh'
she married him and came to Il
l. Angeles to live.
Judge Hahn, after hearing t
testimony, stated that it seemed
be a question of how far nj
might be allowed to go in picturl
le his good qualities when seekl
Of the hand of a woman in marrlai
III Attorney Walter Gould Linco
n who formerly lived in MassachI
u etts, appearing as counsel for
g aggrieved Mrs. Blossom, declal
ed that the extent to which the
y. fendant was shown to have &C
ne would be consindered gross dec
pit ton and fraud in the good
ce state of Massachusetts.
he Judge Hahn admitted his cont
nd ton but Indicated that the habit
O. well, geration-among so
on westerners. was such that even
ng the defendant Blossom did hi
tn6 1dISe IGpI6SSi4CdNAOAS 90 t-A>Nl
u it might not be considered
pc gether unreasonable here and
N doubted whether the wife would
in entitled to relief, and further
sumed that the proneness of Sc
ice westerners to draw the long
on ought to be generally known
me this time, even in Boston,
&C should be taken into consideraj
in weighing his statements.
Attorney Lincoln was sure
- could show Judge Hahn some \
sachusetts decisions that We
support his contention that B
u som was guilty of practicing II
and deception in winning the pl
I tiff's consent to marry him and
1 case was continued pending
to- sentation of such authorities.
av The final decision is ava
. with great interest.