Evening star., 1923-06-05

Lord Fermoy, who. as is we'll known,
was long separated from his Amerf-
can wife She left hin1-he was then
known as the Hon. James Burke Roche
and with her two boys and her
daughter fe1oined her father the
IAte Frank Work. IN N4w YORK. She
pelaWare courts a divorce This was
corded IN Burke's for the followins
year, whereupon James Burke Hocne,
running for parliament at the time In
a Roman Catholic constituency, instl-
tuted proceedings against the pub
fishers for having proclaimed him In
their pages to be divorced man, ana
as such. to have compromised his
prospects of success at the polls. He
confer led that in the first place. be
ing an Irishman, neither he nor MS
wife could secure a dissolution of
their marriage except by act of par
Lament, since divorce has always
been unknown in Irish Jurisprudence
and / may add still remains so un-
der the new and altered conditions
now existing in the Emerald Isle
the only difference being that Irish
men are now precluded. according to
a recent decision from applying to
the imperial parliament al Westmtn-
ster for a dissolution of their mar
riage. james Burke Roche argued
that the divorce obtained by his wife
from the courts OF Delaware was
utterly valueless in the eyes of Eng,
lish and Irish law. since she had
him and could onIv secure matri-
monial freedom by a decree OF the
British courts or by act of parliament
at Westminster. He demanded dam
ages from the editors. Indeed. ii is
quite true that after this publication
in the pages of Burke's about the
No a a
able TO obtain seat in parliament.
In the end Burke's were compelled
TO publish correction or their state
ment and to pay damages. while in
those pages of their annual editions
subsequent to the lawsuit. they were
obliged 10 avoid all mention of the
divorce. He died couple OF years
ago. just a few months after he had
succeeded 10 his elder brothers peer
age as Lord Fermoy. his wife thereby
becoming through the invalidity in
British eyes Of her Delaware divorce.
a peeress of the realm as Lady Fer
moy and entitled to all the preroga-
tives OF that position. including i'm
munfty from the jurisdiction of the
ordinary courts of law. But SINCE
the late Lord Fermoy is now dead
and can no longer he injuriousiy
affected in the eyes of the irish
constituency which he sought in vain
to represent in parliament some
of Rurke's has placed once more
on record in lis pages for the first
time since 1892 the fact that his
wife had obtained from him an
American divorce.
Another Case Lost.
In another instance an insurance
agent of the name OF Munr" obtained
verdict Of damages to the tune of
one farthing that is to say, half Il
cent-f:om the publishers of Burke's
for having stated through some mis-
print tina. his grandfather. who was
a very remote relative of an obscure
, baronet. had died unmarried.
That these lawsuits against
Rurke's have been so very few and
far between furnish conclusive proof
how very careful the editors are in
keeping their wonderful annual up
to date and free from every kind OF
mistake.
The Burke for 1923 shows that since
the beginning of the war. over 100
new peerages have been created and
nearly 800 baropetcies, while very
near an equal number Of peerages
and baronaGes have become extinct.
! 1t likewise records those British peer
ages that have fallen into allegiance.
and those others which have been
called therefrom by the crown. The
new knighthoods bestowed are also
recorded in its pages. and attention
Is called to the fact that there are
no less than twenty peeresses in
their own right-that Is to say, by
birth and not through marriage
which would give them right to sit
and vote in the house Of lords if they
happened TO nelong to the masculine
persuasion. There is also within th'