The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1923-02-15
Judge Grants Divorce to
Anna Petersen from
TOerkeI Petersen.
WIFE Is GIVEN A THIRD
Plaintiff Granted $4,000 as Her
Share; Court Blames
Husband for Trouble.


bles of Toerkel Petersen, a wealthy
Kenosha county farmer, according to
the decision in the circuit court hand
ed down by Judge E. B. Belden this
morning in which he granted the wife,
Anne Johanne Petersen, an absolute
divorce on the ground of desertion.
The wife was also granted $4,000 as
her share of the $23,741 worth of farm
property belonging to the couple; also
the husband, as defendant, was or
dered to pay the costs of the action and
to pay up all arrears of SIS temporary
weekly alimony granted in a previous
order of the court.
The case is an unique one in the
court inasmuch as the wife gained a
divorce on the ground of desertion,
claiming that because Of the cruel and
inhuman treatment she was obliged to
leave the home and that such situation
constitutes desertion on the part of
the husband. 1t was also singular in
that the same evidence which was used
to gain a separation more than year
ago on charge Of cruel and inhuman
treatment was used in this action to
secure divorce on a charge of deser-
ton.
Started Years Ago.
The order of the court, a copy of
which was received this morning by
Attorney George w. Taylor, who was
counsel for the wife in the suit for
divorce, related how the marital trou-
bles of the Pedersens had been brought
before the court more than two years
ago. The family is one of the most
prominent in the town of Paris; they
owned a large farm there and had
reared a family of twelve children.
Because of these facts the court grant
ed a separation in the hopes that
reconciliation could be brought about
later.
The new complaint alleged that this
reconciliation was impossible and asked
for an absolute divorce. In her COM
plant the wife did not allege that she
had been the victim of physical mis-
treatment at the hands Of her husband
but that his attitude towards her and
the conditions created on the farm had
been such as to make it impossible for
her to live there longer. This conten-
tion the order upheld.
Too Eager for Money.
The order of the court declared that
it was regretable that persons who had
lived together for % years, had reared
a large family and by hard work and
meagre living had accumulated large
estate, should come to parting of
the ways.
"The defendant has always been
hard working man, ambitious to sue
coed and to stand out as successful
man financially" reads the decree Of
the court. "By their joint efforts these
parties have acquired fine farm, we'll
stocked and equipped-a place and an
accomplishment to be proud of. l do
not say that the defendant wilfully,
deliberately or consciously treated his
wife in a way such as the law calls
cruel and inhuman.' But the effect of
his demeanor, of his nature, is and has
been such as to amount to that. His
desire to accumulate property over
Swallowed everything else. He became,
if he was not naturally so, hard, stern
and uncompromising. His life was
work. work, work and accumulate
creditable enough, to be sure, so far
as it goes, but accumulation of proper
ty is not the greatest or only thing
in life"
The order goes on to show that the
following Of this rule in the conduct of
the Petersen home created an atmos-
phere which amounted to cruel and
inhuman treatment.
Were Married Years Ago.
Anna Johanne Petersen and Toerkei
Petersen were married in Racine on
August II, 1894. Both had been pre-
viously married. Mrs. Pedersen's first
husband was dead and she had three
children by her former marriage. Pc
dersen's first wife was dead also and
he had six children. In the second
marriage two. children were born, but
at the time petition was made for d.
vorce on the part of Mrs. Petersen, all
the children were over 81.
Mrs. Petersen in this her second
petition for divorce, alleged desertion
on the part of her husband, October
20, 1920. The testimony showed that
it was she who left their home in the
town of Paris on that date, intending
to visit in Milwaukee and return home,
but she did not do so.
DTH QUD kNTTQF EIDE