New Britain herald., 1930-09-16
BRIDE |NTERCEPTS
 LETTERS ID HUBBY
Unhappy Wife Tells Judge of Amorous Correspondence

Mir. and Mrs. Ralph Matthews of VI Oak street have been married bnly eight months but have found the going exceedingly rough on the matrimonial seas. according to their testimony in police court today when the husband, who is 23, was hrraigned on the charge of breach $ pf the peace and assaulting his wife. They are Negroes.
 Mrs. Matthews almost broke down pn the witness stand as she accused Ralph of corresponding with other women and favoring them with his company. She said she had letters which had come to him from a woman in New York and she knew also that he had answered them Women in Hartford, where he is employed. also seem to welcome his attentions, she said
 Several times she has been beaten Hnd kicked by him but she was afraid to do anything about it be- cause of his threat to kill her if she ever had him arrested but his ac- tions Sunday and yesterday cd6sti- tuted the proverbial last straw and she called the police. She and Ralph drove to Hartford Sunday, she relat- ed as she fought hard to choke back the tears, and he left her there while he and a male friend went to Spring field with two women. Not only that, but he did not even stop for her on D house in Hartford.
 . When he came home from work last evening she "got after him about it" and he struck her about the head and body. Officer Henry Zajkowski, detailed to investigate her complaint, arrested Matthews in gasoline station at Hartford ave- nue and North streets, but Matthews denied to him that he had struck his wife The latter, however, repeated her complaint.
 Admits Striking Bride
 Matthews admitted that he made practice of striking his wife early in their married life but since a po- lceman, who was called in one night, urged him to give the kid a break" he had refrained from as- saulting her. He denied that he was interested in other women and said the reason he had not taken his wife tto Springfield Sunday was that his male companion, who owned the car, did not want her to go along. He stopped in Hartford on the way back but saw no light in the house where he had left his wife, so he did not go in he said. He learned later, he said, that the electric fuses had blown out in the house, leaving it in darkness.
 As soon as he reached home last evening his wife berated him, he said, and he made up his mind that they were not intended for each other, so he started to go out to telephone to Probation Officer Con- nolly. hoping he could do some thing to smooth their path. His wife ordered him to stay in the house and when she tried to hold him he simply pushed her away, not mean ing to hurt her, he said. He was just about to telephone to MT. Con- molly after a man in the gasoline station had found the number in the telephone book, when the officer ar rested him.
 Mrs Matthews, in her opening testimony, did not tell all her story, but after hearing his defense she asked to be heard again and it was then she rattled the family skeleton until it could be heard at a distance.
 Judge Sake imposed a fine of $7 and costs on the assault charge and added a suspended jail sentence of 30 days, also placing Matthews on probation.
 Promises to Take Pledge
 Henry McNamara, 2S, of II Oak street charged with breach of the peace and drunkenness, promised to take the pledge to abstain from intoxicants if given another chance, so Judge SaXe imposed a suspended Jail sentence sof 60 days. Officer James Sullivan, who made the ar rest about 10:45 o'clock last night, testified that McNamara has been Intoxicated every night for six months to his knowledge.
 It was disclosed by the testimony that Mrs. Patrick McGuire, who is McNamara's sister, is in a hospital, and her mother is taking care of her children at il Oak street. Me- Namara, to make room for the chll- dren, went to his sisters basement tenement at 390 Elm street some time ago. He accused the owner of the house and one of the tenants of prying open a window in the base ment tenement and piling all the furniture in two rooms, and when he demanded to know by what right they did so, they told him they needed one of the rooms. He had been drinking but he was not intoxi- Cated, and he felt he was within his rights in taking them to task. AS to his right to be in the tenement, he showed Judge Sake the key which his sister gave him.
 The complaining tenant accused McNamara of swearing at him and declared he would complain to the board of health of the dirty condi- ton of the basement tenement. There is so much noise there when McNamara and his friends hold forth late at night that others in the house cannot sleep, he said.
 Prosecuting Attorney Woods re- called Officer Sullivan and asked him about the alleged dirty condition of the tenement. The officer, char. Rcterized it as filthy"