Imperial Valley press., 1944-11-26

Yuma S ma rla5c racket con-
/ tinues to cause Imperial county diff
ficulty." Judge Vaughn N. Thomp-
son said Saturday. by making it
possible for runaway minors 10
marry. starting a chain Of cvelits
which frequently ENDS with both
parties of the marriage in Juvenile
court
Judge Thompson said hC checked
the reccl ds and found that between
September / and November Is this
year sc marriage licenses were is
sued and 81 divorce and annulment5
were filed in Imperial county.
WE'D IN YUMA
"A total of 81 CT tho couples
s-eking divorce or annulment were
married IN Yuma, Judge Thompson
said. Fifty per cent Of the mar
riages that went or the rocks were
made in Yuma where no health ceg-.
tificatts are required. little or nc
attention is Paid to the ages Of the
partiec seeking marriage licenses,
and several preachers and judges
racket Most of our Juvenile court
cases deal with children from
j broken homes
He declared that the issuing Of
marriage licenses and the marrying
Of couples in Yuma is commercial
deal in which there is q rivalry as
tC who can make the MOST money
out Of marrying couples. many OF
whom are not eligible to marry 10.
reasors of age, physical condition,
or lack Of scbliety.
In the last several years the
juvenile court judge said, "abcut
! half Of the wards Of cur juvenile
! court have been permitted to mary
/ in Yuma. Three or four of those
j girls were only l3 years Of age. Oaa
/ girl was only IL years old. They Oh
tanned marriage licenses in Yuma
and were married there, 10 Cne
taking anv notice Of the fact that
most Of them looked their ages.
Yuma's carelessne in carrying on
the marriage racket means gIlet
for Imperial county where the
trouble usually hes 10 be ironed out
in Juvenile couit.'
He pointed cut that it is some
/ times the boys who also are under
the legal age to marry but are given
marriage licenses and judge or
preacher marries them in YumP.
ARIZONA LAW
Z
clerk. preacher, priest or Judge
guilty of misdemcanOr if taking
part in permitting minors to mar
/ rv without the consent o. parents CT
guardian" Judge Thompson SAID.
/ why that law isn't enforced IN
Yuma I never have been able TO un-
derstand. Minors should be permit
ted to marry only with the written
or verbally expressed permission OF
parents or guardian
He said that juveniles had testl-
fled in his court that they have
/ paid hctel clerks and service station
/ attendants in Yuma to attend TO de-
tails about getting marriage IL
censes out of regular office hours.
L recall a case where one Of the
wards of Imperial county juvenile
( court. a girl Is years Of age ran
away to Yuma and married a minor
/ without the consent of the parents
the court or the juvenile authofi-
ties" Judge Thompson said.
we brought the couple back to
Imperial county and called the
parents in. The parents decided they
would not interfere with the mar
riage. We Insisted that the couple
be re-mariied in California and sent
] them 10 get health certificate. The
boy was suffering from a vencfeaI
disease and the girl was pregnant
the tests shoWtd.
TOOK MEASURES
we made the boy a ward Of the
juvenile court, had him take treat
ments until he was cured Of the dis
case, placed the girl in care Of a