Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 221, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 September 1911 — DENIED DIVORCE WAS MARY PIERCE MICHAL. [ARTICLE]

DENIED DIVORCE WAS MARY PIERCE MICHAL.

Girl Wife of Young Farmer Unable to Secure Decree—Sequel to St. Joe Elopement.

Judge Hanley this Tuesday morning rendered his decision in the suit for divorce brought by Mary Pierce Michal against Vern Michal, denying the decree. Judge Hanley stated that he did not think the grounds sufficient for divorce and in the presence of the attorneys, J. A. Dunlap and Frank Foltz for the plaintiff and Moses Leopold for the defendant, rendered the adverse decision. It is not often that a divorce is denied in the Jasper circuit court, or in any other court; generally because the circumstances are such that there can be no question about the plaintiff being entitled to the decree, and it is a rare thing that the defendant appears in,a divorce case in this county. The public did not know that the case was-coming up for trial and that the defendant intended to fight it, or the court house would have been crowded. No separation of husband and wife has been more discussed in Jasper county than that of Vern Michal and his wife and the public has all the time believed that 1 there was not sufficient trouble between the principals to justify a separation. People have been saying “What a pity,” whenever their separation was discussed, and the failure of the plaintiff to procure a divorce has been generally predicted. The plaintiff appeared in the court room clad in a white sailor waist with, a sailor collar fringed with pink, a rose colored skirt and a felt hat trimmed in velvet ribbon. Her cheeks were flushed with crimson and she looked very attractive as she took the witness stand to tell of the causes she thought Sufficient to justify a legal separation. In the' beginning of her testimony she stated that they were married May 28, 1910, and that they lived together until October 15, 1910. She was asked about their difficulties and she said that various things led up to their separation, first starting with his effort one morning to make her get up first and she -stated that he pushed her out of bed. Then one time later, after she had picked berries for canning, she came back to the house in the evening feeling sick and went to bed. She said that Vern was angry and refused to speak to her when he came to their room to retire. She stated that his parents came out there and lived with them and that caused her to worry because she was not consulted about everything that took place in the house. Later she said that Vern forbade her going to seeker mother and refused to let her speak to her mother or her sisters. She told how they went to her home the Thursday night after they were (Continued on Page Four.)