Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 228, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 September 1911 — DIVORCE AND ALIMONY JUDGMENT OF THE COURT. [ARTICLE]

DIVORCE AND ALIMONY JUDGMENT OF THE COURT.

Mrs. Florence Embree, es Rensselaer, Secures Decree of Separation From Wmri H. Embree. The third hotly contested divorce case of the term was fought opt Tuesday and Tuesday night in the Jasper circuit court. The plaintiff was Florence Embree, who for almost two years has heeq jt servant in the home of Mrs. Alfred Thompson. The defendant was Ziari H. Embree, pf Parke county, near Tangier, where he owns a farm of 77 acres, valued at about $1,500. The plaintiff claimed that the defendant was guilty of cruel and inhuman treatment. The couple were married in 1886 and lived together until about three years ago, when the treatment of the defendant forced her to tak-v her two daughters, Blanche, aged 21, and Minnie, aged 16, and leave the home. The evidence brought out some' queer actions op the part of Embree. On June he got out of bed at about 10:30 o’clock and slipped into his trousers and went to the barn and

spent the balance of the night, and after that he established his regular sleeping quarters in the barn, but he ate his 'meals 'jwith his family. To them he assigned no reason for his conduct, but in testifying in his own behalf Tuesday he admitted that he had slept in the barn for some time and assigned as his v reason that his wife and daughters had annoyed him by talking about the daughters of a neighbor with whom he was. on very friendly terms. He complained that they frequently indulged In gossip about his neighbors and he stood for It a considerable time, but when he had to be waked up in the middle of the night to hear them discussed, he thought it was time to move to the barn where &e would not be annoyed. His defense of his action did not seem to make very much of impression with the court, and those in the Jury room seemed to regard the gossip privilege as a prerogative of women, that a man who had been married a quarter of a century ought to tolerate. Embree seemed to be a good deal of a crank and the evidence was very conclusive that if a woman had to l.ve with him it wo'il.i be up to one or thef other to spend most of the time in the barn. His removal to the barn was really the most considerate thing brought out in the testimony that he did for the comfort of his family.

The plaintiff’s testimony sad that of her daughters showed the defendant to be a sullen and grouchy character. He refused to speak to members of the family for months at a time and during the time he slept in the barn he provided almost nothing for the sustainance of his family and they lived so scantily that they almost starved. Finally he found it too cold In the barn and told them that he wanted to come back into the bouse and wanted a room to himself. He was told to take any room he wanted and he then said he wanted the whole house. Mrs. Embree told him that she would go away and the girls said they would accompany her .and he gave them a few days In which to dispose of some things Mrs. Embree owned. When they started away he told them that he wanted it understood thpt he was not driving them away, but they could hardly understand hts motive If that 7 was not it If he is4he sort of husband and father they pictured him he ought to have to spend the balance of his days in the barn and «at out of the manger, while his .family, who are refined people, enjoy the comforts of life. Mrs. Embree and her daughters have established themselves in the friendship of several excellent families here and their friends were much gratified that the verdict of the court was a divorce ami Alimony In the sum of S6OO, to be paid S2OO each year for three years. The plaintiff was represented by W. H. Parkinson and J. A. Dunlap, while Attorney Ratcliffe, a shrewd lawyer from Covington, represented the defendant