Thompson v. Thompson

50 Pa. Super. 159, 1912 Pa. Super. LEXIS 23
CourtSuperior Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedMay 13, 1912
DocketAppeal, No. 233
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 50 Pa. Super. 159 (Thompson v. Thompson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Superior Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Thompson v. Thompson, 50 Pa. Super. 159, 1912 Pa. Super. LEXIS 23 (Pa. Ct. App. 1912).

Opinion

Opinion by

Rice, P. J.,

The parties to. this suit were married, clandestinely, [161]*161on April 3, 1897, in Camden, New Jersey. The libelant was a little less than seventeen years old and the respondent, according to her testimony, was in her eighteenth year, but according to the finding of the master, based on declarations alleged to have been made by her, she was in her twenty-first year. The respondent was at the time a domestic servant in the employ of the libelant’s grandparents in Philadelphia, doing the housework of a family consisting of his grandparents, his mother, a younger sister and an uncle. After the marriage, the parties returned to this household, and so far as outward appearances were concerned their relations thereto were unchanged until July 12, 1897. About 9 A. m. of that day, upon his own volition, according to the testimony of the libelant, but because of her insistence, according to the testimony of the respondent, the libelant divulged the fact of their marriage to his mother. Upon consideration of the evidence upon this disputed question of fact we are led to the conclusion that this disclosure was made with the assent and approval of the respondent, if not wholly because of her insistence that it should be made. The master says, and all the testimony shows, that this disclosure was a great surprise and shock to all the libel-ant’s family and produced great excitement and commotion in the household. According to the respondent’s testimony she was told in so many words that she must leave the house and many other things were said which it will serve no good purpose to quote. The mother, while denying having made some of the remarks attributed to her, admitted that owing to the excitement and commotion she had no clear recollection of what transpired. We need not undertake the task of deciding whether or not she made all the remarks attributed to her, but it is entirely within bounds to say, and of this we are convinced by the testimony, that bitter reproaches were visited upon the libelant, and particularly upon the respondent, because, to quote the language of the master, “of her seniority and her position of trust in the [162]*162family,” and that other indignant and condemnatory remarks were made which, even though they were not expressly so intended, were at least well calculated to indicate to the respondent, and to cause her to believe, that her presence in that household would no longer be acceptable. It was natural and not at all to the discredit of the mother that she should feel sorely grieved and highly indignant, and that she did not at first repress manifestation of these justifiable feelings. But it is claimed that later in the day, when passion had cooled, she and the other members of the family were willing to have the respondent remain in the house, that this willingness was expressed to her, and that notwithstanding this she left the house that evening. As .the learned master found that this act was of itself a willful desertion by her of her husband, it will be well to recite the evidence upon the subject. The libelant’s sister, about twelve years old at that time, testified: “I remember that in the evening she came in the room where my grandfather and grandmother were, and as she entered the room she said, ‘I am going now.’ There was some conversation, and I don’t remember all my grandfather said, but I know he said, ‘You can stay,’ and my grandmother said, ‘You can stay,’ and she said, ‘No, I am going.’” The libelant’s mother testified: “She just went to the door and I went with her, I was standing at the door when she went out and she said my father told her to stay and I says, ‘ Stay then,’ and she says, ‘No, I am going,’ and she went out.” The libelant testified that he left the house in the morning after the disclosure was made, and evidently while the excitement was at its height. He says: “Of course, there was more or less confusion at the time, and I told her to stay; then I left the house and I came back about twelve o’clock and I told her then to stay. She said she would stay and I left the house again.” He did not return until after she had left which was about nine o’clock in the evening. His sister testified that as the libelant was leaving in the morning she heard him sayto his wife, [163]*163“You stay.” The respondent denies that she was told by anyone to stay, but she admits that the libelant’s grandfather spoke to her in a friendly manner and did not seem displeased with the marriage. She further asserts that when the libelant’s mother said she must go, the libelant said, “Then you go and I will take care of you.” It is impossible to reconcile the conflict of testimony upon this subject, and difficult to determine where the exact truth lies. But the weight of the testimony is in favor of the conclusion that the respondent was not actually ejected from the house, as alleged in her answer, or intentionally coerced into leaving by what was said to her. But it is to be borne in mind, in determining whether her act was a willful and malicious desertion, that the expressions of the members of the family, above quoted, were made just as she was about leaving the house, and were accompanied by no intimation as to the terms upon which she could remain. Even if it be conceded that they were uttered in the utmost sincerity and good faith, it must also be conceded that they were scarcely such as necessarily or probably would counteract, at once, the effect produced upon the respondent’s mind by the occurrences of the earlier part of the day. The same is true of the libelant’s alleged injunction, “You stay.” This would have had more significance if he had had any control in the household or had given her some assurance as to what her position in it would be. Another important matter to be noticed is that there is no evidence of any remark or conduct on her part tending to show that in leaving the house she intended to desert, or permanently separate herself from, her husband. As already stated, we do not find that she was ejected from the house. That part of the answer is not sustained by the preponderance of testimony. But when all the occurrences of the day, as well as at the very moment of leaving, are considered, we are unable to agree with the finding of the learned master that there was a willful and malicious desertion of the libelant by the respondent on July 12, 1897, when she left the house.

[164]*164We are confirmed in this conclusion by what occurred afterwards. After she left she lived with respectable friends for a time, and later, down to the time of hearing, worked as a servant at various places and sometimes in a mill. A day or two after she left he visited her and according to her testimony told her not to worry, everything would be all right and they would soon be housekeeping. The following letter, which he wrote her on July 24, 1897, furnishes significant evidence as to the nature of their relations at the time:

“My Dear Wife:—
“lam sorry to no that you are so bad [she was pregnant at the time and in view of her condition had asked him for money] but I am going down to Charley Wright to get Jim [a dog] and going to sell him but I had to do it. I am trying to get something to do but cannot find it. They may put me in some business after while. The reason that I did not get up last night was that I had a cold and did not want to go out. But I am all right now. I will try to get up next week sure so don’t you cry no more about so.
“ Yours truly, Your loveing husband,
“W. D. Thompson.”

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
50 Pa. Super. 159, 1912 Pa. Super. LEXIS 23, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/thompson-v-thompson-pasuperct-1912.