Beem v. Beem
Beem v. Beem
Opinion of the Court
It is our conclusion that the plaintiff is entitled to a divorce. The parties were married on August 31, 1918, at Elgin, Oregon, where they had previously resided. At the time of the marriage she was about 18 and he was about 20 years of age; both came from excellent families; and, as we understand the record, neither party challenges the reputation or standing of the other. Indeed, at the time of the trial, the plaintiff was an officer in a lodge, thus indicating that at that time she had the confidence and esteem of those who knew her best. The defendant testified that the marriage occurred two weeks after the engagement. The defendant says that he knew that the plaintiff was at that time engaged to a young man, whom we shall designate as A, who was then in France with the American Army. The plaintiff denies that she was engaged to A, although she admits that she had been corresponding with him since he had entered the service. The defendant admitted that he was of a jealous disposition.
On September 4th, four days after the marriage, the plaintiff received a letter from A. The evidence does not show when this letter was written, but it is
From time to time the plaintiff and the defendant attended lodges and dances. The plaintiff says that frequently, after they returned home from lodge meetings or dances, he upbraided her for having been too familiar with other men, when she had done nothing except to talk with some men in the lodgerooih or to dance with some man at the dance. These happenings standing alone do not seem to us to possess the importance which the plaintiff attaches to them; and yet they tend to explain the general conduct of the defendant.
The plaintiff charges that the defendant stayed out late at nights, frequented pool-halls, and thus neglected her and their child. Although the defendant has asseverated thus: “Every man should have a little rights, and I don’t think he ought to be set plumb down, on,” still he claimed that he did not loaf around the pool-halls a great deal. It is our view that the evidence does not support this accusation of neglect.
The plaintiff also avers that the defendant failed to support her and the child. If we read the record
If the foregoing narrative included the entire story of the married life of the parties, and if there were no additional facts we should without hesitation say that the plaintiff is not entitled to a divorce. But there are additional facts, important facts, to be considered.
The plaintiff and the' defendant lived in a house in Elgin, and the plaintiff’s mother, Mrs. Dora Hill, lived in or near Elgin. According to the testimony of the plaintiff, the defendant told her “to stay away from” her mother, and “he said he didn’t want me to be around her, and to keep away from her.” Mrs. Dora Hill says that about a month prior to the separation she told the defendant that she had not made a certain statement which he, in a conversation with the plaintiff had attributed to his mother-in-law. Evidently the explanation attempted to be made by Mrs. Hill did not satisfy the defendant, for, according to the testimony of Mrs. Hill, “he told me to never step my foot in his house again.”
“I just gave her something for her nervous condition; she was all to pieces and up in the air.” The baby was also sick. Dr. Kirby explained that “the child at first had tonsilitis, with a temperature of 101 or 102 — a sore throat * * and then later it developed into bronchial pneumonia, — -a pretty sick little child for a few days.” The doctor also stated that “the mother was nervous and sick, and she wasn’t able to take care of the baby, at least she did none of it; her mother took care of the baby”; and, furthermore, Dr. Kirby told the plaintiff’s mother to take care of the baby. According to the testimony of the plaintiff, the defendant “came down, and wanted me to leave mamma right then, and I had orders to stay there with her, — Dr. Kirby had ordered me not to move her [the baby]. * * She had bronchial pneumonia and tonsilitis; she was very sick.”
In other words, the plaintiff went to her mother’s home with her child; the plaintiff was not well and her child was very sick; and because of the condition of the child the plaintiff explained to the defendant that she could not take her child and leave her mother’s home; and all this put him in an ill humor.
The climax came on April 4, 1920. On that day the defendant appeared at the Hill home in company with his brother Lloyd Beem. The plaintiff testified
Since April 4, 1920, the parties have been separated. The plaintiff with her baby has lived with her mother, and the defendant has made no pretense of furnishing food or clothing for his wife or child. If the plaintiff is entitled to a divorce, it is because of what happened on or before April 4, 1920; and we think that the facts warrant the court in grant
Reversed and Remanded, With Directions.
070rehearing
On Petition eor Rehearing.
In the petition for a rehearing it is asserted that we overlooked the evidence concerning the conduct of the plaintiff occurring subsequent
We expressly stated in the original opinion that “if the plaintiff is entitled to a divorce, it is because of what happened on or before April 4, 1920,” and, although we did not discuss in detail the evidence relating to occurrences subsequent to April 4, 1920, the date when the defendant was guilty of the brutal and inexcusable conduct narrated in the original opinion, we did not overlook any evidence concerning the conduct of the plaintiff, nor is it necessary now to rehearse the details found in the record, •for it is sufficient to say that the plaintiff did nothing which, in the circumstances revealed by the record, could have constituted cause for divorce. As stated in the original opinion, the plaintiff comes from an excellent family and her standing and reputation are not even questioned by the defendant. It is not going far afield to say that if her behavior had been censurable she could not have retained, as she did, the esteem and confidence of the people among whom she has lived. The plaintiff whether in attendance upon meetings or dances or social functions was almost invariably chaperoned by her mother. The petition for a rehearing is denied.
Rehearing Denied.
Reference
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