86 N.J. Eq. 419 | N.J. | 1916
The opinion of the court was delivered by
The petition in this case was filed, seeking to have the marriage between the appellant and respondent dissolved on the ground, that the respondent willfully, continuously and obstinately deserted the appellant, for more than two years before the filing of the petition. The petition was filed on May 18th, 1914. A decree of dismissal was entered m the court of chancery, as advised by the learned advisory master, before whom the case was tried. Hence this appeal on the part of the appellant, the husband. The master, in the conclusion filed by him, based his refusal to advise a decree of divorce on the ground, that the husband never made, any honest and sincere effort to secure the wife’s return to him, and that it was not shown, that if such effort on his part had been made it would not have been accepted by the defendant. The learned advisory master applied the rule, that it was incumbent upon the husband to endeavor to secure his wife’s return to him; the duty was upon him to make the advances, looking to reconciliation, unless such an effort would be evidently useless, the desertion of the wife having been established. We do not agree with the view taken by the learned advisory master of the facts of this case. We think a decree of divorce should have been entered in favor of the appellant, the husband, on the facts as disclosed by the record. The case is peculiarly one of fact. It will be necessary for us, therefore, to briefly review the facts showing the basis on which we rest our conclusion. First, as to residence. The parties were married
In view of this letter, which is in accord with much of the testimony in the case, on this point under discussion, any attempted reconciliation on the part of the husband, it seems to us, would have been a meaningless formality. In this case no such duty existed on.the part of the husband. In cases of this kind the law exacts no such formality.
We think the decree of the court of chancery should be reversed and the case remitted to that court, to enter a decree of divorce in favor of the appellant and against the respondent, in accordance with the views expressed in this opinion.
For affirmance — None.
For reversal — The Ci-iiee-Justice, Garrison, Swayze, Tbenchard, Parker, Bergen, Minturn, EIalisch, Black, White, Heppenheimer, Taylor, Gardner — 13.