Walker v. Walker

Oct 20, 1898
Reporters:
,
Before:
Barker
Barker, J.

If, as the libellee contends, the letter of the libellant to him ‍‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌‍of December 15, 1891, with her subsequent conduct until he committed adultery in the year 1892, was a desertion which if continued for three ‍‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌‍years would have given him ground for divorce, the libellant yet had a locus penitentiae, and under our decisions, after the adultery of the libellee, was under ‍‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌‍no obligation to return to him, and he cannot set up the desertion in bar of her libel for his adultery committed before her ‍‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌‍desertion had continued so long as to give him a right to a divorce. Hall v. Hall, 4 Allen, 39, 41. Clapp v. Clapp, 97 Mass. 531. See also Handy v. Handy, 124 ‍‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌‍Mass. 394; Cumming v. Cumming, 135 Mass. 386, 389; Morrison v. Morrison, 142 Mass. 361; Watts v. Watts, 160 Mass. 464, 467. Exceptions overruled.