San Francisco Call, Volume 94, Number 119, 27 September 1903 — CATS DRIVE HIM FROM HIS HOME [ARTICLE]

CATS DRIVE HIM FROM HIS HOME

Wife's Love for Felines Disturbs Peace of Colson.

Gets a Divorce Because the Pussies Usurp His Place.

A cat met him at every turn. An angry "pst" and a chorus of blood curdling "mews" greeted his every move. When he retired at night he needs must exercise great care lest he should disturb the slumbers of a feline snugly ensconced between the sheets of his bed. When he arose in the morning he had to exercise great precaution lest he should expose his bare feet to the claws of numerous pussies and provoke a melody that would ring in his ears for the rest of the day. In fact, every minute of Henry Wyman Page Colson's time at his home in Sommervllle. Mass., was spent in dodging cats. For five years he stood it and then fled to this city. Here he was free from the presence of cats of all kinds, whether they were costly Angoras, pedigreed Maltese or members of the Thomas and Maria family whose midnight stunts would drive a deacon to the xise of profanity and the most dignified citizen to unseemly antics with bootjacks and other prized- possessions.

CONSULTS LAWYER.

Once here. Colson set about making bis emancipation final. He betook himself to the ofllce of a lawyer and told his tale of woe. The legal '.uminary was puzzled, for he had never brought an action against the feline tribe. He thought of Injunction proceedings, mandamus and even habeas corpus. But there was no relief for Colaon in any of these proceedings. "Who owns these cats?" said the lawyer, hoping for a response that would aid him. "Mrs. Susan Loring Colson, my wife," said Colson.

"Then you must have a divorce," cried the lawyer. And the next day the suit was filed. It was heard yesterday by Judge Murasky, who promptly gave ColFon a decree on the ground of cruelty. Numerous depositions of Boston people corroborative of Colson's tale were read In evidence. Colson's complaint is one of the most complete recitals of the troubles of married life ever filed here. It recites that he was married at Mattapolsett, Mass., in November. 1S7S. For fourteen years he and his wife were happy. It was in 1832 that their troubles commenced. He was at that time a prosperous hotel-keep-er at £ommerville. He did not live at his hotel, but maintained a handsome residence near by. His wish was that his wife should take ur> her residence at the hotel, but she would not. This led to the first auarrel, and soon his wife was making his life miserable by accusing him of conduct unbecoming a good husband. She came to his hotel and insulted his guests and one night broke up a -whist party. She sa.ld the game was Immoral and insisted that he should leave. She compelled him to take her home and on the way thither abused him, winding up her tirade by kicking and scratching him and endeavored to stab him with a hatpin.

QUARRELED OFTEN.

Such fights followed In rapid order during the next few years and he was finally compelled to retire from business. Even then he -was' not free from attacks by his wife, for she wrote letters to his successor in business and to the guests of the hotel, in which she said her husband was guilty of all sorts of unseemly actions.

It was not until 1897 that the cats were brought In Colson's unhappy life. In that year Mrs. Cclson developed a fondness for cats of every degree and fairly filled her house with them. Some were sick, and they were all dirty, but their condition only affected Colson. Every room In the house was eoon filled with them and their numbers increased, despite Colson's frequent raids and attempts to kill every one of them. Mrs. Colson cared only for the cats, with the natural result that the Colson home soon became a wreck. The unlucky husband's friends for a time continued their visits, but for a very short time, and soon the visits ceased altogether. They preferred leaving him to the company of his Wife and her cats to running the risk of being infested with vermin and having their clothes ruined and their olfactory nerves shocked by a call at the Colson home. It was early in March, 1902, that Colson, driven almost crazy by his wife and her cats, determined to end it all. In March of that year he left his home and came to this city and established a residence. When he was here a year he consulted a lawyer and the suit was filed, which yesterday resulted In the severance of his Irksome bonds.

FEARS PROSECUTION.

In an application for a modification of the decree of divorce granted her last July from Edward Bruce Elliott Lillian Elliott says that her husband fears to return to this city because he la Indebted to the firm of Goldberg, Bowen & Co., his former employers, In the sum of $900. She says he fears prosecution and will never pome back and for that reason she asks the court to modify her decree of divorce by awarding her the custody of the child, who was given into Elliott's custody in the original decree. A suit for divorce was filed by Mabel Trask against Henry C. Trask. They were married in August, 1900. According to the complaint Trask,- abandoned his wife in April of the following year. Desertion is charged in the complaint filed by Edward Shay against Mary Shay. A divorce for desertion was granted to Anna E. Flagg from Edward Flagg.