| Summary: | Petition for divorce and alimony. It was alleged that whilst the petitioner was confined to her bed, the defendant shot a very valuable negro woman belonging to the children of the petitioner, threatened to kill her and whipped two of his slaves within her hearing, adding to her suffering and aggravating her illness. Petition rejected by the Supreme Court and order by the Court below for the defendant to pay [dollars] 150 to the plaintiff was reversed. None of the following were judged to be sufficient grounds for relief or for divorce. It had been argued by counsel that the defendant's cruel treatment of the children of the petitioner by a former marriage, his abusive and insulting language, taken together with his violent treatment of slaves adjacent to her room whilst she was sick, did constitute sufficient grounds. The Supreme Court had the most trouble in dismissing the third of these points, but they sided with the defendant as it was judged that he had just cause for punishing the slaves.
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