from The Republican (Danville, Indiana)—issue of Thursday, July 12, 1923—page 1, column 2:
HUSBAND FINALLY REBELS SEEKING PEACE IN DIVORCE
Complaint Recites Events Prior to Wife's Leaving Home
Some eight months of married life during which time, according to the complaint filed, the cave-man instincts would have been aroused in most men, Daniel Reitzel has filed suit for divorce from Beulah Reitzel. The parties live in the Hazelwood neighborhood.
Plaintiff alleges cruel and inhuman treatment and goes into details: that he and his brother were operating a farm of 140 acres and defendant refused to cook and keep house for him and required plaintiff to wash the dishes and clean the house and do practically all the cooking; that plaintiff frequently came in for his meals and found that defendant had done nothing toward preparing the same and that he would either have to prepare the meals himself or go to his parents' home for something to eat.
Plaintiff alleges that prior to his marriage, he took part in church and Sunday school work and in community affairs and that after his marriage his wife objected and refused to allow him to attend church or Sunday school or take part in community movements.
He alleged that defendant was extremely jealous and on a few occasions when she allowed him to go to church and Sunday school, she required him to do all the house work before he could go and she further required that when he reached the church, he was to go inside immediately and have no conversation with anyone whatever and that he was allowed and permitted to speak only to gentlemen at the church and he was not allowed to speak to the ladies and that when on one or two occasions, he spoke to ladies, defendant became angry and abused plaintiff and refused to have anything to do with plaintiff for a long time and told plaintiff if the like ever happened again that she would deliberately tell them in the church what she thought about such actions.
Plaintiff alleges that defendant refused to attend church and would not allow plaintiff to attend church at Hazelwood or Stilesville or any other place and, it is alleged, she said that people in the community who attended church were ignorant and low-down and not fit for her to associate with, although said people were good and respectable citizens and had always been friends and acquaintances of plaintiff.
It is alleged that defendant refused to visit their neighbors, and refused to allow plaintiff to visit, saying that the neighbors were low-down.
Plaintiff alleges that on occasions when it was necessary to go to town to trade, defendant would allow him a certain amount of time in which to go, do his trading and return home and that if he was delayed in reaching home, defendant would be in a fit of anger and would bemean him and accuse him of infidelity and of spending money on other women and of loafing with “trashy” and “onery” people. It is also alleged that she made false charges about plaintiff's brother.
Plaintiff further alleges that defendant would accuse him of mistreating her because he would not abandon his work and spend all his time with her and told plaintiff that should she die, he would be guilty of murder.
Plaintiff charges that when his relatives would come to visit them, defendant would refuse to get breakfast and she told plaintiff that she could have gotten up and prepared breakfast but that she was going to show plaintiff his place as she had forbidden him from having company.
Plaintiff charges that she has a high and uncontrollable temper and would have sullen spells. He says that finally she left him and it is impossible for them to live together. They were married August 20, 1922 and separated April 1, 1923.