preface

23 1 0
                                    

playlist:

emmylou harris - beneath still waters
tammy wynette - D-I-V-O-R-C-E
kate wolf - across the great divide
david ferguson - the housebuilding song
pasty cline - i fall to pieces
david ferguson & matt sweeney - a quiet time
crystal gayle - ready for times to get better
emmylou harris - red dirt girl
the highwomen - redesigning women
the bellamy brothers - if i said you had a beautiful body would you hold it against me
summer dean & colter wall - you're lucky she's lonely
waylon jennings - don't think twice
dolly parton, linda ronstadt & emmylou harris - do i ever cross your mind
emma ruth rundle - the distance
nanci griffith - lone star state of mind

Lorena June Milner

Lorena June Milner

Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.

Ronald (Ron/Ronnie) 'Snake' Milner

Ronald (Ron/Ronnie) 'Snake' Milner

Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.

Arthur Morgan

Arthur Morgan

Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.

Philippa Timmons

Philippa Timmons

Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.

Hank Larson Jr.

September 14th, 1898

Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.

September 14th, 1898

Dear Mrs. Lorena June Milner,

I trust this letter finds you in good health. In accordance with your recent inquiry, I write to provide counsel on the delicate matter of obtaining a divorce. As you will be aware, the law of our day does not readily afford a lady the liberty to file for divorce independently. Indeed, the prevailing statutes are such that a woman, by her own act or petition, is not legally empowered to seek the dissolution of marriage.

However, there are lawful avenues by which you may yet pursue relief. The first and most straightforward option is that of obtaining the consent of your husband, who may then himself present the petition to the courts on your behalf. In cases where this is possible, the process may proceed with a degree of civility and mutual understanding, thereby avoiding the need for further familial intervention.

In circumstances where your husband's consent cannot be gained or is refused, the law provides another recourse. It allows that the petition for divorce may be initiated by a male relative on your behalf, namely your father or, failing him, a brother, should such a relative be in existence and willing to act in this capacity. This measure, though requiring the intervention of a male guardian, affords some degree of agency to a lady by ensuring her cause may still be advanced, even when denied her husband's agreement.

It is incumbent upon me to add that in either course of action, the presentation of a justifiable cause, such as adultery or desertion as you so wished to disclose, remains necessary to satisfy the courts that the petition for divorce is grounded in lawful reason.

I remain, Madam, your most obedient servant, and should you wish to proceed in any manner aforementioned, I would be most pleased to assist you further.

Yours faithfully,

John Percival Sinclair

Sinclair Legal and General Limited
Van Horn Street
Blackwater
West Elizabeth

Dear Lorena • Arthur Morgan x OCWhere stories live. Discover now