Hedding v. Inman

The opinion of the court was delivered by This was an action for divorce. The appeal is from an order of the trial court entered some years after the divorce was granted, denying defendant's motion for an order changing the custody of Susan, an eight-year-old daughter of the couple. The plaintiff John and Georgia Mae, defendant, were married in South Carolina on April 19, 1941. She was seventeen years old at the time. In January, 1942, they moved to Washington, Kan., and began to live on a farm with John's mother and sister. For some reason things did not go too well for the young couple and she decided to return to South Carolina. John bought her a bus ticket, gave her $10 and put her on the bus. She had been raised in an orphanage so did not have any home to which she could go, but started to live with a friend. Soon after her arrival, she went to work at a cracker factory for $30 a week. She worked there until two days before Susan was born, October 6, 1942. She was in the hospital four days and four days after she was released from the hospital she went to work in the cracker mill from 11 p.m. until 7 a.m., earning $16 a week. To supplement this income she got a job in a dime store from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. for $8 a week. She hired a lady to look after Susan and did her own housework. A short time after Susan's birth John sued Georgia Mae for divorce in the district court of Washington county. A decree was entered on the 6th day of January, 1943. Service was had on Georgia Mae by publication. She did not appear.