Dick Cowen: Why We Have No-Fault Divorce

Retired Morning Call reporter Dick Cowen has learned why we now have no-fault divorce. Here's his ditty.

There used to be a column labeled Out of Lehigh's Past that ran in The Call for a time. Here's one bit that was missed, tucked away in a Lehigh County divorce file that is tucked away at the Lehigh Valley Heritage Center (nee Lehigh County Historical Society):

In 1900, married couple Frank and Mary Ritter were no longer living together. She had her own place. A helpful young neighbor told the husband that Mary was letting people in her house "that had no business there. I told him he should attend to it and get a divorce." It seemed a chap named Knauss was a frequent visitor at Mary's, even helping to install a screen door.

The husband advised the helpful neighbor to talk to his (Mr. Ritter's) lawyer, T.F. Diefenderfer. "I told him (Diefenderfer) what I had seen. The lawyer told me to watch a little bit. I then did watch. I made it my business and then did watch.

"After that, I saw Mrs. Ritter and Mr. Knauss come home . . . about ten minutes after twelve on a Saturday night. They both went into the house. I soon saw a light upstairs in her front room.

"Then, I got a ladder, climbed up and looked into the window. The painter had left it (the ladder) in my yard.

"I put the ladder at the front of her house. I looked into the room through (the) fly-screen. The shade was about two or three inches from the bottom. There was a light in the room. I saw Mrs. Ritter undressed there and Mr. Knauss undressed. Then, Mrs. Ritter went into bed and Mr. Knauss, too. into the same bed. I did not wait to see what was going on further.

"I took the ladder away and sat down on my alley-step and put the ladder in my alley. I waited till Mr. Knauss came out. . .at a quarter to one o'clock."

So much for neighborliness.

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