Darnell v. Barker

On July 15, 1938, Virginia Rodgers Barker, now Virginia Rodgers Darnell, filed a suit for divorce in the court below *88against her husband, John Edward Barker, charging him with cruelty and desertion. As an incident to the suit for divorce, the' wife prayed that she be awarded the custody of their eight months old son.

The allegations in the bill were fully proved by the depositions of the wife and supporting witnesses. The evidence showed that the husband drank to excess, abused and threatened his wife with bodily harm, and on one occasion struck her with such violence that she had to be…