Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1859-06-15
The Fry Divorce Case.

The Fry Divorce Case.
We copy the following on the Fry Di-
vorce Case, from the Blair County Wing of
the Sd ult., which takes rather different
view Of the merits of the above case, from a
number of the newspapers of this State
during the penden cy and since the defeat
of Mrs. Fry's application, before the last
Legislature. We have not deemed it me-
cessary to express any opinion upon the
it, as in the absence of a full knowledge
of the case in all its bearings, that would
be very difficult to do correctly; but we
give the extract to show that there are,
or were, two sides to the case when the
vote was taken, and that possibly the
Immortal eight. who voted on the di-
vorce were not so far wrong after all.
Among the mulimdinous affairs before
the Legislature last winter, nothing at,
tracted so much general attention as the
petition Of Mrs. Emily L. Fry, praying
for the passage Of an act divorcing her
from Horace B. Fry. 1t was the theme of
constant conversation at the Capital, and
the Philadclphians engaged in a newspa-
per war which at one time threatened se-
serious consequences. The details of the
case have become as familiar as house
hold words" but it was only on the very
eve Of the adjournment of the House of
Representatives that the full facts of the
case came before the lawmakers at Har-
risburg. 1t appears from The evidence Of
Mrs. Fry that she never had any affection
for Fry, but married him at the urgent)
and repeated solicitations Of her mother
at time when age had not sufficiently
matured her intellect to see, in all its
bearings, the responsibility she Vas TAX
ing upon herself, This will be the better
understood, when we say that those who
saw her, inform us that in looks and sta
ture she is mere child, although it is
alleged that she is eighteen years of age.
Under these circumstances, it is not at all
strange that she soon repented Of giving
her hand when the heart did not accom-
pany it, and revolted in a manner not to
be mistaken by Fry himself Did he, like
an honorable man should do. after he
seen the unmistakable evidence that he
did not possess her affections, second and
encourage an effJrt to obtain diyorce2- p
Not bit of it. On the contrary, he not
only interposed objections, but even went
so far as TO blacken her fair fame Now,
If there was no ulterior object in view, is
it reasonable to suppose that Horace B.
Fry, or any other man could live with a
woman possessing the character he gave
herr This ulterior object he explained
in Harrisburg, by stating that he wished
to ge. divorce in the court in order to
vindcate his character which had been
maligned and traduced by the appellant.
This view of the case made him friends,
but subsequent events have put another
face upon the matter. lie has not moved
to get divorce in any of the courts since
the Legislature adjourned, which now
leaves the interference that if mercenary
motives did not govern the broker in con-
structing the alliance, he is evidently gov-
erned by desire to be bought Off
There is one thing now among fixed
facts, and that is if he does not push the
matter to an issue before the next meet
ing Of the Legislature, abe will obtain a
divorce-which she might have accom-
plished last winter herself, had she visited
Harrisburg two weeks earlier, and rested
her case upon its own merits, instead Of
sending 'gouging' agents to transact her
business, and to-day she might have been
fre instead of being living illustration
of gilded misery, which lily BELTS one so
young and so beautiful.
The loose and uniustifiable msnner in
which Mrs. Fry's father, John Grigg, has
been attacked for his devotion to his child
by some newspapers, is vllainous piece
of maleyolence. John Grigg is one of the
eminent business men of Philadelphia,
without a spot or blemish to tarnish a
name which has been known on change
for nearly half q century, and yet in his
old days he becomes the target of malip-