Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1870-02-22
MARRIED, > OR HoTasg'
4 Dead Husband and His Town
Lots Claimed by Two Wives.

State OF Indiana TO DloomiuB pach-
woods daughter Of that State so noted for
its annals of divorces. They lived to-
gether for the most part peaceably until
the year 1916, during which time they
became the parents of two sons and three
daughters. In looking over long bill
yesterday, which has been filed in the
Chsncsry Court Of Memphis several
months, we found it charged that John
Lane was not during that twenty three
years always the faithful husband he
should have been. And it is further
alleged that in the year 1916 he took his
Oldest son, William, and came to Mem.
phis, where he worked hard and lived
frugally, intending to send for the rest of
his family when able. r..,.,t 81, s,,s
Time rolled on, as time always does,
so we learn from the bill, and he made
the Abundance of grass widow, who
succeeded in pulling the wool over his
eyes 80 we'll that he never saw his hrst
wife again. Various scandalous allega-
tons are made against Mrs. Comfy, the
grass widow, too numerous and too"Po-
lice Gazstteish to be enumerated. One
is that she was impure from twelve years
of age up and that when she removed to
distant State with her husband, she
was followed by paramour who enticed
her away from her husband and brought
her back to Memphis. but did not live
with her long; also, that she had two
children before she left her husband.
She became acquainted with Mr.. Lane,
snticed him from his 6delity-never
very strong, it sppears-to his wife and
children, and he took up with the strange
woman. The son objected to his new
mother, quarreled with the old gentle
man, and was driven off for his meddling
The blacksmith and his mistress, as she
is styled all the way through the bill,
lived together as man and wife until
April, 1869, when he sickened and died,
ct the age of sixty.Gve, leaving
no children by the union. In
the meantime, however, he had
PLANTED another woman in lot near by
his house, and she had many conflicts
with Mrs. Lane No. 2. One fine night
basket of young baby was left at Mr..
Lanes door, and it was alleged by the
gossips of the day that it came from the
lot near by. Mr.. Lane took it in, kept it
as long as it lived, and it now sleeps by
his side in the graveyard. Mr.. Lane also
sert to Indiana for some of his children
and raised them up under the roof Of
their step-mother until they were grown
and married of. he kept two grocery
ACCOUNTS, one for his second wife and one
for the woman 10 the lot, who seems to
have been special object Of charity
With him. The grown-up children some
times quarrelled with their step-mother,
and told her that she had no rights there
which they were bound to respect. About
, two years ago Mr.. Lane gave her full
title to all his property, amounting in
valae, it Is estimated, to sixty thou
sand dollars. A year ago he died.
Then the deserted wife appears on the
stage, hailing from Rising Sun, Indiana,
and with her children, long since all
/ grown and nearly ell married, fling a
bill in chancery, containing all the above
! details aud much more unfit to be
printed, alleging that the settlement last
mentioned was ia consideration of illicit
and unlawful cohsbitation, contrary to
the general policy of society, and pray
, ing for the court to decide it void, and
declare the property enumerated part
of John Lanes estate, and his first wife,
Jane Lane, and children the legal heirs,
So much for the petition, which would
cover at least two pages of the LEDGER.
Il The answer, which has only been filed
a day or two, is minute, ingenious, and
very plausible, evidently prepared with
great care. 1t is about twice as long as
the bill Of the compliments. The re.
spondent denies every charge that in the
least affects her character, and states
: that she was married in due form of law
s to Mr.. Lane, near Hernsndo, Mississippi,
}, in 1876; that she did not know he had
another wife; that he sfterward told her
Q he had been divorced, and finally told her,
six months before he died that he really
had never been married to the first Mrs
Lane at all. The answer sets up that
: these children are ell Legitimate; that
much of the property she holds was
j originally bought with her own money
g that she has held it peacesbly for over
twenty-five years, and that complainant
!. are debarred on several accounts fully
: set forth. This is an outline of both
4 sides, as cleaned from hasty examina-
r ton Of the bill and the answer. The best
. legal talent in the city has been engaged
q on both sides, and the lawyers are pre-
: pairing to take bushels OF evidence, not
i only in this, but in three or four other
States. The case bids fair to be on hand
a long time and to attract large share
! Of public attention. II is proper to say
that we have suppressed the real names
' in the case, though the facts are already
notorious and known to hundreds Of
people in the city. 1auN ca GuI
! REELFoor LAKE FIsH.-Mr. W. o,