Northern Ohio journal. [volume] (Painesville, Ohio) 1872-1896, 1873-07-19
ITO BE CONTINUED. |
IMAGINATION AND MARRIAGES,

At Troy, New York, according, to the
Times of that city, a suit for the division
of the estate of a lately departed citizen,
is likely to make public Il curious do-
mestic history, which, while not partic-
ularlv romantic in its character, is worth
some attention as showing with what
criminal carelessness respectable and
educated people of the present day may
regard the legal details of the closest
and most nome ntous relations OF life.
A marriage, contracted in 1915. by a
Trojan of good position and lady OF
eutlal pretensiens, became so inharmO-
niOus little later that the preservation
of its social form was not deemed advi-
sable bV either. AS, however, no law
ful cause for a judicial dissolution afrthe
tie coald be- cited, the incampatible4pai
agreed to separate by mutual consent,
under document known as Il ''trus-
tees separatien," whereby they bound
themselves TO live apart, exercise no do
mestic control over each other, divide
the family property, and allow their
one child, daughter, to reside with her
mother. There was nothing repngnant
to law or just personal right in the af-
fair so far; but next came an airy, fam
ciful presumption, hardly to be recon-
ciled with common sense. "lmagin-
ing' continues our Trojan authority,
that he had been illegally divorced from
his wife, the husband, without any in
tention to do wrong, married again, atiI
shortly afterwards his-Wife followed his
example. In time the gentleman sec
ond wife died, leaving him one son, and
a few years ago he was again married,
this time to the sister of II Well-known
business man of Troy. The third and
first wives are still living, but few
days ago the gentleman died, leaving
the bulk of his property, amounting to
$S5 900, to his last wife and family, coH-
| sisting of two children. Since the death
OF the gentleman it has transpired that
he was never legally married to his sec
ond and third wives, and that not hay
sng been divorced from his first wife,
| he committed bigamy in marrying again.
f'rhe first wife Will now bring an action,
| through counsel, to break the will,
| which has not yet been presented for
probate. She claims that when the will
was made her first husband was not in
| his sonnd mind, and that undue int1u-
| encn was eXerted over him. She will
claim dover in all real estate transac-
tioIs, aud has engaged competent eoun-
| sci to prosecute her claim i'll behalf OF
| herself and daughter, the latter being
/ also married. AKsthe parties are of the
greatest respectability, and the case is a
| very hard one for all concerned. II
should never be dragged into the courts.
| but should be amicably settled in IA more
| private manner, for, unless this is done
1 there will not only be a contested viii
case, and a series of disgraceful reyela-
tiOns, but also many lawsuits growing
out of the contest. In marrying again
after the voluntary separation, no inten.
ton to do wrong is attributed to either
person, but both thought that having
been divorced, as it seemed to them
they were entitled. to the privilege
| Such is the view taken of the matter by
the Troy paper; but to outside obserya
ton the nOn-intention of the parties t.
do wrong does not appear to haye beer
based upon such knowledge of common
facts as the first husband and wife wer,
bound, by every principle of reason ait
morality, to acquire. The idea of "im
agining" anything about SO grave a mat
ter as divorce, and remarrying twice
upon the strength of such imagination
is curious commentary upon perso
nal Intelligence and public usage. Pos
sibly the man whose estate and charac
ter are now to be handled i'm cOnrt, an,
the woman who brings action agains
them, were honest enough i'm imagining
that their "trustee's separation" was
full release from wedlock; but to allo,
! mere imagination to have any practic,
office at all in the ease WAS wOfuily sig
+, nificant of an age in which the mos
sacred and important of all human con
pacts is treated with Il careleSsneSs tn;
Z might well lbrove rliinoiis to the least.