The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-07-08
.,IyGER'S VARIED WEDL0CK.
~s NINE MILLIONS DfITDED AMONG
y" tIyE UOMEN'S CHIiDREM

gIIE UOMEN'S tHffDNEN
os the ,inirnn, wivra Gets Any. !
U" The Most Novel ~ WIN Contests 1
I'D and the rrIncipn, INrcui"r an for I
...,ve-N wealthy In,rn,or's Vna"rir-
,,,onr the passengers who mounted by
.,,ne plank to the dock of the steamship !
p,-.ni, ON SATURDAY WINS tall slim man. 1
d. ,lenn shaycn ia'r and dccp-sct grny /
W ,tr,ss,l entirely iu black. n soft-crowncd 1
U,.,,,, on abundant snow white hair. lle ,
r,i,ontl, IN experienced ocean traveller. /
merag,, being compact and handy I" rnrry
F,.,,,v nwny Tuk.n. little interest In the /
u nm the pier and the docks. he went d-
W. his state room. and remained there until 4
h,f,re the Steamship swung into the
- Then he stond apart from those wav-
s.nonlkcrrhicisnn near the bridge. and. folding
y. lang arms across his hr"ast. took last look
1scity. turning his gaz' occasionally fur up
~ liver His cont tails Mapped In the breeze
.-und his thin logs, and his long white hair
,.ocd bchind. lie paid no attention TO my
,.v and nobody apparently paid any attcn-
,,or n him. On the passenger list he WINS
s..,enated as 30. llawley." and to most
:, bis fellow voyagrrs he undoubtedly
could remain only ID. Hnwlcy during
A. vovoge Yet David Hawley lawyer.
II
". has distributed more than t9.300,000
a,oonc twenty five persons in the past two
- Az the surviving executor Of the will Of
| i.o.c Merritt Singer. tho millionaire inventor
:, ,ho singer sewing machine. he offered the
.,il t,r probate. opposed contest against it,
male satisfactory compromise defended two
ants against him by lcgatces. settled all nc
,oun,s against the estate. distributed the he
.pests As directed in the will. and recently filed
his final accounting in the Surrogate's Court in
white Plains, Westchestcr county. Still. much
Yen,alns undone and he went abroad on Satur-
day to finish the work left him when Isaac Mrr-
riff Singer died. lie. better than any one else llv-
Ing i.acuuainted with the very remarkable story
ofthe lifrof Mr.. Singer. some parts of which
were revealed in the contest against the will In
the fall Of 1878. set his straight-cut lips remain
closed. and probably always will. The most
olhis time will be- spent in arranging the ne
counts against the estate In England. valued Mt
5000 900 and placing il under the control OF
Mr. Singers last wife or her representatives.
ThW DONE his connection with most remark
able family complication will cease.
A connected history Of the peculiar relations
that existed between Isaac Merritt Singer and
those who shared his bounty has ali the elements
Of romance. Twenty-iour children. who wore
recognized ~ him. called him father and Ave
women called him husbands yet only two ot the
women were legally married to him. and few II
his recognized children are the legitimate on
spring OF his relations with their mothers.
lsanc Merritt singer WAS a native Of IN" town 81
S.haghticoke NenSsnlarr county. in this State.
In Pnlmyrn Wnvnerounty. Catherine VI. Haley.
whose parents tormerly livcl IN Collaherg now
known rs Croton Landing, Wcstchrsicr rnuutY.
WAS married Ia him Ia December 1880. IL WAS
Aearemoni nl marriage. the ceremony being per-
formed by n Justice of tho Peace. Singer was
Men wood turner or mechanic OF some sort He
AMI his wife moved To Port Gibson, near Pal
myrn. and in 1894 child WIS horn. They lived
IN Waterloo for Il short time Singer wis
shiiiless. vet capable Of turning his hand 10 nj
most any kind n work. His Intimacy with tho
female part of the population WIS severely
commented upon. and much sympathy was
expressed for his wife. His powers OF imita-
ton made him attractive to the women. and his
ability to drink hard cider mnde him boon
New York. and in 1897 another child was born.
H. by this time neglected steady work and de-
voted his spare timo to spnuting. Shakes
pcare. Soon after coming To- N"w York he at-
hedhimselftoa company OF stroll ng players.
his wife staying in New York. The actors in
their wanlrrings wen; To- Baltimore and re-
manned there several months. Singer was at
traifve In appearance and impressive with the
reniler sex; In the audience Tint attended one
Of tho performances wis n handsome young
woman OF eighteen. Singer saw her and was
attracted He sought her out ut her fathers
house repr'seniing himself rs single man
and stranger. Mary Ann Sponslcr accepted
his attentions. Singer. nitrr short acqunint-
ance asked her to marry him, and she con-
sented. He returned To- New York 10 make ar
rangements to remove his family To- soine other
place. lie had quarrel with his wife and they
separated. Which WIS at fault was not known,
hard words were pns-ed between Them
Singer induced Miss Sponsler 10 follow him
10 New YORK To he married to him. She arrived
In September 1896. H. nj first desired that She
should live with him: but she asked him 10
iulll his promise 10 marry her, From time To
time he male excuses but finally told her that
he was In difficulty with another woman, who
claimed to be his wife, He said that he had
parted from her. woald never live with her
again. and that he had good cause for a divorce
frum her Then he asked Miss Sponsler to live
with him NJ his wife, saving that. M soon as he
was able ana had sufficient means. he would
tke legal measures to be relieved from bis
wife. Miss Sponslcr consented. and thereafter
assumed toward him the relation " u wife,
Coffin once suggested Singers first wife
lived with her first child. the second he-
lne horn after the separation. Singer still
T.mained with company Of players.
Miss Sponser, 10 assist him. took lessons
from HIM. They started ont together. and for
thirteen years they travelled over the country.
Tor time playing temperance pieces IN
churches, Singers stage name was Merritt
!hls middle name, and he was known every
where us hlr. Merritt, and Miss sponsler as Mrs.
Merritt. To strangers, however; it said lie in:
troiuced Miss Sponsler ms Mrs. Singer. md
dfessed him Tr as aher T6ey V Mcre y s9
poor. The greater part 81 those thirteen years
WIS spent m ahIect poverty. without local habi-
wandered from place 10 place. carrying all their
elects In one.horse wagon. and often wefe
compelled TO leave even thnt bohind in pledge
Tor trlfing expenses, Miss Sponser shared his
priyatons. acted with him. and contributed her
pure toward their support, children were
born 10 them, the first one on July 9th. 1897.
When IN Chicago. Singer. who was an invcn-
Nv genius. took AN interest in inventions. He
Jaw thnt some machine TO save time md labor
N harvesting the crops OF wheat was needed,
hnu %" devised reaplng machine. Alterward
~ invented u machine 10 carve type. Finding
uat more money could be made in that way
uan IN playing before small audiences. he con-
Vhued 10 plan various kinds OF machines.
'isst several Il appointments. he completed in
iogsevernl valuable improvements in n sewing
inaNhne, They were embodied gradually In
~ na. \ known as the Singer sewing machine"
~ Mhch De achieved a colossal fortune. VA
sIsun estimated at from sl30O0,OOO 10
AFTER Singers next invention trouble was be-
sum, Nlss Ap0n-"r continued to live with him.
XIV usAnelng no effort had been made by
t, ,rn 70 D' divorced from his wife, They re-
Sannu 70 New York, and resumed the name OF
MnsvI Sewing machines were manufactured.
TTPVnry nowed in. md they rolled in wealth.
nnlaes ana six carriages Miss SpOnslpr had
onr coachman and Singer another They visit
~ her nome IN Baltimore together and she
ras treated ~ his wife. she visited his fathers
..ous', ana al one time two Of Mr. Singers sis
mrs wore living in the Fifth avenue mansion
Mlss hpOnsler purchased goods ~ Stewards
NM M Lord Il ThyOr's, and the bills were sent
nher Tor signature. and then presented In the
unl,e 0t tho sewing machine company. She