The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-12-14
THE C0NGER DIVORCE SUIT.
IN IPPEIL IN THE CISE 1GIINST
7BE EX-STITE SES1TOR.


| TIC Story Of nm rtcirc.s Of Col. Vu,gcr.-
| rho Ftn,;,,r ar a.. ts,,r,... :. a., -. ~
| s......., ~. g $50, ~, 80, 40
" '"'tNi ''' wi" nc Appe""
volume of ovrr elk Iuu.lrcl pn,-ca UNA
| 80, I'"- w.
| u"h'y hhh''l up To JUSTICES barnard anu
! Dy.kman. sitting IN the General Term OF the
| 80 w. VI. ~
| Tue son ol ex-senator Abraham Conger. IL was
| tie aupcni hook i'm tho divorce suit of Mrs Mary
| Rutrnrs ,i,Crcn Con,,cr n,nirst Lfr Abraham
- 20 90 - ~" C'"-.' n~"'i7' WI N''"u"h
b. Conscro of Rockiand County. The suit is a
! n.,,t.s AMI t,.,,,s, ,Ic i,r,r,i,,,,s ,,,n s,,,
p''''' 70 CIV, 100 ,' "''o"O,'"'9 'Mn ~"
| hup'sis as III ~ pla-htiiis counsel. ana inc DO
/ PENDANT himself has in some of the prorrc1-
! ines nnncer,d os ris ,,vn i,,vvcr su,,n,in,, tlo
''~7' "P' o. u" 10 ".n ""h wy "''lA W."
| casn w with nu ii force before Referee Edgar
| Ketchum who took the testimony.
| l"' sun II lor hhs"'uto dNorce' anu 'ho arc
| gallon OI adultery duplicates Mrs. Margaret H.
Northrop. the vito Of the Rev. G. u. Nor,hrop.
! - -. 49,, W - -, - ~
| "it'hoyt'rIan minister VINO was Ior some ''h'
| pnstor OF the PRESBYTERIAN Church in Wnldbcrg.
| Rockland County. this State. whore Mr.. Conger
! nv'u, mo minister ived IN the parsonage
| which was built on Mr.. COngcrs estate. Mr.
! Co,.,cr ,yos ,I,cr ,r,e,,, orI ,rc,s,,ror y, ,ho
! -, -, -
| church' SUPERINTENDENT OF the sunday SCHOOL,
| mud orgunsl He was clucatcd as q physician
| and lawycr aud IRA 'tised both professions
| H. served in the state Senate for some time.
| Mrs. ConEer's maiden name was llelgcs and
| she was anhciress ot Col. Henry Rutgers of this
! citv She pOsscsscd nj the time Of her marrinre
10 Mr.. Congrr. in 1896 eighty lots Of land. which
/ wrr" Welding an inromo of from f2OOO0 To
| s9OOOD year On tho birth VI her first child
! hor husband bncnmn "A Tenant nv courtesy Of tho
! property and freely received tho rents Ue
purchased a farm Of between two and three
Sl0u-and acres near IIavcrsiraw. Rocknnd
! County. christening his country seat Wnldhcrg
! Much happiness attended the family Mr. Con-
GER was ono Of The most respected mon in
! tho vicinity. and was deemed the wcnlthiest
| but no one except himself knew the exact con.
diiionof his affairs.
! In November 1873 he was thrown from his
| carr'nge. His SON Clarence. ia going to his
| fathers ON 80. fouud that D It's pcndcns. amount
crty. aid ihnt inIemcnt. nmountin,, IN y oo
| hat been oh.alnni. Then trouble rose in tho
! family. and AN cstranermcnt followed because
/ agrmrut ~ their mothers property. lie went
divorco suit was hrouEht Tho comi,lnint no
| cuscd MIR. Congcr Of adultery with Mrs North
| ror who lived IN the .parsonagc with her hus-
| specified when the nets conplninrI ~ were
alleged to have been committed in this city. in
Cochctom. Sullivan county. and in the a,ar 4.
Ihn nuin tnstin,owy Tor tho nl,i,,ir ,vos thu,
| Of John Palmer an nrcd dnpcnIrnt in the Iirv
| Geo T. Norihrop's house. who swore that In
| January 1876. while he was concealed in a
closet eighteen inches deep and three feet vile
| he saw I'M, a 4 cntni,lninn1 ~ rh" rcfnr,, NJ
Kotchum. visited Walibcrg stood in the closet
| where Palmer svorr he stood and tried IN sne
! II n person in that position could See and Rsar
NJ the witness said he had done Testimony
| fuk ID show fhn iufiutufa "a -
MI Sen,,er ana Mr. ,r,,hr'u tha, bn ho
| Kissed Ior md heen kiserd hv nor tLni
! they uldrcssed cnch other ms " Nj, d,.nr tbnt
! ne drove hor frequently 10 the school
| of which no was a trusiro and she the tenrhsr
taking much care t. tuck the robes in about
] her and thnf they rn,ls to nnJ frnn, tb,. at, IL,
the private comp9rtm.nt 81 The nniare ,,r AMI NJ
behaved together in so unsecmly a manner
| that the parishioners began 10 rcmonstrntr
| The defence wa, tbnt The testimony ncninst
| Mr.. Cnnger was purchnsed. that John palmer
WIS 10 get 81 n dny and a hons. Tor lifa Tor
| 81.
| committed and that tho suit w9s ias"1 On
| n desire io Jnsfrnv Mr. Conper's ri,,hts w. ~
| wifc's propertv which M tho tiine Tho suit was
| begun 'cofnpr!sed INV lois In this civ TesT
| mOny was given to show that John H. Acott tho
| priyato detective emulovsl lax tho nlointiff 10
trret ont t.s.imonv at,ninst NJ cpp,',nr hnJ
ia.,,, a ~ -. ~, ~ -. hth
| Jun ulseharEel from inc CITY IOrce Tor drunk
| enmrss.
| me referee made careful inquiry into all
the facts took 200 pages of testimony md
| listened To n long ARGUMENT Ue fonnd CON
a.,,s ~ %. VI u t "is Vh1I-
clhtcu lnht Mf. tonger was not only innocent OF
NJ "S,s RllI'EeI WIN MRS; Northr2p hut mat
is,.J a,,,t,P, 80 ~ ~ VI ~ o'nnr n't1
a. !. ~ ~ Nv, ~ r','S.' n t sVrl
c61 ,yhich H. ~, mnJntion M S,icb s III
80 WI ~ " W ~ WILL !ilS sun
j. hrc", n ~ H., Vt M,io' ~, ,,s sun
| ertv If IN. n1othpr from Tho eu,,,,,,s -, .,
| ~. fstb.r a.. ,..,,,',, b., ~ - .
| SOLE cnd ana ann OF THIS prosecution
| Mr. Congers son, in the presence of his
| Referees rauort and insist",i thnt Justica Gil
bert should reject IT, Tho Justice. however.
after reServlng his decision. decided that he
had been unable TO discover ANYTHING in the
| judgment directed 10y the referee. adding:
| lh.re Is suinclcnt evidence to sustain his
| CONCLUSION. ana 90 not iecl called upon 10 re-
| send MS determlnatton,
"a