Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-04-13

CRIMINAL.
The State W. Alfred b. Wallace; embezzle-
nent. Continued until April 18th, and pris-
'ner committed in default of $500 bail.
The City VS.. James Melady; nuisance Con-
inued until April IA, at Q A. N.
CIVIL.
j. 81. Pomeroy vs. Ida A. Allen; action for
restitution of premises. Taken under advise
ment.
FORGED DIVORCES.
Ho,v They Are Made by Nc,v York Lawyers.
The reporter of the New York World, for
whom New York divorce lawyer procured
divorce from wife who never existed, the
document being signed "John T. Went
worth, judge of the circuit court of Wal
worth county, Wisconsin, proceeded to
Wisconsin to investigate the matter. He
reports to the World:
The circuit court of Walworth county I
found to be in Elkhorn, which is about at
triangle when its two sides are shaped to-
ward Elkhorn from Chicago northwesterly,
and from Milwaukee southwesterly. I
found Elkhorn to be beautiful little
town where the inhabitants seemed
too happy to care for divorces
among each other and too cautious to deal
divorces out literally to strangers. Soon
after my arrival I went into the court house,
and there asked to see the court calendars.
discovered at once that Mr.. Monro Adams
had made blunder in dating his decree in
March, because there was jury term only
in February and law term only in June.
Also that rule 6 of the court read thus:
calendar and tried in open court, and refer
ences to take testimony will not be ordered,
nor the cases heard on testimony taken out of
court, except SO far as the same may be taken
by deposition, or on commission in the cases
provided for by law. No action for divorce
not on the calendar will be tried.
next inspected the calendar. found
upon it the cases of Henry G. Rue Va. Cora
A. Rue, @. G. Dickerson vs.. Alice L. Dicker-
son, Alice M. Chesebro vs.. Azen S. Cheese
bro, Lizzie Annandale vs. VIM. J. AMMAN
dale, Warren Jenkins VS.. Elenor M. Jenkins,
Gilbert 81. Pixley VS.. Emily Pixley, Elizabeth
Smith VS.. Alexander Smith, Hannah L..
Doane VS.. Jesse Doane and Elymas Brooks
vs.. Emma Brooks. This was certainly fair
list in town of fifteen hundred Inhabitants.
But then it represented an entire county,
and might, indeed, represent whole State.
Under the head of Mr.. Munroe Adams it
represented whole union. But there was
no entry of Bowes vs.. Bowes.
My western attorney, Henry G. Colt-who
was named in the decree-must of course
know all about these DEFICIENCIES, aud to him
would 60.
"Colt, Colt, said the hotel keeper, .plenty
of colts growing up behind the bars of the
pastures yonder when the snow goes away,
but no Colt at this barr
I read over list of thirty attorneys of the
county-most of whom were regarded as
honors to the professionally no "Colt.'
imaginary wife, but the decree had been, it
now seemed, procured by an imaginary a.
torney!
The judge, however. was not imaginary.
He was pointed out to me as he walked
through the principal street to the chambers.
substantial, unghostly and intellectual
the judge whose decree of divorce it must
be a pleasure fer ex-husbands to keep in 8
tin box.
first examined the real seal at the cour
house, and in comparing it with the i'm
preston on the decree, found it precisely o.
the size that was impressed upon my de
cree, and having precisely the same words
running around the rim. But also fount
that whereas the court house seal had jus
| tice-unbandaged- and scales SIN it's midst,
my seal had three stars in the center; m,
seal was seal calculated to make even al
undivorced man see stars, and such as die
see in Judge Wentworth's gray eyes when
told him my story as it had already bee1
narrated to the World.
| civ ho 1,o ~,
chambers. "Here is the title of the court OF
your decree; the attestators as filed in ar
upon our blanks; and my signature at tn
bottom would read correctly if-as Bunsb
might say had signed it.
(Which did not. And this clever forge
for he has used precisely the formula o
divorce decree that is adopted here, and ha
made fair imitation of my signature, whic
shows cleverness- the decree one da
short of the adjournment of my court. Tn
decree is dated March 8, but the court ad
journed March Z. The whole thing is skill
full forgery. It is one calculated to deceive
For instance, suppose you had been a rea
husband. You read the decree and on il
quiry hear that John T. Wentworth is til
judge out here, and you see his nam
signed to decree. You have no none
to pay for journeyiDg here after inqu
ries and perhaps you are SO an
ious to remarry that you don
care to make inquiries. You show the d,
cree to your (divorced) wife or to her friend
and they-thrown off their guard by the vel
look of such decree-acquiesce in it. FC
collusive parties such a forged decree is pei
fectly useful, so long as they are content
mutually act upon the decree. I never b.
fore heard of forged divorce decrees; but
can imagine there could be lot of them e,
listing like this decree and being acted upo
without the forgery coming to light. Yo1
|, it seems, had special reason for inquir
but in how many other cases might it ha,
been held in allegiance or the inquiry new
made? Besides, in Wisconsin the ground
incompatibility of temper for divorce mu
always be coupled with some act of physic
, violence. Then there must be residen
for the party applying of one year in til
State.''
Such is the substance of the interview
had with the judge who purported to ha
divorced me, but who could not ha
divorced me even if the papers had real
reached him, because I was not married.
I asked Judge Wentworth if he had al
objections to furnishing written stateme
of the falsity or forgery of my decree, al
he not only answered that he would forwa
:; it to your address in New York, but wor
= come there at any convenient time as "
ness, in order to establish the forgery of t
+ decree.
DAILY WEATHER BULLETIN.
OFFICE OF OBSERVATION, SIGNAL CORPS, o. 8.
INaERsoLL BLOCK, THIRD STREET,
- ST. PAUL, MINI
;. Observations taken at the same moment
time at all stations.
Neurological Record, April IL, 1879, 9:56 P.
d Bar. Their. Wind. Weatt
- /