The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1880-12-23
THE SPRAGUE SCANDAL
KATE CHASE sPRAGUE FILES A
BILL FOR DIVORCE,
Alleging all Manner Of Moral CrsOkedness on the
Governors Part.s Gov. Sprague Charges
COnkllng With Being at the Bottom Of
the Trouble, aud Proposes to Pro.
ceed Against Him Crlmlnally.

Providence, r. l., December 19-Messrs E. q.
Hazard and G. H. Parkhurst, counsel for Mrs Kate
Chase Spfague, have filed petition for divorce in
the Supreme Court, Washington county Of this
State. The petition sets forth as follows:
katharine Chase Sprague, Of South Kingston,
in said County Of Washington, respectfully repre-
sents
That she Is a domiciled lnhabitant Of the State
of Rhode Island, and has resided therein for one
year next before the filing Of this petition that
she was married to William spTRgue on the 18th
day Of November, A. D, 1868, at Washington, in
the District Of Columbia, and has ever since kept
and performed on her part all the obligations Of
the marriage covenant, but the said William
sprsgue has violated the same In this:
"That he has committed adultery with divers
women at divers places and times since the said
marriage, To wit With one Mary Eliza Wall, alias
Mary Eliza Anderson, at divers times in each and
every year from the year 1861 to the year 1879 in
the City OF Providence in the said State and else
where, and especially at Nantucket Beach in the
state of Massachusetts, in the year 1873 with one
Elizabeth R. McCue, formerly Elizabeth R. Ring,
at South Kingstown aforesaid, in each year from
the year 1877 to the year $780, with one Harriet
Brown, in the year 1869, at Washington, in the
District Of Columbia with one Maggie English,
in South Kingstown and elsewhere, in the year
1866 and 1867; with one Fannie Adams, In March,
1876 at Providence aforesaid, OF the house of one
Aun M Ballou, commonly called Maria Ballou
said house being house ofproStitution with one
Minnie Wilson, in January 1873 at house OF
prostitution in Providence aforesaid and with
divers other lswd women whose names are un.
known TO your petitioner at Washington and
Providence aforesaid, and at Alexandria, in the
State of Virginia, aud at Philadelphia, in the
State Of Pennsylvania, and at New York City, In
the State of New York, between the years 1868 and
| 1878.
That said sprapue has been guilty Of extreme
cruelty toward your petitioner in this: that he
has assaulted with great violence, and desperately
at the house known as Canonchep In South
KingstowH in the year 1877 in that he entered
her room at night In state Of ntoxieation seized
and dragged her to the window, which is In an
upper story, and threatened to kill her; that he
has been guilty of continued drunkenness.
"That said sprague has been guilty Of other
gross msbehavior and wickedness, repugnant to
and In violation Of the marriage covenant In
this: that he has repeatedly applied the vllest
az most opprobriOus epithets TO your petitioner,
both alone and In the presence Of others; that he
has threatened to kill her; that he has broken
and destroyed their house, at one time collecting
bedding and furniture In the night time aud
making bonfire Of the same that he has often
sad to his children that he was not their father,
and that they were not his children that he has
| . i'm.
proprietlas with other men, sometimes with one
man, sometimes with another that he has inter-
cepted Snd returned letters addressed to your pet-
toner by her counsel.
There are other allegations relatiog to Gov
sprague's failure to provide petitioner with the
necesssrieS Of life, his indecent and violent be.
havior in his own house, drunkenness, evil inAu'
ence over his children, The petition con-
cludes
Wherefore your petitioner prays for the causes
aforesaid that che may be divorced from the said
William sprague, and that the bond Of matri
mony now existing between your petitioner and
said William sprague may be dissolved, and thai
the custody Of their four children, issue Of said
marriage, to Wit william sprague, jun, aged ft'
teen years Ethel sprAgue aged eleven years
Katharine Chase sprague, aged nine years, and
Portia sprague, aged seven years. may be award
ed to your petitioner. and that she may be allow
ed reasonable alimony out Of the estate Of said
sprague; and that che may be permitted to re-
sumo her maiden name, Katharine Chase, and FOL
such other further order or decree herein as L
your Honon shall seem meet and Just,
KATHARINE chase sPRAaUE."