The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-08-26

A Systematic Business or Forging COuF
Records In Allegheny County, Pa,
a startling Statement 7.
Of n Vietlm.
PITTSBURGH, August 25-Several letter
have recently come to the Pittsburgh post
office addressed to "W. W. Wright, Clerl
Of the Circuit Court Of Allegheny county
number Of them have tlllsn into thu
hands Of Clerk Gamble, Of the United
States Circuit Court, there being no suct
thing as u Circuit Court Of Allegheny coun
ty, These letters are from different parties
and all relate to divorces alleged to have
been obtained through the Circuit Court O
which the writer's ask moro spaeitie kpoFl
edge ihaqthsy now posses. The tenor o.
these Communications, together with the
fact that there has never been man
named W, W. Wright connected with any
Of the courts in the capacity Of clerk, goes
to show that wholesale system Of fraud
has been practiced on the complainants,
The text Of the lust letter received here
and addressed to Nv, W. Wright" throws
considerable light on the sinuous method Of
these bogus tatiickcrs in divorce, The let
ter is dated New Brighton, Staten Island,
n. Y, and Is NJ follows
b 81 writGto you f9F important Informs
ton. ObtpinGdlA liyOreGin the Circuit
folTt at Pittsbufgh on the 20th day tOi
July, 1850, The cause was adultery. The
summons was not served personally on my
wife, us could not find her address. The
order OF publication wus advertised in the
Telegraph newspaper on Tuesday evening,
June 22d, 1880 The order Of publication
reads this way; 'Qrder, ,of publication.
Action for divorce James X. Spenditf w.
Mary Moran SpendiR. You and each Of
you are hereby notified to appear ut the
Court House in the City OF Pittsburgh, and
State Of Pennsylvania, on Tuesday, the
18th day Of June, A, D. 1880. Herein fail
not Henry NJ. Bowman, attorney for
plaintiff" The seal Of the Circuit Court Of
Allegheny County, Pa, is on my decree Of
divorce, and yOnr signature, WV. Wright,
Clerk Of the Circuit Court Of Allegheny
County, Pa., IL attached to the decree
Of divorce obtained my divorce
SsISg% 3SIg & GS'DfI cS, u Eo. II Nyest tlsns SRi
street New York GBron, BigelOwts Co. oh
tsinGi myidivGrSc through ffentySf, low &
man. paid S65 u for my decree Of
divorce for which have receipt. Bron,
BgelOw 4 Co, have left New York City.
As far as know they have gone to the city
oiI1cston, Mass but I lolnot know where
tlicyHrc located ii Boston. The Judges
name is not written very plainly on the de.
cree OF divorce. 1t is either W. n. Stownc
or W. n. Stowe. Bron, Bigelow 4 Co.
said il | should loSe my decree or divorce
could dlnHe Il renewed for ten dollars, but
they did not say where l could renew II,
and did not think ut the time to ask
where could get II renewed. am en-
gagrd to be married, and | wish to marry
in good faith or not atall. wish to know
II my divorce lisa legal, absolute divorce and
legally recorded. 4 few lines from you
with the seal Of your authority will relieve
all doubts, as1 am about to marry, tits
necessary that | should know. ifmy divorce
Is legal" 80.
NIr. Gamble replied to spendifF that "w.
W. Wright, Clerk Of the Circuit Court Of
Allegheny county" wasa myth and that
the official register Of attorneys in the
ProthOnOtary's office contained the name
OF no such lawyer as Henry NJ. Bowman.
He also informed him the newspaper pub
liCatiOn was o suspicious circumstance as
tlis wits not the usual wly, the custom be-
ing either to give personal notice or have
II served by the Sheriff. He further stated
that the Judges Of the Court did not sign
their names to DEGREES Of divorce, the style
Of signature being either "Per CtiPidm" or
"By the Court" and that Judge Stoves in
itidls were +. II. and not W. n, as ap-
peNred on the forged and fraudulent pa.
per The letter Of Spenditf contains inter
nal evidence pfthe glannerinwhich he was
victimized Bron, figelow 4 Co., Of New
York, III there be such u firm, were, OF
course, primarily responsible for the trick,
hut they must have had M accompliCe here
who represented himself as "Henry NJ.
lsowman, attorney at law in order to get
the notice inserted in the newspapers, even
II he performed no other work. II was a
clever deception on the. part Qf-the sbapers
,torepresent that tadiyorre noulhb6Obtained
moro easily and cheaply In another State,
and then By fnlud and forgery to obtain the
fec Of SG5 10, leaving the applicant utterly
in the dark In regard TO the legal status Of
his case. Mr.. Gamble, in addition to the
SpendilF letters, has received three commu-
fiications Of the same purpOrt from man
named Brown, Lying In Ohio, and others
from different 0udrters.i @ lH
One method by which these sharks 0per.
ate.is plain and simple but very effective.
They get legal form of notice or court Of.
der Of publication in divorce case and
pay for It's Insertion in reputable county
paper. They then take the proof Of publi-
cation and present the saine to court us a
gunmntee TINT notice Of the divorce pro-
ceedinps has been published In the county
in which the defendant is sad to be living.
The court upon examination Of the proof Of
publication unhcsitntingly grants a decree
In divorce when really the defendant 10
the suit has neither lived In the county In
Which the notice BY publication was made,
nor IN fact knows anything Of the proceed
inE pending In the cise above, however,
fhe court record Rds forged. l.jl l5lgtlJl
J. 6.fIrown, PothdnoIary Of this county,
was approached upon the subject, and
stated that he liad repeatedly received let.
tes Of inquiry from both East and West,
most Of which were directed 10 W! w.
Wright, clerk. The l'rothdnothry was firmly
convinced that tthis WINS one Of the methods
| 6y which fraudulent divorces Nfe obtained.
GROWING WORSE 4JJ -