The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1883-12-01
FIRESIDE WRECKERS.
Chicago Divorce Lawyers and How They
Operate---Fieures.

| CHICAGO, November Z-.- are You
| happily married, madam 2"
The speaker was keen-eyed young
man of pleasant address, and the scene
was the parlor of fashionable residence
on Calumet Avenue. He was member
of the eminently respectable profession
known to the local courts Of Chicago as
the divorce lawyer, and was out drum
ming up business.
81 had never thought of the matter
| much" said Mrs. Carrie Blank, with
some hesitation.
Taking the fact that the lady had not
ordered him out of the house as evidence
that there was a field to be worked be-
fore him, the divorce lawyer, with the
suavity of aJewish clothes monger, piled
the lady with questions and commented
on her replies IN insinuations as TO her
husbands fidelity. After having thor
oughly worked on the woman's sus-
pIcions, the divorce lawyer suggested
that there was a remedy, simple, con-
venient and without publicity. He,
slowly, and with many cIrcumlocutlonS,
unfolded a scheme for securing divorce
from the husband whom until now she
had scarcely thought even worthy os a
curtain lecture on account of marital
shortcomings, The divorce lawyer ex-
planned that he was engaged III the busi-
ness of securing divorces for people who
have tired of their life partners. He
was an adept at the business and if the
lady's husband had failed TO turn up at
his home every one night in seven that
would furnish cause enough for inyesti-
cation.
MrS plo-,l- orxiArra1xy Ir1r, aak h
er her Fred need know anything about
it. ''Not a word, said the divorce law
yer. We viii put the case through for
you from beginning to end, secure you
legal divorce, and no one will be the
wiser. SO benefcent Is the law of d.
vorce in Illinois that it allows woman
to secure legal separation from her hus-
band without publicity"
The result of the visit of the divorce
lawyer was that thirty days later Mrs.
Blank, of Calumet Avenue, possessed a
| legal document from her late husband,
Frederick J. Blank. The outcome of
| this little episode was that the woman,
with woman's incapacity for keeping a
secret, gave herself away. The keen
| attorney found an easy task IN accom-
phshlng the desired result. BY certain
representations to the husband he was
either frightened into silence, or was,
| perhaps, not averse to q legal separation
| himself.
Now there is a big house in the most
fashionable part of the city for rent.
| The gossips in the vicinity are happy,
| but the prospects aud happiness of a
most estimable couple are ruined for
| life.
The above is ouly one of the many IL
| lustrations of the method in which d.
| vorcee are obtained in Chicago. The
| divorce lawyer is believed to be iudigen-
| Gus to this climate. He is a new species
of legal scaveuger that has arisen within
| the past few years. He openly solicits
| trade, visiting the houses of our best
citizens either IN the morning or In the
| afternoon at a time when the husband is
not likely to be present. Once having
! secured customer the business Is rail
| roaded through and a divorce secured
with very little delay. In many cases
! the victim is shadowed by detective.
who dogs the hus stands footsteps until
something is discovered on which to base
| a claim for a divorce. Frequently the
| formality of securing evidence Of a bona
| tide character Is omitted entirely. Every
| lawyer of this class has number OF per
sons in his service who are ready to
swear TO anything. The petition goes
| before the judge VINO turns 1t over to a
| referee. The lawyer brings his manu-
| factured evidence before this referee,
sometimes going so far as to have per-
son falsely personate the defendant.
| The referee reports IN favor OF the di
vorce and the Judge grants IT. The fast
| est time on record was made the other
| day when a divorce wss secured from the
superior court just forty minutes after
the papers had been fled.
As illustrating the wholesale charac-
| ter of the divorce business IN Chicago
| few figures taken from the court records
may be of interest. During the year
| closing December 81, 1882, there we're
! 748 divorces granted, whereas the mar
rage licenses issued were about 5000,
or one divorce TO eight marriages. No
other city IN the United States can show
so large a proportion of divorces to mar
riages. During the last year, IN the two
| chancery courts presided over by Judges
Jameson and Gardner, 374 divorces
were issued, and 1t is thought that as
many more were granted IN the two cir
cult courts. Of the 374 divorces granted
in the chancery courts 266 were issued
on complaint of the wife, and 108 on
complaint of the husband, 343 cases
went by default aud 81 we're contested.
Divorces were granted on the following
grounds: Desertion, $50; drunkenness,
46; adultery, 81; cruelty, %; felony, 8;
bigamy, 4; void for fraud, Z; dismissed
by court, II.
From these figures it viii be seen that
more than twice as many women ap-
piled for divorce as men, which indi-
Gates TO a certain extent that the divorce
lawyers of which Chicago boasts quite
anumber, have been assl1uOusly at
| work. The fact that of 374 petitions
343 we're granted on default, no defense
being entered, is considered especially
remarkable and can only be explained
on the ground that IN many instances
the defendant knows nothing about the
case until after the affair is closed. The
deputy sheriff, who serves the necessary
notice is taken to some person n the
hire of the divorce attorney, who per-
| sonates the defendant. Service Is made
In a bor1 tide manner ard certified to,
and that ends the matter. Meantime,
the unsuspectiug husband IS in blissful
Ignorance that legal proceedings have
been instituted against him. The first
thing he knows of the affair, he finds
| himself a divorced man, his wife gone
and his home ruined, and then he
doesn't attempt to even investigate the
matter, but accepts the situation, aud
perhaps murmurs, "what lucky
escape"