The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-01-05
A MUCH-NIARRrED WOMAN.
Matrimonial Experiences of a Woman Who
Had Nine Husbands.
San Francisco Examiner.

Had Nine Husbands.
San Francisco Examiner.
The philosophy of marriage is just now receiv-
ing curious and dramatic illustration in the SUI
periOr Court Mary A Hasalbach VS.. Theodore
Hasalbach an action for divorce, is the title of d
singular case which, for the past few days, has
been on trial with closed doors before Judge Ed
monds, in department No. Z. 1t has TRANSFERRED
that Mrs. Hasalbach is none other than the
mysterious yelled woman" who appeared so con
splcuousy in the character of witness during
the trial i'll Washington several years since Of
the celebrated against Oliver Cameron
for allmony and a decree of di-
vorce. Mrs. Hasalbach now seeks q
legal separation from her husband, Mr.. Hasal-
bach, alleging that he had been cruel in his
treatment and has also threatened to shoot her.
Mr.. Hasalbach has fled denial of these allega-
tons and cross-complaint, askingthat the mar
riage be annuled, on the ground that Mrs. Hasal
bach had husband living at the date of her
nuptias with him, in April last. He also ac-
cuses her of misrepresentation and declares that
she Is neither chaste nor sober. Mr. and Mrs
Hasalbach have been residing at 1l50 Market
street. He is seventy-two years OF age, native
of Germany and the possessor of a moderate
capital. Mrs. Hasalbaeh claims to be fifty-six
years old, but admitted during her clOss-exanr-
ination in court that she was born in 1887 which,
according to the modern principles of mathe
MATES, would make her forty-six years of age
She, so it appears, was an itinerant vender of
ponlades lotions etc
She went one day to the house of Mr. Hasal-
BACH hearing that he was sick, for the
purpose Of selling him some pills, and, as she
says, being anxious for man to take care of her,
and believing him to be worth $50 600, concluded
to marry him. The courtship was only of few
weeks duration at the expiration of which she
proposed, was accepted, and the wedding
celebrated. Mrs Hasalbach testified that she
had, at different times prior to her encounter
with Theodore, been the pOssessor of six hus-
bands, but when under cross examination admit
ted that of the lot four had died, three had been
divorced, and one was among the missing-thus
making total of eight, exclusive of the last hus-
band. When asked who they were Mrs Hasal-
bach was unable to recollect them all, the
list was so long, and could name only
the following six John T. Connors, George NJ
French Asa T. Grondycke j. A. Sample, Abram
Henriques, Isaac Lelander- Mrs. HasaIbach evil
IDENTIFY has preference for elderly men, since
all of her numerous husbands much older
than she One Of them was twelve a second
nineteen ard a third thirty six years her senior
and, as has been stated, her present spouse is
seventy two years of age. Mr.. Hasalbach is a
widower, an old resident of Sacramento and a
California pioneer, and Mrs. Hasalbach has
been living in San Francisco for about three
years. 1t is in evidence that she was be-
trothed to Mr. Hasalbaeh for three weeks prior
to her divorce from Mr.. Lelander. 1t is also
claimed by the counsel for Mr. Hasalbaeh that
the marriage is not valid, since at the date of
its occurrence in last April the decree of divorce
from Mr. Lelander had not been fled or re-
corded
Mrs Hasalbach, when a defendant in the df
vorce suit of Josiah Sample VS. Mary A. Sample.
which was tried some time since in Washington,
was then identified as the mysterious yelled wit
ness in the Cameron case. When called to the
witness-box she gave the name of Mrs. NJ A
Henrques, and in the course of her testimony
said that she had been intimate with Mrs Oil
yer who conided to her the intention she had
of black mailing Simon Cameron Mrs Oliver
was then told by the witness that if she ever
attempted TO black-mail Simon Cameron sh0
1.-THE witnessl would appear and testify against
her Mrs. Henriques. alias Hasalbach also
testified on crosse examination that she was born
in Maine; that she left there when sixteen years
of age for Philadelphia, in company
with her husband. George NJ. French. She alsa
lived at later dates in Cordova Miss. and Lyons,
Ia, whence she went TO Chicago Her maiden
name, she continued, was Mary Ann Prant Her
first husband was living yet, she having been
divorced from him. She next married Mr.
Grondycke. who died in 1864. She was averse to
telling people how often she had been married
J. H. Sample, of North Carolina was her next
husband, to whom she was married in January
1865, and went with him to Mobile, Ala IN
1874, and after travelling for time had returned
to Washington, renting the house at 1921
New York avenue, where she resided until
March, 1879. When asked by counsel at this
stage of her testimony how she came by hen.
then name of Mrs. Henriques, she replied:
'"ihat's my business. l came honestly by itr
Then she went on to say that she mad married
Mr.. HenriqueS in Philadelphia in 1876 but had
lived with him only for week or So She had
supposed at the time that she was wedding a
well-to-do man, but had discovered that he was
old, poor and an invalid, and unable to take care
of her She did not know what had become of
Mr.. Henriques since the separation. and declared
that she came by her money honestly and not by
black mailing. Mrs. Hasabach is a woman OF
nine husbands if not of nine lives. She takes
the world philosophieally and still survives the
missing, dead and divorced companions of her
bosom.