New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-05-04
MODERN SUPERSTITION IN COURT
INCIDENTS IN TIE TILL-SIIARON DIVORCE
SUIT

SAN FRANCISCO, April 70 IrdhciSCo
has been amused for several weeks by the eXtraor-
dnarily Out-Of-thc-way Developments OF the Hi
sharon divorce suit. With the outlines of the case
your readers are no doubt already familiar The
plaintih is a young and handsome woman. said to
he OF good family who claims that ex-senator
sharon married her by contract, and who would
like 10 share his property though sic no longer
wants his name. Tho ex-senator declares that ne
never was married to the plaintiff The latter has
produced an alleged marriage contract. concerning
which all sorts of IumoIS and c0njcctrcS are broad
lnc minor incidents of the trial have proved percn-
niallyexciting and astonishing Al one time there was
very nearly general shooting in the court female
witness having apisto III her pocket and moving her
hand toward it when Tyler. Miss liilFs attorney
asked a question rejecting on her character Her
son also armed and also ready TO shoot. was pres
cnt and Tylcr's son was equally prepared TO blow
tho top of anybodys head who should assault his
parent Fortunately the danger of 4 massacre was
avcrted. bat Judge Sullivan so impressed by the
imminenco of the peril that ever since he has
caused every one IN the courtroom to be searched
for weapons before opening proceedings.
To tragedy succeeded comedy. and Tor days the
most amazing testimony las been gwen as 10 the
occult methods rcsortcd to ny the plaintiff tor the
purpose al winning the affections of the Senator
Miss HILL according to the evidence Of many very
strange witnesses. is or was a firm believer III 'he
occult She put er faith in fortune-telers. she
purchased charms wheTcwith to cnsnalc the Scna-
tor. One woman sold hor charm composed of nine
drops of molassc,, black tea and sugar This she
was to administer TO the Senator at stated intervals
but though she complied with all the directions the
result was not happy. Then she got one OF the
Senator'S old shirts and pair of his socks. and had
them buried at the bottom of a new-made grave at
midnight after she had worn the socks ted round
her left knee for nine days. This charm was OK
hnmed and brought into court. and sOcnniy cX-
amined by every body. One of the fortune-tollcrs
who testified this week said that Miss Hill also
wore charms of her own making She said:
sho showed me o charm she carried in little rod 7k
bag that she kept in her bosom She tolH INC tna1 so
had taken young pigeon. cut 1t open TOOK ou Us near
stuck plus in it to dry after which she %oc II ro"Gn
the manner carried Its hcddl hCioSs W"1ei, ,t
me that Mr. sharon had put her OF the hotel and
asked me II the graveyard cham wou ne ec I" oIl"9
about her marriage with him or cause his death
She appears to have been equal to either Tor
tune" hut she promised the witness $1,000 if the
charm was successful. When asked If she herself
believed in the graveyard charm. this witness re-
piled: do kind of; my father told me that"
Neither pigeons hearts nor hulliroGs nor grave
ward charms how ever, appear to have soitencd the
ohduiatc Senator and 80 the fair palntiit had re-
course to other magical methods. the Application OF
which has been narrated i'll the most inimitahlc way
by the witness :" Ki" who is tho Chinese body
servant of Mr. Sharon. 1t is not possible to repro
duce his pigeon English and funny gestures with
ANYTHING like exactneSs, but the following extract
is Che best the San Francisco reporters could do
with it. xxi" is the speaker.
She came to Chinatown to me. m ask. VIVA for
Mr. Sharon not love me any more ~ She SAID come
down and let i'll his room tell her not 10 poison
him and she say no, she Just want gave him something
make him love her tell her all light If she do him no
harm. Next Sunday Misser Sharon 20 to Belmont and
she and Nellie Bracket come to hotel ana sec me IN heS
She take little black powder and sprinkle little bit
he's chair little bic on table and istg eit ON loon
all bottles-whiskey. brandy. claret, GIN port wine
laugh and she say, Oh don't laugh mo Ki and she
shn door Then Nellie Bracket 10 Msser sharon bed
and put something like Glove spice five OI six pieces
re and saw %icn she maiiy Si,.cr Sharon she Civ
t0isaId dolla and fOty dolla eNly month say no
She say must come two more make her what you
call charm good. Tree time mako 1t good she CONF
Misscr Sharon cut my throat tell him you here.
me- aud bmeby she go way
Krs interference perhaps spoiled that charm more
especially as he told the Senator what had been
done aud was thcreupon instructed TO throw away
the contents Of the hotties winch had been tam
percG with 10y the plaintiff. Xxi also described a
scene in which his master took Miss HI 10y the
throat, choked her. accused her of stealing his lot
tiers and papers and then turned her ont OF the
room.
According to the testimony Of her female friend
Tor ene,nlesl Miss Hill the most iInprudont con
spratOr who ever lived foT she Is said to have DIS
cussed the most iniquitOus plans with everybody
One witness declares that she asked her to assist IN
palmng of hired baby upon Mr.. Sharon rs tho
plaintiffs Another states that she promised him
several hundred dollars to make away with the
baby of O young woman Of whom she was jealous
Her acquaintance appear to have been maze
amor q the oldest people CoOred fOrtune-telicr6
Chinese servants, advcuturers of all descriptions
figure among her surroundings. All the women,
however, go against her somehow. and most OF them
seon to take pleasure i'll telling all they know
that will damage her cause.
At present the expert and microscopic stage has
been reached and the lawyers are quarrelllng over
the presence OF absence Of marks of erasuro which
are or are not brought out by the most powerful
lenses The witnesses both sides have been
oueer collection so far and nobody will be surprised
now at an"thing that may turn up III the way OF
evidence.
The case has certainly not been an edifying ono.
have been obliged in writing even 50 much TO omit
and tone down a great deal, though the local press
has been giving very full reports from the begin
ming and some Of the papers seem to have taken a
pride ia concealing and Withholding nothing No
BODY ventures TO speculate upon the result, FOR
Sharon is not popular and Miss Hill is pretty
woman and California jurIes are both susceptible
and liable TO prejudice and under conceivable con
dtions the law and tho facts might easily get the
worst Of II either way.
They say that bushels of visiting cards arc
lett GAInb6tz's Hardly