Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-11-01
a COUNTERFEur MARRIAGES.
Raising asa Extraordinary Question I'm
the Pennsylvania Matrimonial Laws.

From the Philadelphia Times
proceedings will be entered in the common
pleas court tomorrow on behalf OF Mrs. Jane
Hall, OF New York, but now residing at the
Whlte Bear hotel, on 4th street, that will raise
an extraordinary question Of marriage law.
Mrs. Halls maiden name was Powell. Ten
years ago she was poor seamstress In this city.
In 1876 while attending the international Ex-
hibition, she was introduced to Aaron R. Hail.
who owned some property in this city and a
large tract Of land in Colorado of little irnmedi-
ate out great prospective value. Hall became
devoted to Miss Powell. who is still uncom-
monty beautiful He proposed matrimony after
brief courtship: he was accepted and they
were married. The marriage was. at Halls re-
quest, conducted secretly a. the house of gen.
tleman. whom he represented to be clergyman
and a friend of his.
Hall and his wife lived for a time at the Con-
tinental hotel and afterwards at boarding.
house on Eighth street, below Walnut Their
life after the first few months was not a happy
one. He apparently had grown tired of her
and treated her cruelty. She was introduced to
some Of the other boarders in the house on
Eight street as Mrs. Hall. but her husband
scarcely ever went out with her and never pre-
sented her to any of his relatives or immediate
friends. In January. 1878. he left for Colorado.
for the purpose, as he said, Of attending to
pressing business matters there. His wife
hCdiu duOut Ilm from IUaU ClIie uUCll
last August when she learned that in the pre-
ceding May he had been thrown from a horse
near Colorado Springs and killed. She had in
the meantime moved to New York and opened
dress-making establishment at Twenty-third
street and SiXt avenue She at once came back
to this city for the purpose Of protecting her
dover interest in her late husbands prop
erty. She then learned that her husband had,
so tar as known, died intestate and that claims
to his property in this state as well as to that
in Colorado. that had become of considerable
value, had been put in by relatives. Her claim
as wife surprised them. An investigation was
set on foot and the discovery made that the
marriage had been pretended one and Halls
friend counterfeit clergyman. The ''friend"
had himself been imposed on and led to believe
that the whole matter was Jest. The fact how
ever. that the marriage was a mockery was
proved beyond question.
Attorney-at-Law John V. Ripperger. into
whose hands the matter was put. contends.
however, that though Hall was guilty of treacI-
cry, he defeated his own purposes and the
marriage is. under the laws of Pennsylvania. a
valid one. Marriage here, he holds. is a civil
contract. and Hail. by saying that he took Miss
Powell to wife, made such a contract. His in
Producing her afterwards as his wife is ad:lissi-
Bile, under the laws of this state, as corrObora.
tive evidence of the existence of the covenant
The suit to be entered tomorrow will be one tie
recover Mrs. Halls dover interest in the late
Aaron r. Halls property. and will rest on tho
lawyers Interpretation of the Pennsylvania law.
1t is said that there is no case similar to it in
any OF the law-reports of this state.