The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1884-12-25
HILL-sHARoN.

Judge Sullivan; of San Francisco, mas
finally decided the Hill-Sharon divorce
suit, his decision being that the plaintiff
being the wife of defendant is entitled
to a decree of divorce, and to an equit-
able share of the community property.
This decision is somewhat startling in
its character. Very few persons familiar
with far western customs and the ways
of the rich entertained the faintest sus-
picion that Miss Hill or Mrs. Sharon, as
the case may be, would gain anything
by her suit, beyond an unenviable and
notorious reputation. That she has
won is suggestive of new and strange
order of things in the California courts
and in the high life of the Coast. 1t IS
sincerely hoped that Judge Sullivan's
opinion marks q new era in the
administration of justice in the
west, and that it will serve as
a warning to the rich old reprobates
who regard female virtue as a market
able commodity The facts of this case
are, briefly, these Senator Sharon was
fascinated by the dashing Sarah Althea
Hill, who seems to have been more or
less of an adventurous turn of mind;
whether or not she laid trap for her
lecherous lover is immaterial-he at
least was caught, and for years seemed
delighted to bask in the sunshine
of her love; he gave her large
sums of money, provided elegant
quarters for her in his hotel, and
was generally recognized as her "solid
man." in the language of people of her
and his class morally, while she was
regarded as his ''best girl" They were
not married by any of the forms
or ceremonies known to the
church or law, though they were
man and wife in all except the
acknowledgment before the world and in
the assuming of his name by the
woman. As is usual in such cases,
Sharon finally tired of his mistress,
doubtless seeing a new face TIA: pleased
him better, and imagining that his
money would satisfy the old love and
purchase the favors of the new.
or not Miss Hill was his inno-
cent victim or scheming adventures,
she didn't propose to be cast upon a
cold world with nothing to sustain her
except bad reputation; she claimed to
De the wife of her debaucher, and sued
aim for divorce and alimony, as a
awful wife had the right to do. 1t has
'een long, bitter, dirty fight, thou
ands of money being employed on
ne side to defeat and detroy a shrewd,
determined but characterless woman.
'he had nothing more to lose and went
n to win; and she has won, though I'M
her victory may not be final |
Honey is powerful, and while ithas been
eaten this time, it may yet win.
THE HERALD heartily hopes that the
Hill woman will gain a permanent |
triumph, making the lecherous old |
wretch Sharon pay dearly for what he
las done; and then we hope that the
hundreds Of other girls who have been
by the rich men of the west,
r who have deliberately sold them
elves to the old reprobates, will
dept Sarah's tactics, and make
warm for the sensual old
ascals who have no higher regard for
he morals of themselves or others than
as been shown by Sharon. There is
tile sympathy for women of the Hill
lass; they are either instinctively bad
+ keenly vicious and unprineipled, and
! either case are deserving only of the
that is felt for the dis
equitable and vile; at the same time
ley are more to be pitied, and less de-
CRYING of blame than those whose vic
ms they are. If Miss Hill shall sue
eed in forcing old man Sharon to pay
er a million dollars, or such matter,
le will be getting more than she is en-
tied to, but he will not be punished
lore severely than he deserves.
l