St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-04-20
sHARON'S NEMESIS.
Personal Sketch of Sarah Althea Hill
mic Post niSnatch

Personal Sketch Of Sarah Althea Hill
st. Louis Post Dispatch.
The account Of the sensational scene
which occurred in the courtroom at San
Francisco on Wednesday during the trial of
she divorce suit of Sarah Althea Hill against
Senator Sharon, and the fact that Mrs. Sha-
whan, the witness on the stand at the time,
was once st. Louis woman brings the dis
graceful affair into prominence here, Mrs.
Shawhan, who was witness for the defense.
of course was severely cross-eXamined' by
Judge Tyler, the attorney for Miss Hill. Ty-
Ter stated among other things that he pro
posed to show that the witness had dined at
and visited disreputable places. At this Mrs.
Shawhan manifested intense excitement
She hurridly put her hand in her pocket, as
If to draw a revolver, but was checked by the
appeals of the defendants counsel, who i'm
plored her to restrain herself. During the
excitement, McCune Shawhan, aged %, a
son of the witness, rushed toward Judge Ty-
Ter, but was stopped by the latter's son, who
threatened to shoot him on the spot if he
made an attempt to draw weapon. Judge
and her son removed from the court and ad-
iourned in hurry. At every session since
police have been placed at the door, and all
persons are searched for concealed weapons
before they enter. Mrs. Shawhan, when she
lived in st. Louis, was the wife of a commits
sion merchant of some prominence, in the
years 1864-65. Mr.. Shawhan was in bust
rritb 1ubn 1-oG a c0 VOL
known. He conducted the business for
several years, but was lost sight of about
1869 or 1870, and the present temperance
of his wife brings many strange memories to
a number of St. Louisans who knew them in
the past. 1t is generally known also that
Miss Hill is a native of Missouri, having
been born in Cape Girardeau county, and
that she is closely connected with nearly all
of the prominent and respected Old families
of southern Missouri. Samuel Hill, her ia
Their, came to Cape Girardeau county in the
forties and began the practice of law. He
was never very successful in his profession,
not on account of lack of ability or popular
ity, but because Of
HIS POOR HEALTH
he soon drifted into politics, and in 1850
was a candidate for the Legislature before the
regular convention of his party. Being de-
feated for the nomination, he bolted and
came out for an independent ticket. His OPP
ponent, John Walker, was a popular man,
and the fact that Hill had bolted his party
after being before his convention, crime
considered worse than a cardinal sin, by the
old moss-backs of Southern Missouri, made
every one consider Hills candacy good
joke. He made q close canvass, however,
visited every voter in the county, and when
the votes were counted it was his turn to
emile. He had buried Walker out of sight.
After that he could have been elected to
any Office he might wish form the Southeast,
and was elected Circuit Attorney. His health
failed completely, however, and he died of
consumption in New Orleans at the time.
A GREAT LADIES MAN.
Hill was one of the finest looking men in
the state in his day, and had the merited rep
utation OF being fond of the ladies, and many
queer stories are still told of quiet little scan
dals in which he figured.
Mrs. Hill, his wife, was a most estimable
lade beloved by every one, but was rather
commonplace in appearance, and his daugh-
ter Sarah Althea, who was undoubtedly the
finest looking woman in Missouri in 1870
inherited her gOod-looks from the paternal
side of the house.
Mrs. Hill, it seems from traditions exist
ing about her Old home, was always, from
early childhood, inclined to allow her imagi-
nation more latitude than was consistent
with strict adherence to facts.
Her farmer died in moderately good cir
cum stances, worth probably $50, 600 to $780,,
geo, having two children, Sarah Althea, and
Hiram, but by the time the young lady was
old enough to come into possession Of her pat
imony, which, after deductipg the amount
expended on her education and support dur
ing minority, amounted to little or nothing
she succeeded in giving the impression that
she was worth at least $3.50, 600.
ALMOST A SCANDAL.
Another incident told of her which illus
trates her careless handling of facts came
near creating a scandal here in 1870. She
was in the city visiting the family Of a we'll
known lawyer. and, it being Fair week, she
was escorted one day to the grounds by Mr.
M, prominent grocery merchant of that
time. She was dressed in the height of fash
ion, and her dress was made to show to the
greatest advantage her magnificent bust and
figure.
1t is probable that after the day was over
at the fair she went somewhere and took sup
per with Mr.. M. At any rate it was late
in the evening when she returned, and be-
fore retiring she sought an interview with
the gentleman whose guest she was, and
complained that Mr.. NJ. had attempted IA
miliarities with her which no lady would toll
crate, and demanded that he be made to
apologize or be cowhided. Accord
ngly NJ. Mr.. was called upon the following
morning, but he so completely convinced
of4 A..
and that she had drawn entirely on her i'm
aginatiOn for her statements, that he
apologized to him. In many other ways
Miss Hill gained the general reputation
among her acquaintance of being insin-
cere, but the correctness of her life in every
other respect was never doubted, and at the
time Of her departure for California in 1871
she was universally admired and respected
by all who knew her.
Another incident in late interview with
Miss Hill, has caused much surprise among
those who had every faith in the Justice of
her claims against Sharon. She said she
was only fourteen when she left Missouri
in 1871, and that her inexperience was the
cause of her being led into the ENHANCEMENT
with Sharon.
An aunt of the young lady, living in St.
Louis, says she was born about 1850, and
that she was 10 or 90 years old when she
went to California. She was very fond of
society, and had numerous suitors for her
hand, and she generally encouraged them
all.
At one time she was engaged to gentle
man now connected with one of the large
mercantile firms, and their contemplated
marriage was favorably looked upon by her
relatives and friends. She was unable,
however, to resist the temptation to receive
direct attention from others, and the en-
gagement was broken off, and probably to