St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-05-20
Ross r. Winnans, the Baltimore Million.
aire, Sued for Divorce at
New York.
Imposing on the Oredulity of an English
Lass, She Becomes His Wife
Without Marriage.
After Many Years She Asks to be Re-
neved from Her Unhappy
Plight.
Racy Letters from the Defendant Pub
licly Read and Finally Placed
in Evidence.
Interesting Divorce Case.


the divorce suit of Alice O'Keefe agains
Ross r. Winans, the Baltimore millionaire
began the hearing of the case at his office
on Wall street, at noon to-day. The plain
tiff, handsome woman and elegantly at
tired, was accompanied by a younger siste
and Mrs. Thorne, middle-aged woman
witness for Mrs. O'Keefe. Ex-Judg,
D. NJ. Porter, counsel for the plaintiff
was with the ladies' Mr.. Winans, the de
fendant was present with his lawyers, 10
Seph S. Choate, James c. Carter and l.. G
Ledyard. The parties to the action sat op
posite to each other. Winans gave no sgr
of recognition, but stroked his beard nerv
ously from time to time, while his alleged
wife leisurely and gracefully famed her
self. The desk of the referee was strewI
with photographs of Winans, taken at va
riOus times in England. On the back o.
one picture where the defendant
APPEARS AS A SWELL,
in loud, Astrakhan-t trimmed coat the fol
lowing is written: ''TO Miss Saalfeld, as {
help to the remembrance OF Ross r. Wi
Mans" In another the following is scrib
bled: ''To Ally, from Rosy, with the
sweetest of kisses and the best of = =
from Rosy to his little divil, Alice.''
The first witness examined was the com
plainant. She testified that she first me-
Mr.. Winans at the Langham hotel in Lon
don, in 1871. She was introduced to hin
and he sent her gifts of books and flowers
She left the hotel soon after,
because Mrs. Hunt, by whom she was EN-
| ployed as gOverness, failed to pay hel
salary. She subsequently obtained a posi-
ton in the same capacity with Lady Duke:
of Lewes, England. When she departed
| for Lewes Winans went to the depot with
| her. He told her he was fond OF her ant
asked her to correspond with him. He
wrote to her frequently. She came to Lon
don and had lunch and drive with him
| Winans
| PROPOSED MARRIAGE TO HER,
| but she said she could not wed him, as hel
mother and family were not there. Wher
| he asked her second time to marry Shit
consented, but insisted that the ceremony
take place in church. Winans said that he
was an American and that in his
country church ceremony was not alto
gether necessary, and thata man and woman
who agreed to live together were regarded
as husband and wife. He finally induced
her to acquieSce and they went tt
the Governor hotel in London, where
he gave her ring and solemnly pledged
himself to take her as hiswife. He put the
ring Oh her finger. They lived at the hOte
as man and wife, and she was known tc
servants in the house as his wife. They
then went to Cambridge, where his studies
were not completed. He called her his wiff
| journeyed back to London and went thence
| fn xx-ho how ,od f1yc
OF six weeks. Articles shipped to the plain.
tiff, while at Spa, were addressed to her
AS MRS. wINANs.
| The defendant spoke of her as his wife
and he introduced her to Mr. Latrobe anC
to his (Winan's) own brother as Mrs
| Winans. The plaintiff and defendant came
to this country on the steamer Scotia, which
arrived here May 20, 1871. They were
booked ON the passenger list as Gross R.
Winans and lady," They put up at the
Brevoort house, where the respondent regis
| tered in his own handwriting, ''R. r
| Winans and wife" Upon her arrival Mrs
Winans, so-called, found that her mothel
was living in Chicago. She wanted {
public wedding, but he demurred, alleging
| that his father was very i'll and he did no
want to break the news of his marriage tt
him. The defendent consented to repeti
ton of the ceremony gone through il
London, just to ease her mind. She ther
went to Chicago to see her mother, while
| he journeyed to his fathers bedside a
Baltimore. He wrote to her every day
while
SHE WAS IN CHICAGO.
They met again in this city, after an in.
terval of couple of weeks, and went tt
the st. James, hotel, but subsequently re-
moved to No. 90 West Twenty-fourtf
street, where she was also known as Mrs
| WinanS. In addition to her wedding ring
he had given her ring which, he said, be
longed to his mother. A number of letters
from defendant to plaintiff were here put
in evidence. The following letter was
written from Baltimore, while the plaintiff
was in Chicago.
June 4, the day after arriving NY Owr
| Sweet Ducky: 1 suppose by this time my
poor little pet is pretty near home. What 6
long, tiresome, lonely, dusty, hot journey she
must have had. My poor, little darling. Il
you had seen Rosy as he was going home OF
! the ferry boat you would have pitied hin
/ much more than yourself He went to the
outside of the boat and cried like
regular baby, and would have been ashamed
| of myself if it had not been caused
| so good, so excused myself and let nv tear:
|
I can tell you. I swear that regularly boo
hooed so much in fact that an old niggel
came up and stared at me to see what the
| devil was the matter. l arrived in Baltimore
and fo und my brother in the. station. Ny
| sister waited in the carriage, while Bill and
walked to the carriage. If you like, my little
Ducky must not expect very long lettel
| if / write every day. I hope you have
not got it as hot in Chicago as it is here
am half dead with heat Do you know that
never knew how fond I was of my little Dew
| till now that am parted from her? But be a
rest; Rossy will not be away longer than he
can possibly help. am so anxious for a let
| ter, and hope to goodness I will get one to
morrow. l must get up now for breakfast
Oh, how lonely it is in this big bed all by my
self Well my little darling, l must say good
| bye, with as many kisses as will last you til
tomorrow, and believe me to be, your loving
| and sad ROSSY.
Counsel for plaintiff read the following
letter for all it is worth:
| Tuesday-My Little Darling: have re
ceived no letter again to-day. They must be
disgustingly irregular with the posts. You
said some gentleman asked you to go to the
theater. My dear little girl, how in the worlt
did you ever allow yourself to lose your goot
| sense so far as to get acquainted SO init
mately with any of them as to give him the
right as to ask you to do such thing? MY
| God! you ought to have got mad at his pre-
sumption to ask a married lady on as short
an acquaintance as that. Such an insolent
question. Have nothing more to do with the
blackguard or he will want to visit your bed
| room next My darling, can't imagine how
| you ever allowed him to suggest such
a thing and only say back that you did not
feel well enough to go anywhere. Why, what
must behave thought of you? Be very care
full, darling, have little to do with any OF
them. I have no time for more, now. bu,
| 10,
many kisses from your loving old boy,
RossY.
Joseph S. Choate of counsel for Winans
| in his crOss-examination elected the facts
that Mrs. O'Keefe. while Miss Saalield
studied music in London under Haller and
in Paris under Heller. She acquired hel
| German and French in Wieshadan and Parin