St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1885-01-01
Miss Hill Wins Her Case.

California was treated to a genera
surprise yesterday by Judge Sullivan's
decision in the noted SharOn-Hill di
vOrce case, granting Il divorce and {
division of the community property
Ex-senator SharOn's social, or at leas
political and business position, as wei
rs the remarkable history of the six
months trial closing with round
fortnight of lawyers pleas, will make
this one of the famous trials in our iu-
dicial history. After reading the tes-
timony as it has been printed, month
after month, the impression Is strong
enough that two persons like Senator
and Miss Sarah Althea Hill could not
have been created without free mix
ture of cupidity, ignorance, immortality
and the passion for fast-living such as
great wealth only can bring. This i'm
preston may do the parties great in
justice, but the evidence submitted in
open court gives colorado excuse for
it, all the same.
Miss Hill brought her suit for di-
vOrce on the ground of desertioD
Sharon claimed that she was his mis-
tress, and showed the amounts OF
money paid her. Miss Hill replied
with letters to her beginning "My dear
wife," and proved that she had been
introduced to ShaFOn's own family, and
invited to his daughters wedding
Sharon admitted the social attentions
to Il great extent, but claimed that
''wife" was forgery, and the best ex-
prrts i'll the country were set at work
examining the letters. A marriage
certificate was also Submitted, and be-
| clouded by the defense with suspicion.
| The ma iOrity of the experts pro-
nOunced the contract and letters fOrg-
cries, but others of great reputation
defended them as genuine. The trial
was attended by a continuous run OF
smaller suits at law, libel cases, in
Some of Miss Hills witnesses were re-
turned, and swOre they had been
bribed. Nelson, one of the plaintiff 5
attorneys, abandoned her cause during
the trial, and is now being prosecuted
by the enraged woman. Sharon is
worth over $4,000, 900, and is charged
with spending money right and left to
circumvent what ne called a deep
conspiracy to get hold of his millions.
During the latter weeks of the trial
an attempt was made to set Miss Hill
up as Il sort of Charlotte COrday, who
had had the pluck to stab the Marat of
millionaires with the more legitimate
weapon of the law. But the material
is too vulgar and smacks too much of
wine-rooms and hotel bar rooms to get
any herOics out of this wOman's mo-
tives. Sharon also, even taking the
case at his own telling, was a gross
and wanton person. The using of a
mistress to help him in his fight for
the Senate, and the turning of the
Palace hotel into little Paris of high
living at times, only show what a
sorry thing it may be to possess sun
bounded wealth." Many of the scenes
in the courtroom were not unworthy
of the case itself On one occasion
there was an alleged prostitute in the
witness-stand testifyiug for Sharon /;
her son, enraged at the cross examina-
ton, had his hand on his pistol pock-
ct, and all the lawyers were on their
feet, when Judge Sullivan, understand
ing the temper of his court room
crowd, adjourned for the day, declar-
ing that no man should enter the
court during the trial of the case with
out being searched for dangerous weap
ons. There is every reason TO believe
that the people of the state had be-
come mortified at the revelations long
before the testimony was all in, and
the local community will have at least