St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-02-24
A WIDOW AT NINETEEN
Mrs. Charles Cloves Trying to Establish
in Court the Legality of Her
Marriage.
She Insists That She Was Welded to
Cloves Twice--Some Sensational
Testimony.
\ Young Lady of 1T. Louis Horses
whips n Dude Who Insulted Her
in the street.
Two Missourfans Fight n Five-Round
Drawn Battle for the Hand
OF Girl.
She Married Him Twice

Special to the Globe.
CHICAGO, FeD. 23.-Two ladies. one Of
slight figure and medium stature, the other
much sJOuJer and walking with the uncer-
tain step characteristic of advanced aye,
entered Judge knickerbOcker's court room
shortly after 10 O'clock this morning.
dressed III deep mourning. They were the
putative widow of Charles A. Cloves, who
Killed himself and mistress in Clark street
bagnio last January, and her mother, Mrs.
Kelsey, and the presence of both ladies
was III accordance with legal steps To estab-
llsh the validity of the marriage said To
have been contracted by the young woman
and Cloves. Until after the inquest a
breath OF suspicion did not attach To the
good name OF the supposed widow of the
dead man, but the mother and friends OF
the dead man denied all knowledge of his
ever having been married, hence this suit.
Interest seemed To hinge ON the
issue of what constituted 4 common
law marriage. Cloves was in receipt of
yearly income of $4,000. Before
the alleged widow could claim her share
in the estate, the validity of her marriage
must be proven. 1t was announced that
the contracting parties to this marriage
went through no ceremony, but simply
lived together as husband and wife. The
union took place in New \ Ork city, where
the laws required no ceremony To be per
formed, but accepts the statement OF tha
parties as proof of legality OF marriage.
1t was this point. whether marriage con-
tract of that fashion in New York, would
be recognized by the laws of this state, thai
served to attract general attention. In
opposition TO these declarations, Col. Dan
Mum, counsel for the widow, said Il cere-
monY OF marriage was performed, and
promised to produce q competent witness
who would prove it. \ will executed by
Cloves in February, 1882, made his mother,
Mrs. Sarah E. LOOmis, beneficiary. She
was represented by w. II. Richardson.
Some fifteen or
TWENTY WITNESSES
were in attendance. The developments
We're sensational, especially during the ex-
animation of Mrs. Cloves, who is Il remark
ably pretty woman of 10, and her testimony
was given steadily, though blushing fre-
quently as the more salient points of the
examination were touched upon. She says
she met Cloves in New York III 1885,
where month later he proposed to her.
Her own words were:
We were married March3. Charley brought
a man 10 the house. 1 think his name was
Davenport, and he asked us both IL we had
ever been married before. L said no, and
Charley said no. Then he asked me If I
would take this man for my hus-
band and 1 said yes, aud he asked
Charley If he would take me for
his wife, and he said he would. That was in
the morning, and my friend, Miss Anna Fish,
was to be the witness, but she did not como
| till the afternoon. When she arrived she was
much disappointed, so we went through the
ceremony again to please her, and were mar
| ried twice.
She admitted to having been ballet girl
during 1854, that she led rowing life, but
denied having occupied Cloves room with
him the first night she met him, but did SO
| continuously several days later, because
| she considered herself engaged to Cloves.
| Other witnesses testified that Cloves had
introduced the woman as his wife, and he
was frequently seen in public with her,
where she passed as his wife. The fact
that no certificate of marriage was ever
issued for the alleged marriage, is the point
on which the contestants bring the suit.
The case will be continued tomorrow.