The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1886-12-26
THE H0RNBLOTlER DIVORCE
bVAH SIDES Of Il TERRIBLE STORY
or DOMESTIC MISERY.

n Daughter's Recent Marriage and
Fascinating Drug Clerk Making
Trouble in the F amily of one Of the
Best Known Physicians in the City.
"A Threatened Application for More
AItmonY,
Mrs. Nanette Hornblower, who has
brought suit against her husband, DR..
Josiah Hornblower, in Chancery, for a
limited divorce, is lying at her parents
home, No. AZ Central avenue, in very low
condition of health. She is suffering from
cancer, which promises relief only in
death, and will probably make application
to the Chancellor soon for an increased al
lowance that will enable her to provide her.
self with the delicacies and the careful
nursing her endangered health demand.
DIR. Hornblower is leading Republican
politician, and one of the best known ply
sicians on the Heights. No one has a
larger practice than he in the district north
of Hoboken avenue. He is known to every
man, woman and child in that region.
Last spring Mayor Cleveland brought him
into fresh prominence by making bim a
Member of the Board of Education.
Twenty-six years ago or more he married
Miss Pennington. According to the aft
davit read before the Chancellor by Theo-
dore Ryerson, the younger, few days ago,
their married life was harpy and hnmol-
ious till ten or eleven years ago, when she
gave birth to child that, she alleges, her
husband disowned. The affidavit discloses
most unhappy state of affairs from that
time down to to-day
The couple have had five children
hat w tn
Jake Merserles brought the family trouble
to elimination, was born IN 1861, and is
the oldest. The Others are Josiah, born in
1864; Nanette, born in 1870; Francis
Gautier, born in 1874; and William, horn
in 1876. William had scarce seen the light
of day before her husband charged her
with infdelity. When she was able to rise
from her bed she packed her goods to
leave her husbands roof, but he kissed her
indignant tears away and promised better
( treatment, and she remained. AS became
a mother, she kept a watchful eye on her
Nhildren, and in November, 1885, commu-
nicated to her husband her suspicious that
her daughter Elizabeth had fallen from
grace. She did not know then that she
had been secretly married, three months
previously, by Rev. E. L. Stodiard, of St.
Johns Clurch, to Jake Merseles; nor does
it appear that her father knew it either
DR.. Hornblower met his wife's assault on
his daughters chastity with savage indig-
nation.
ssIt is false p she says he shouted.
" It's lie and you're a liar"
The whole family of children rose re-
volt against her. Her son Josiah went into
the dining-room while she was removing
the supper dishes. She had taken up the
carving knife, with other table articles, to
lift them out, when he entered.
Sc you," he shouted at her, "Tn
kill YOU"
ATTEMPTING MATRIcIDE.
he ran into the stable, and returned with
a hatchett, but was stopped by his father
from inficting violence. The next day he
went before Justice Aldridge, and she was
surprised to find Constable Joe Locke at her
door an hour or two later, with warrant for
her arrest on charge of having attempted
TO take her sons life with the carving
knife. She was arrested, and her husband
never offered to go bail for her. She de-
clares, in fact, that the doctor prompted
the arrest Thereafter the family circus
went on with hammer and tongs The
mother was degraded from her position at
~ head Of the household, and children
3/and servants were alike forbidden to speak
to her. And finally in December. 1885, she
went to her mothers house. She remained
there fer well upon three months, when,
in answer to her husbands pleadings and
! because of the sickness of two of her
younger children, she consented to return
to his roof. She found it possible to stay
till the time when Othelbert Vail, who had
been her husbands clerk, was invited to
their SUNDAY dinner table. Dr. Horn
blower had charged her with improper in
tamacies with this young sEsculapius, and
he had, because of his jealous suspicious,
dismissed him from his service. When
after all this, Mrs. Hornblower found the
young man sitting as a guest at her table,
she withdrew. The doctor followed her to
the yerd, and commanded her to return.
'sWho are you p he demanded of her
when she refused.
81 am your wife, she responded, 'sand
I will not sit at the table with the man
with whom you say committed adultery -
'sYou are not my wife" he retorted; and
then he topped off with his threat to take
out of her hands again the management of
her household affairs. The daughters were
nut in charge. "He made
HOME HE'LL"
she swears, ssand all my children devils.'
The excitement unnerved her, and she
sought the doctor for money to buy relief
with. He said she should have nothing.
save place to lay her head, till she
apologizsd to her children, and
e roughly tried to thrust her from
his drug store. For week after
q wards she lay ill in bed. None of the fam
Il ily visited or; and her daughter Ninette
left her food in an outer room for her to
8 get as best she could. When she was able
n 70 get up she went aglin to her parents
home, and has been there since. Under
z advice of her counsel, she wrote to her
q husband, demanding support; and he
wrote back, refusing to give it to her.
aYou will always be welcome, he wrote,
q ssto your proper position in my house, but