Eureka weekly sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1887-1902, 1888-02-11
THE SHARON DIVOsCE DECISION

The Supreme Court OF California In
affirming the decision of Judge Sullivan.
has drawn the tolls still tighter in the
Sharon divorce case. The opinion is con.
Cured in by four Of the seven judges,
three dissenting. 1t will thus be seen
that it was a close call whether Sharon
won or lost. The arguments turn on the
validity of secret or contract marriages.
which the Sharon match was, il anything
at all. The Court dealt with the cold
law Of the case. The alleged contract
between Sarah Althea Hill and William
Sharon seems to have been accepted as
genuine. 1t will be remembered that
Sharon was unable on the stand to deny
his own signature to the paper. But he
did deny most earnestly and emphatic.
ally that he had subscribed it to a con-
tract of marriage with the woman Hill.
The document itself was claimed by
Sharon to be a forgery, or at least wholly
fraudulent. The better theory seems to
be that he had csrelessiy written his
name on a sheet Of paper, after which
Sarah Althea wrote the contract above
it. The instrument was in her writing,
and had to be greatly cramped and inter-
lined to get it in above the signature.
The circumstances were all against its
g%enuineness. The woman had in the be-
ginning sought Sharon at his Office over
the Bank of California, and not he the
woman. While there can be no question
whatever about Judge Sullivan's great
honesty, we believe that he was mistaken
about that contract. He seems to have
had entire good faith in it, and now the
Supreme Court follows his lead with ref.
erence to it. The whole contest hinges
ON the validity of the paper purporting
to be q contract of marriage. We don't
believe that the late William Sharon ever
wrote or signed any such a document. II
was a part Of Sharon's very being to live
up to his contracts. He prided himself
more on a strict compliance with obliga-
tions. written or oral, than any other
characteristic Of his nature. 1t was al
ways the boast of himself and friends
that his word was his bond. We became
quite intimately acquain ted with Mr..
Sharon in the three or four last years of
his life. We once went down to his Bel
mont country home and spent Sc veral
days with him. 1t was during this visit
that he brought up his troubles with
Sarah Althea. In a joking way we asked
him to plead guilty or not guilty. With
great warmth he said, and we quote his
exact words, 81 would sooner be kicked
to death by wild horses than disown any
contract or bargain l ever made, with
man or / never thought of such
a thing as contracting marriage with this
woman. The whole thing is forgery and
blackmail, and l will spend a million to
expose and defeat the conspiracy rather
than give ten cents for a compromise"
He said q good deal more, but the words
quoted show how he felt on the subject.
The earnestness of his manner convinced
US that IN attempt was being made to
hold him to something that he had never
assented to in any manner. 1t cannot
be denied that Sharon was especially
loose in his morals with women. Still
he had a high sense Of regard for good
women. That he got deeply entangled
with the willy Sarah Althea is not to be
questioned. She was poor. but f~ascinat-
ing and ambitions, and when Sharon be-
gan to withdraw from the alliance that
had existed between them, she grew des-
perate and planned to make him suffer.
And she did. Sharon would be alive to-
day but for his trouble with this woman.
She shortened his life at least ten years.
And when he died a very true and excel
lent man, IS affecting men and enter.
prises and his dealings with them, passed
away. He made money in Nevada, but