The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-05-31
DIVORCED BY FRAUD.
William Moore's Scheme to Get Rid of
His Wife.
From the PHILADELPHIA Record.


From the PHILADELPHIA Record.
Chicago divorces will be locked upon
with suspicion in the future, especially
when the story Of the protracted litigation
between William H. Moore and his first
wife is told Moore obtained Chicago
divorce in 1887. Judge Thayer gave a de-
cislon in the case yesterday ia favor of the
wife. Moore was sou of the late William
Hill Moore, formerly a we'll kaown Phila-
delphia undertaken. He married the COM
plainant in Bordentown, n j., in 1869, but
after some years Mrs. Moore was obliged
to return to her relatives on account of her
husbands failure to support her. In 1897
Moore abandoned his wife, with whom
he had been living in Norristown, and went
to Chicago, where he secured q divorce on
the ground of deSertion. in the meantime
he had become infatuated with a sales
woman in prominent Philadelphia retail
store, and on his return from Chicago he
married the young lady.
ATTACHING A SPENDTHRrFT TRUST.
Before Moores second honeymoon was
over the discarded wife, through her at
torneys, Messrs Arundel and Moon, took
out warrant of seizure attaching moneys
belonging TO Mr.. Moore in the hands of the
Pennsylvania Company for assurances on
Lives and Granting Anmuities, Mr.. Moore's
father having created what is called a
spendthrift trust in favor of his son and
appointed the company trustee. This inter
est amounted to $l2, coo per annum and was
payable quarterly to him, and made free
from attachments by his creditors. The
company resisted the warrant mainly on
the ground that Moore had been divorced
MIR. Moon met the points raised in defense
and, in reference to an 1S-year-old son of
the litigants, contended that, as he had
substantial interest in the estate, and would
eventually inherit about SlU0,0O0, he was
entitled to such nurture and education as
would fit him to till the position which a
person of bis ultimate means should occupy.
DIVORCED BY FRAUD AND PERJURY.
All of the propositions in behalf of Mrs.
Moore were sustained by Judge ThaYer.
who said: at is too clear to admit Of the
least doubt that the Illinois court had no
jurisdiction whatever in the premises, and
that the decree was obtained by fraud and
perjury. The evidence shows that tho par
ties had never at any time resided in Hi
nois, nor had Mrs. Moore SO far as the evil
dence shows, even beer within the limits of
that State, nor had any summonses ever been
served upon her to appear i'll tho Illinois
courts, nor had she any knowledge of the
proceedings which her husband had fraud
ulently begun against Der. She had no
knowledge whatever of the divorce until it
was set up by the defense, in the answer
filed by her husbands trustee in the present
case.
''In the Illinois Court, Moore alleged that
his wife deserted him on March 49, 1869, and
that she had persisted in her desertion ever
since, while, in truth. they wore living to-
gether as man and wife in the month of Oc-
tober 1887. within eleven days of the time of
the filing of his petition for divorce in the
city of Chicago. The only witness examined
in the proceedings in the Illinois Court to
prove the desertion was Moore himself. In
the examination before the court he swore
that his wife deserted him in April, 1869,
while in his petition he said that it occurred
on March Is. He falsely swore that his
wife had deserted him, whereas be had de-
serted her and gone to Chicago for the pur-
pose of secretly obtaining divorce, with
out giving her any hint of his purpose He
also swore that Chicago was his residence
since 1867, statement which is falsified by
the witnesses examined on his own behalf
in the present proceeding.
woRD.ABoUT CHICAGO DIVORCES.
A more fraudulent abuse of the forms of
judicial procedure has never come under
my observation than that which has been
disclosed in this case. | should be ashamed
of the laws of Pennsylvania if | felt it ne
cessary, in view of the facts which are re-
ClUeu, 10 enUor luIO any arg uunenu TO Demon
strate that the Illinois divorce, thus fraud
ulently obtained by the defendant from a
court which had no jurisdiction of the par
ties, is of no validity whatever in this State.
l cannot, however, withhold the expression
of my surprise that any court in Christen-
dom should have decreed divorce from
the bonds of matrimony upon such slight
and flimsy testimony as that which appears
in the official record of the fraudulent Hi
nois divorce"
The judge held that the elder Moore, by
the terms of his will, intended that the
wives and minor children of his sons should
be maintained out of the income of the vast
estates, and ordered the payment of $1,000
per annum out of William H. Moore's
income for the benefit of Mrs. Moore and
her son.
THE KEEPER of Detroit confectionery shop
and restaurant is evidently determined to make
his calling sure. the sign upon his window