Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-12-22
THE BIGELOW DIVORCE.
The History of a Very Interesting
Case,


The History of a Very Interesting
Case.
Advices from San Francisco state tina
on June 10th last, Mary B. Bigelow, step
daughter Of DR.. Alfred Sawyer, of Sar
Francisco, commenced suit for divorce
against her husband Windsor D. Bigelow
OF Los Angeles. She alleged in her com
plant that she had been married at tina
time only a little over five months, ant
asked divorce on the ground of adultery
alleged to have been committed on the
night of June 18th in room at 126 Fifth
treet San Francisco. The court records
show that Judge Lawler on August 9th
granted divorce. no defense
having been made and ordered
that Windsor D. Bigelow pay
to his wife 500 alimony per month. An
affidavit fled by George A. Knight, at
torney for young Bigelow, who is attend
ing school at Laurel Hill, San Mateo
county, tells why no defense was made
to the case. Mr.. Knight said that he
was employed by Bigelow to defend the
case, and he advised Bigelow to make
no defence, the attorneys for plaintiff
having agreed,that if Bigelow would let
his wife get quiet and unopposed di-
vorce she would ask neither for alimony
or costs. Mr.. Knight says that he al.
lowed default to be entered, but that
the attorneys for plaintiff, in violation
of said agreement, misled the Court and
obtained decree ordering the payment
Of alimony. He AYERS that the attorneys
for plaintiff conspired to lure the defendant
into false position and asks that the de.
cree be set aside as his client has a good
defense.
Windsor d. Bigelow in his affidavit
sets forth the following facts:
my wife was sick and sent to Los An
geles for me. She was confined to her
bedroom in the Palace Hotel. Her
mother and stepfather, DR. F. A. Sawyer,
had always been opposed to my marriage
to said plaintiff and had endeavored in
every way to ALLEVIATE her affections from
me and to persuade and induce her to
leave me and not live with me as my
wife. Upon receiving her message to
come to her, came from Los Angeles
to this city and went to see her.
A few evenings after arriving
here" continued Mr.. Bigelow, 81 was
at the Palace Hotel in the billiard-room,
when a young man, whose name after
wards learned 10 be II. H. Libbing, ap-
preached me, shook hands with me and
professed to have met and been friend
of mine in Los Angeles, and invited me
to drink with him. l have never been
in the habit of indulging in intoxicating
liquors, and as he insisted on my drink
ing something strong I took glass of
beer. We remained together, he pro-
Tossing to be much pleased with my
company, and he invited me to 90
around to several saloons with him. 1
did so, he and treating and he insist
ing that l should not drink anything
weaker than beer and in one place on
Market street he refused to allow the
bartender to give me anything but
whisky, brandy or beer and he insisted
on ordering for me. l was smoking
cigarettes. He insisted on my smok-
ing one of his cigarettes. l
did 80 and soon began to feel
dizzy, dazed, sick and drugged, and 1
aver that the said cigarettes were
drugged, and that they were given to me
by said Libbing with the intent of caus-
ing me not to know what 1 was doing.
He kept plying me with liquors and in
sisted on me smoking his cigarettes until
l became greatly under the influence of
the liquor and completely drugged by
the cigarettes. I became partially with
out power of will, and he took me by the
arm and brought me to saloon on Fifth
street and there ordered and insisted on
me drinking more liquors, and then he
brought me up stairs in the same build
ing to room in which there was wo-
man in bed and left me there. He went
out to the saloon and brought back more
liquors. Then he left me in q nearly
insensible condition and l did not
understand how came there.
This was about II O'Clock at
night, as l afterward learned. Shortly
afterward the door of the room was burst
open and two men came into the room.
saw the woman there and one went out.
How l got out of there do not now re.
member, and remember nothing dis
tinclly until found myself in my room
at the Russ House. All this took place
on the evening of July 18th. The next
morning at about $50 O'Clock 1 went to
visit my wife in the Palace Hotel, and
after having seen her and received no
intimation of any difference between
herself and me, went out, and on my
way down stairs was met by man who
served me with copy of the complaint
charging me with adultery which had
been committed not twenty hours
before"
He declares that Libbing was hired by
DR.. Sawyer, his wife and Gordon &
Young to "induce, allure and persuade"
him to the commission of the acts and
things complained of in the divorce COM