The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-08-20
SURPRISED BY A DIVORCE.
A DECREE THAT MIKES A SECOND
MARRIAGE BIGAM0US.


A Remarkable Case in the Court OF
Chancery Two Lambertvine Girls
DroWned-A Camden Murderer Swal-
lows an Iron Rivet-General State
News.
A case that parallels the famous Yer
rfrder divorce, that once attracted much
attention in this city, has just been de-
cided in the Court of Chancery at Tren-
ton. In March, 1887, Oscar L. Britton
applied for a divorce from his wife on the
ground that she had been unfaithful to
her marriage VOW. One Albert V. Dud-
ley was made correspondent, and IL was
stated that the whereabouts OF the wl1e
was unknown. The Sheriff OF Camden
county, who was given the subpoena 70
serve upon her, returned it. stating tnat
he was unable to fine her, n that ne
was informed that she lived in Pennsyl-
vania.
When the matter came up, before a
special master, the defending was no6
represented in court. oscar L. DlddouConi
OF the stand, gave an interesting acco9Ie
of their wedding, according to Wnlcn
story he was, at the time, only nfteen
wears of age. He and some friends were
enjoying a wine supper at ms Wlles
mothers house n night, when IL was
SuARESltu IHhD liz O1ICAAAN
daughter. While under the influence OF
liquor and scarcely realizing what ne dld,
the witness said he was married 10 Ine
girl at two O'Clock in the morning. inns
was in Philadelphia.
Following this testimony were otner
witnesses who testified to the character
of the wife, her alleged intimacy with
men of bad repute, etc. The master re-
viewed the case, and recommended tnat
a divorce be granted. On O final hearing
,ova runn QpfnrQH Six
months later M. B. Taylor, OF Camden,
filed q petition, on behalf of Mrs. Britton,
asking that the decree be set aside on the
ground that 1t was obtained through
fraid. The petition alleged that the
whole scheme was a plot OF the nus
up that she always lived at No. 1247
Poplar street; that her husband re-
sided there with her for two years, and
knew at the time he applied for a divorce
where she could be found. No copy OF
the order of publication was served upon
her. She denied that the marriage was
performed in the manner stated by her
husband, Blu that he courted her for sew
eral years, and that her mother refused to
let her marry for q time because OF their
extreme youth. b finally consented,
and they were welded on the night IN
question. Her husband was not drunk,
and they had no wine supper.
The petition was backed by O number
of ~aff1davits, and was so strong that Vice
Chancellor Bird opened the decree and
gave Mrs. Britton an opportunity TO
plead to the original suit. An answer
was filed, but the suit Jagged on until
Saturday, when the rule was entered dis
missing the petition for divorce. This
ends the case in the of Chancery,
and the wrong unwittingly done by the
court in granting a divorce without the
Wife's knowledge has been righted.
The husband, it is said, has fed. Two
weeks after the final decree for divorce
was entered, which made him a free man,
he married a rich widow, and for q time
lived in Camden. When he heard that
application would be made to reopen the
divorce proceedings he left.
A Court Martial.
The military court martial, consisting
of Colonel A. j. Clark, Lieutenant Colo
nels Davis, Erlenkotter and Jenkinson,
and Majors Boltwood and Mason. which
was appointed by B%rigadier General
Steele to decide the case of Major and
Surgeon Hodgeson, of the Third Regi-
ment, convened last night in the First
Regiment Armory, at Newark. Colonel
Clark was president of the court and
Colonel Frederick S. Fish officiated as
Judge advocate. The charges against
Surgeon Hodgeson, in substance, are:-
That he wrote, caused to be written or
ZdN0 luIOlUthDlOu WulCII ChOoC0 GA pAOACo
to be published in a Railway paper and
the New York World that the Third Regi-
ment was in a crippled financial condi-
tion, n rejecting upon the character OF
Colonel Ropes, commandant of the reg1-
ment. The said articles were published
in the Railway paper on March 81 and in
the World on March "a, and the court
charged the major with conduct preju-
dicial to good order and military discip-
line. The charges are preferred by
Colonel Ropes.
Several witnesses were sworn in an
effort to prove that Major Hodgeson had
written the article himself. but the testi-
mony showed that he had not, An ad-
journment was taken till Friday night.
Two Girls Drowned.
Winnie and Mary Colligan, aged re-
spectively twenty and seventeen, were
drowned in Wells Falls, a short distance
below Lambertville, about nine O'Clock
last night. Early in the evening, accom-
panied by Charles Keller, they went up
the river and allowed the BOAT to drift
down the stream with the current.
On account of the prevailing darkness
they were unaware of their nearness to
the Falls until they heard the roar of the
angry waters. The younger sister cried
to their friend that they were approach
ing the falls, whereupon the young man
tried to turn the boat, when it capSized,
throwing all of the party into the foaming
waters. All three held on to the boat I'M
til it struck a rock, when it again turned
over and wrenched the young ladies from
their support. This was the last seen of
the two sisters. The young mar sue
ceeded In clinging to the boat until one of
the farmers living near the shore, attracted
by his cries, put out in a boat and rescued
him. Parties were out all night search
ing for the bodies, and are out still, but as
vet neither have been recovered.
A Murderer Swallows a Rivet.
Michael Angelo Curatelo, the italian
who is accused of numbering his country
man, Michael de Napoli, near Waterford,
attempted to commit suicide in the
County Jail about three o'clock yesterday
afternoon by swallowing q rivet about an
inch and a half long and half an inch in
diameter at the head.
Curatelo had been acting strangely all
day and had shown symptoms of insanity.
One of the jail unn was handling a