The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-10-25
ITO RUIN HIS own WIFB.
Witness Says Byron Sickle
Offered $500 for Mrs.
Stick1e'S Conviction.
THE CELEBRATED DIVORCE CASE
Testimony Taken Yesterday Before
Master in Chancery Cassidy.

The examination of witnesses In the
famous divorce case of Sickle ".
Sickle was continued yesterday after
noon before Master in Chancery George
w. Cassidy in the Office Of Vredenburg
& Garretson. This is the case in which
Byron K. Sickle. the principal merchants
of Rockaway. N. J.. seeks divorce from
his wife and names as correspondent
Charles W. Fox, who was postmaster Of
the village under President Cleveland.
Marie A. Menagh, sister of the defend
ant, who was for some time an
inmate of the Sickle household.
was recalled for the defense and
testified that about three years
ago she heard Sickle say that his wife
looked like one who took morphine
Sickle. his wife and the witness were on
their way to singing school when Sickle
made this remark. Mrs. Stickle reDlied
that her husband must be more familiar
with morphine than she was. On an
other occasion about a year after that,
the complainant said that he believed his
wife took morphine, because she acted
strangely and he had received bill from
DR.. Goodale, and most all the terms on it
were morphine.
WOULD PAY $500 FOR HIS wIFE'S cONyIC-
TIoN.
Elizabeth Dalrymple, Of Hackettstown,
an aunt of Mrs. Sickle. testified that she
had known Mr.. Sickle from a baby
When she lived at Denville she bad q
conversation with him about his wife a
short time before he applied for his di-
vorce. The night before the conversation
Mrs. Sickle borrowed witness morse and
carriage to drive to Chatham and Was
away all night She was accompanied by
her two little children. The next day
Mr.. Sickle came to witness house and
asked where ms wife was. Mrs. Dalrym-
pie replied by asking him if he did not
know where she was and when he said he
did not she told him where she had gone.
The Mr.. Sickle sat down and talked OF
his trouble.
Mrs Dalrymple told him that she had
heard that he was paying man IS q day
to drive around the country and watch
his wife. TO this Sickle made no reply.
and then Mrs Dalrymple told him that
she had also been told that he had prom
ised his brother $500 il he would testify
against Mrs. Sticle. Sickle, the witness
said, then said, Aunt Libby, did say
SO, and will give $500 to any one who
will convict her."
The aunt expressed her righteous in
dignation at such brutality and WAS ex-
cused without any cross-exam1nation.
William j. Hanskey, the next witness,
said he lived at Rockaway and knew Mr..
Sickle since he was a little boy. Hs has
seen Sickle and Fox often together.
MRS sTICKLE'S PHYSICIAN.
DIR. George FL. Foster, who attended
Mrs Stickle, testified that last June ne
was visiting Mrs. Stickle's father In
Rockaway when Mr.. Sickle sent note
to him. and in reply thereto he went to
see Mr. Sickle. Sickle said he wanted
to see him about Mrs. Stickle's sickness.
He first warned the doctor that he would
not pay him for attending his wife and
then demanded to know the cause OF hes
illness.
The doctor said that it was nervou9
prostration brought about by the worry
of the divorce trial Sickle wanted to-
know If it was not something else and the
doctor refused to answer, saying that he
considered Mr.. Sickle IAN alien to Mrss
| vorce suit on hand.n Sickle then dee
clared that he knew his wife took NOR
| phfne and that was what had made her
sick.
Mr.. Little, who appeared for Mr.
| Sickle objected to much OF this testi-
mony on the ground that the case had
| been closed, and it was not in rebuttal.
| Mr.. Nredenburgh replied that he had
| applied to the Chancellor for an order for
| the examination or Mrs Dalrymple and
Mr.. Hanskey and the Chancellor
directed that the witnesses should
be produced before the master
and il Mr.. Little objected he should be
| immediately informed of the fact
Mr.. Little insisted upon his objec-
ton, and the master refused to
referred to the Chancellor. Mr.. Vreden-
burgh then went before the Chancellor,
| who decided that the testimony should be
1 taEan