New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-12-27
SELLING BOGUS DIVORCES.
HuGnEs,s PARTNER MAKES A CONFESSION
HOW THE PAPERS WERE FORGED AND GIVEN u
APPLICANTS.

APPLICANTS.
William H. Buttncr the partner OF william H.
Hughes who carried on such lively bushes III
bogus divorces arrested at Roster a bal WI
Thursday evening by Captain Mclaughlin and De
tcctvc Reilly Buitncr lives at No. 26O west sewn
tcenth-,t. with his wife and child. Hughes was
arrested on Wednesday evening. and he made con
fesson to Inspector Byrnes which clearly implicated
Buttner in the procuring OF IL large number VI
fraudulent divorces.
Hughes made an affidavit setting forth sufficient facts
To warrant Bu.tncrs arrest. aud warrant was lssueu
at jefferson Market Court and given TO Detective
Reilly TO serve The last seen of Ruttner was ON
Wednesday afternoon and al his bone all knowledge
as to where he could be found denied The ponce
suspected that he was home and adopted clever
ruse to enice him 10 Roster BiaPs. lie was III luii
drcs, when arrested and protested strongly against
going with the officers. He was taken Police Head
quarters, where he assumed an air Of defiance ana
vlrtuous indignation aud threatened 10 size everybody
for false imprisonment 4 night and day in the cell
caused him 10 change his mind. lie asked Ia be taken
to Inspector Byrne>'s prva.e Office late yesterday
afternoon and he made fun confession Of the part
that he had taken in the bogus divorce business
lie said that he formed copartncr-hip with Hughes
on June H. 1855. and dissolved il December 20
Of the sane year They went into the business OF
obtaining fraudulent divorces at once and continued
a, II after the dissolution. They advertised in are
number of out OftOwn papers 20 procure divorces
secretly, for any cause. and got up pamphlet con
tanning an abstract Of the divorce laws Of all the
sta,es The firm received hundreds o applications
from persons desiring divorces, and from them selected
tloe, that seemed o promise an easy chance 20 dc
fraud The imcs were kept in q book whi'i l;nincr
hid a, soon the story of the bosls divorce Of 'N
Mayor Pcudlcton. Of Fort Worth, Ten, wa, maze
public. The only names that he could recolloct with
cut referring 10 the book among those who had ap
piled for divorc, the Rev. samuel j. Harper
colorcd Of Jersey City; Charles T.. Fukc and Caesar
I'orsla Of New York; Thomas Mcdonald. of W"'h
ngion. and susan Il. Miller. Of brooklyn.
In regard to the divorce that was obtained i"r MS
Miller Buttncr aIIcgc, that som" t'mc aftcrvand
Martin Flanagan. LAWYER Of So 81 Court ST. Brook
lyn called Al h~ Office aud ead that De- had found on
that the Miller divorce bogus. Ilnn-an ltd al
the divorce paper, with him and SAID that he ""u'
surrender them and not prosecute ih" firm MI
Nlilcr's money were returned e. her and II Hr VIEW
maid for hi. trouhlc Buttner and Ilu-hc, gladly
agreed Ia FlanuganS proposition and I"m MN ''
amount that he asked 20 settle. Inspector h'rh'-
SAYS ma, Flanniean wa, guilty Of compromising
| felony.
In concluding his statement. Ruttncr says reaI7'
that have committed an offence against ~" laws "
the STATE OF New York. am willing - make whatever
! rcparation can. do not consider that "i' e"H''
If f,rrcry but larceny. because have en-. money by
4
any eX pcuse and am willing 10 % before 'ne ''A"u
! Jury and tell all I know
Butner j thirty four years old. lie followed ''
| sea until he became Of age, and then ~fud'h "a"
lie wa, admitted 10 the bar in Chicago, and began the
practice 81 law there H. arrested. tired, hh MOI
! cnlvirf.d for frludulcntly obtaining flooo ron u
| Woman in Chicago lie VA, arrested also several
time, for assault lie came here In l7-7 and opened
the divorce mill at so. 30 broadway. liis present
| Office f., n 80. 346 Broadway. In trunk belonging
70 Hughes IN the cellar IF the Hotel N"rop"le "cr
found YESTERDAY spurious seal Of the superior 'ohr'
81 Cook County Illinois" and LOT Of printed forms
used m divorce Proceedings IN that state iypc
written DEGREES Of divorce given "a ignorant per
sons but intelligent cliontS gOt the seal ana All I'M
| printed documents. 40,
imIttucr and Hughes were In the general ,windline
business outside Of bogus divorced, and they admit
ciiGs sui, as4in'i 'i rn ~ hc F' Go-,nr %bo
wcr, injured. The claim. II is said. wa good on"
and bnitner aua n.'N'1 IH,r,.i M, n,mr. Of
Their clicute Buttncr Viii be- taken 70 Jefferson
'W y Uu,,c.. WHO wa, associated With Iuttucr. MAS
admitted t. ha! on Thursday hy Jyd," Nuiiu'.
Martin Flanagan, The lawyer rf"rrcd ~ 9Y tt'','f
A. counsel for MIR Miller. lat niShf mad" an en-
phatlc denial 81 the allegation, made against Nun
| Bmtners story Is simply eid Wl'i> - la''.n'"'
nv of,irc and asked me To- diyor'" ''r her
from Ter husband. she ~ that Tin" sai1 that -ii
,% he minister 81 her church hat IN, deere. va.
! worthl~s, she showed me- IA" deer" and AZ "n,,"
Jaw lint the divorce wa> a bogus one. u bow u'
name Of the firm Of llugh', q Butm"r .,..,
wrote to the clerk ~ u" Chicago couf' Ih i"
the decree wa .ah - have Icon t;hr"d 9'1 ,,N -
proof that the divorce va fraudulent IN "rur,
~ Nh Buttucr. telling him II What hhd d''
and asking him 20 rfund NE 20 "n', Mi1. ,',I
had paid him and which be iiad "ii'H'n o. -iI'lHE
In f,.ply he called AZ my oric" AID promptly peg
money. Fifteen dollar II IN, J stv" =" MiN N ,,
| ,ncnt Of nv fce That wa IN" ir-t ard la com
municaton | ever had win W. lin'gcr, .rF 1 y
tsked II prosecuting hin. nor dii "'rr =" elV' "i
1 eoilfcs for a prflultfN fill'4l'Thb''i'