The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-11-20
His Wife Sues for a Divorce and
AlimOny.
SOME SERIOUS ALLEGATIONS
The Manager Tried to Get "Chicago"-ln,
structed How to Do it-He Set Traps
to Catch His Wife.

pired with others whom she names
TO SECURE "CHIoAGo" DIVORCE
Without her knowledge. She says she was
married to Leavitt In Omaha in 1869. She
vas then a vocalist known as Hattie For
'est, but her real name was Hattie Brown.
Leayitt was negro minstrel and Mrs.
Leavitt says, without cent to his name.
she assisted him, paying his board and buy
ing his clothes. At the time of their mar
rage she had $500 in cash, her stage ward
robe and $500 worth of jewelry. They
travelled and worked together, Leavitt as
negro comedian and she as soubrette. She
kept her stage name of Hattie Forrest, and
he (Leavitt), she says, kept her salary.
They played in the British provinces and
IN Canada, and about 1871 joined the COM
pany known as "Rufus Somerby's
lit was end man and Hattie Forrest
was the leading female attraction and in
terlocutor. Leavitt, she says, continued to
retain their combined salaries. In two
seasons the company disbanded Recog-
nlzing the value of the name MADAME
Rentz," they organized the NADINE Rentz
Female Minstrel company" Mrs. Leavitt
as Madame Rentz and Leavitt
was lend man." Thus, Mrs. Leavitt says,
THEY PLAYED FOR MANY YEARS.
She received no salary. The earnings of
the 'female minstrels," Mrs. Leavitt
at1irms, were from $4,000 to S15, 900 sea
son. Her husband bought house in which
they have since lived, at No. 149 West
Thirteenth street, in this city, in 1881. The
house, Mrs. Leayitt says, is worth to- day
$50, 600 and in the house is 81, 200 worth of
brlc-a-brac, paintings, rugs, carpets, stat
uary and ornaments. About year before
the house was bought, Mrs. Leavitt retired
from the stage. Leavitt leased the Bush
Street theatre in San Francisco, the profits
of which amount to $4,000 yearly, the
plaintiff alleges. Leavitt is also the pro-
prietor Of the New Broadway theatre in
Denver, the New Windsor theatre in Chi
cage, and of M. 3. Leavitt's grand spec
tacular and pentomime burlesque. Be-
sides, ''The Grand Fly" company,
Mrs. Leavitt says, averages from
$500 to $500 week, and the profits from
the rent of the Stanley burlesque COM
pany, are about $1,000 season, Leayitt is
also interested in what is known in theatre
cal parlance as
THE CALIFORNIA CIRCUIT
which yields large income. Moreover
Mrs. Leavitt says, her husband owns a
$25, 1000 brown stone house on Lexington
avenue, s., 900 to $4,000 worth of stage
scenery, costumes and theatrical proper.
ties. He has $40, 900 in government bonds
an account with Drexal, Morgan & Co.,
which runs from 81, 600 to $4,000 and ar
account in the Bank of San Francisco
Since the defendant began to acquire
wealth, Mrs. Leavitt says, he has beer
cold and Indifferent to her, then tantaliz-
ing, then absolutely cruel. He accused
her of
INTIMACY WITH MAN
named Charles Worrell. She denies that
she has ever been unfaithful. She say!
that on September % of this year she re
ceived a letter signed, Charles Worrell.
The writer asked for an interview, bu,
Mrs. Leavitt was too shrewd to be caugh
in such a trap. She sent to the trystins
place q witness, who makes an affidavit q
seeing Leavitt and another man standing
on the corner, where the appointment wa
to have been kept at the time mentionel
| in the letter. They looked up and dowI
the street as if expecting to see some ON
they knew. Mrs. LeaYitt affirms she Sc
cured specimens of the penmanship OF LIE
Leavitt, her husbands nephew, and it cor
responds exactly with that in the lette
received by her and signed "Worrell.
While rumaging through her husband
trunk for pair Of eyeglasses he had takel
|
'tWorrslP' letter. The letter, she says,
IN LEAvrTTs OWN HANDWRITING.
She swears that Leavitt offered, on on
occasion, to give her the Lexington avenu
house if she would put him in possessio
of evidence that would enable him to sc
cure divorce. Further, the plaintiff
alleges that she and her husband, Michas
B. Leavitt, or Levy for the past six yearc
\ hut In
last summer they quarreled about his re
lations, and he is alleged to have told he
that if she didn't like it "she could ge
out.n
At 3 o'clock in the morning one day earl
in October he said that he was going to GU
her throat She shrieked and tried to sen
the servant, Miss Connie Smith, for hell
but he would not let her 60 The plainti
alleges that her husband cursed her re
pestedly and one DAY in August he struc
her with an umbrella, scratched her fax
and tore her bonnet. He had new loci
put on the outside doors of the Thirteent
street house and gave her no keys. Whe
she was sick he refused to have the doctt
come, saying that she should never leay
the house except on stretcher. Once
. locked her in closet and she was oDl
reacued from suffocation Dy the interpos
ton of Lena Leayitt her sister-in-lay
Inc complainant LQe0 roClleS
LONG LIST OF NAUGHTY ACTS
, by her mike" such as locking her out
the house, backing her eyes and spittil
in her face. AS one Of the ''exhibits'' 81
filed letter written by his brother Be
, from Chicago, in which the details a
given of how "Mike'' is to proceed to get
F Chicago divorce. Ben instructs h
, brother to leave his trunks at Ben's Chic
90 house and to register from Chicag
| at every hotel where he stops. She al
:, turns in bill from Private Detective Fu
, Ter in which $75 is charged for spyi
upon Hattie.
For the past six or seven seasons, N
! and Mrs. Leayitt have Travelled in Califo
l MIA and Europe, eXpending about SIC, 00(
! year. Mrs. Leavitt alleges that the q
q fendant's income,is at least $4,000 yea
: and asks that q reasonable portion of |
estate be set apart for her support, as s
Is without means.
;. MR., LEAvITT DECLINED TO TALK ABOUT t
y CASE
f when seen at his residence. No. 149 w,
0 Thirteenth street to-day, except SO far
to make a general denial of the chars
= made by his wife. His counsel is engae
s in preparing for vigorous defense, and
s the case is ever tried the defendant v
# perhaps hold up the family skeleton to |
hubble view. One of Mr.. Leavitt's eli
friends said tonight that the matter wol
be compromised and settled out of court
/, no distant day. Mr.. Leavitt Is at pres,
IF stopping with friends.
rbo Fjdar Arriyea at SouthamntOn