Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-10-31
DIVORCE REFUSED.
RESULT OF THE TRIAL IN THE
DALLAS FEDERAL COURT.
George E. Beach of Fort Worth Not
Legally Separated From HIS First
Wife - History OF the Case.
Special to the Gazette.

Special to the Gazette.
DALLAS, TEX, Oct. 30.-George E. Beach
is a citizen of Fort Worth. where he is in
terested, or istendeavoring to become in
terested, in many enterprises. He is prom
inent; well-known in the ranks of hydrau-
lie engineers of the country. He is not
pretty, and would not be taken for masher
in any country in the world. He is sixty
years Old weighs go pounds, is five feet
eight inches in height. He is now the pos
SCISSOR of two wives and thereby hangs a
tale which a GAZETTE reporter has I'M
raveled as follows:
In 1870 George E. Beach and Annie G..
were wed in one of the Northwestern states.
In 1885 they separated, Beach asserts. and
he hied himself to the Mecca of divorce
seekers, then as now, Pennington county,
Dakota, and secured judicial decree giving
him. the privilege of ''going it alone"
In February, 1887, Col Beach, light
journeyed to Dakota and espoused Miss
Retta S. Graham, an elderly lady, it is said.
In 1885, in November of that year, Mrs.
Beach No. l Swooped down upon Penning-
ton county, Oak. Ex-parte proceedings
were instituted and the Dakota divorce was
set aside, and that is how the colonel be-
came possessed of two living wives. 1t is
asserted by the colonel that himself and
wife No. 3 separated at once when the di-
vorce was declared void.
In 1890 Beach dropped into Dallas and be-
gan trial for divorce, alleging that wife No.
l was the keeper of questionable resort in
Minneapolis. Wife No. l answered through
her attorneys at Minneapolis and charged
Beach with all manner of intidelities. She
denied the charge preferred against her in
toto.
The case was called in Judge Burke's
court yesterday afternoon. The deposit
tons Of five or six witnesses for the plaintiff
were read, charging that wife No. l was a
fortune-t teller, magnetic healer and keeper
of a house of bad repute in Minneapolis.
Also that she was known as Madame Flor
ence. An adopted daughter, Ethel Beach,
was one of the witnesses. A dozen wit
nesses gave wife No. l an excellent char
acter.
George Harris of Fort Worth, former
friend of Col. Beach, paralyzed that gentle
mans cause. He swore that wife No. did
not keep house of evil repute in Minneap-
oils, and that No. 2 and the plaintiff were
living together at Fort Worth.
Col. Russell appeared for the plaintiff and
Col. Leake for wife No. l. The former
made his argument last evening.
This morning Col Leake appeared in
court cooked and primed for great foren-
sic display, but the judge waived him to his
seat and gave his decision. A decree of di-
vorce was refused and wife No. 1 is the
victor in Texas as well as Dakota. She is
ffty-eight years old. Defendant was
served by personal service in Minnesota
when this suit was instituted
In her answer, which is scorcher, she
closed by saying, "Yet she loves her hus-
band, is anxious to resume marital relations
and does not want divorce"
The building on the corner of Main and
Field streets, known as the "Cockrell
annex" has been sold to party Of Eastern
capitalists for $4,000.
The members of the Texas Associated
Press held meeting here to-day to consider
the necessities and improvement of the
service. -