Los Angeles herald., 1891-08-09
BURNS BOTHERED.
The Ex-Chief of Police Sued
for Divorce.
A Woman From Nebraska
Claims to be His Wife.
Serious Allegations Against the Pop
ular Ex-Sheriff.
He is at Coronado with His Present
Wife-Mrs. Burns Number One
Makes Statement-She De-
nies Being Divorced.

promises to be one of the most interest
ing that has been heard in the courts of
this county for some time. The an
nouncement was made exclusively in the
HERALD yesterday that Mrs. Sarah A.
Burns had filed complaint against her
husband, James F. Burns, in which she
asks that the bonds OF matrimony be
solved between them, and that she be
awarded one-half of the community
property, which was estimated to be
worth about $4,000.
The defendant in this case is no other
than ex-Sheriff and ex-Chief of Police J f.
Frank Burns, who is perhaps as well
known as any citizen of Los Angeles,
and who is now claim agent for the
Southern California Railway company.
The Mrs. Burns who is suing for di-
vorce, however, is not the lady who is
generally known as the ex-chief's wife,
and who was a Mrs. Hill when she
married Burns on August Z, 1889, but
former Mrs. Burns, who became the
wife of the defendant seventeen years
ago, back in Nebraska, and from whom
he claims to have divorce. The legal
ity of this divorce, which the former
Mrs. Burns contests, forms the basis for
the present suit, and upon this point
her case will stand or fall.
A HERALD reporter called on the ex-
chief at his residence, on Seventeenth
street, to learn the particulars of this
interesting case, but was informed that
Mr.. and Mrs. Burns had gone to Coro-
,odn f, Nn
l, who is at present visiting at DIR.
Wells's residence, near the Second
street park, was then sought out, and
gave the following account of her
troubles:
''Mr. Buns claims to have divorce
from me which he obtained back in
Ainsworth, Neb., when we were living
there four years ago, but deny that ne
ever legally divorced me, and am fully
able to prove what say. 1t all began
when was lying sick in Ainsworth in
the hotel of which l was proprietress.
The doctor told ME that could not live,
and packed up my jewelry and other
personal property and sent it to the ex-
press Office to ne forwarded to my
mother. He learned of this and got out
an attachment for the jewelry. After
ward, when l got better, he began a
divorce suit, but | was never sum-
moned, do not know the grounds on
which the divorce was asked, and never
put in an appearance.
''My husband afterward went to San
Francisco and | went to live with my
mother, widow lady, at Nevada City,
New. Burns wrote me many letters, in
which he addressed me as MY dear
wife, and came to visit me on several
occasions. He denied in the presence of
my mother and sister that he had ever
obtained divorce.
cat his request took a trip to San
Francisco with him and stayed there
several weeks. My relatives advised me
to have nothing more to do with him,
but he protested that he meant right,
and lived with him again. We were
registered at the Baldwin as man and
wife.
''After this he went back east to settle
up his property, and then came down to
Los Angeles. Three years ago he wrote
me letter asking me to come to him,
saying that he had obtained rooms at
the Ramona for himself and wife. 1
came down, and he met me at San Fer
nando. On arriving here we took car
riage and went to the Romona, where we
lived four months. Then we moved to
Mrs. Potthof's house, on Spring street,
between Sixth and Seventh, where we
lived till my sister became i'll at Nevada
City. 1 went up there to nurse her, and
he went to the Arrowhead springs to
wait till came back.
"When l returned I was sur
prised to find that he had
left Mrs. Potthoff's and had taken a
part Of my things. / did not meet him
for some days after my arrival here, but
finally ran across him on the street and
asked him what it all meant. He ex-
cused himself, and we lived together
again, this time at a lodging house on
Los Angeles street near Fourth, which
he leased for me and furnished.
"We we're together here off and on till
his alleged marriage with Mrs. Hill, hav-
ing frequent quarrels and making them
up again. The peculiar part of the
whole affair is that before he married
Mrs. Hill he introduced me to her as his
wife. He left me Friday and his we'd
ding took place Monday.
"Soon after the marriage | met Mrs.
Hill at San Juan with Burns, and told
her plainly that she had come between
me and Burns and that he was still my
husband. She said that she didn't
know anything about it and l left her
without getting into any further dis
cussion.
II have been at Nevada City for some
time past with my mother, and came
back here for the special purpose OF be-
ginning suit, as the four years since he
claims to have got divorce are nearly
expired, and wanted to get the thing
in court before it is barred by the stat
ute Of limitations. My attorney is not
in the city at present, and so l drew up
and filed the paper myself. My attor-
ney has all the letters Burns wrote me
after he came here, and l think can
prove beyond doubt that he is still my
husband.
"I do not want to persecute Mr..
Burns; only want what is right, and
think 1 ought, at least, have home,
When he was trying to be chief OF
police he came to me and said: Now,
Sadie, please don't cause me any trouble,
for am going to be chief and was Just
as nice as could be. But after
he got the position he began
putting on airs and got stuck up. and
determined to have my rights. l have
a number of witnesses to swear that he
introduced me as his wife in this city
and lived with me as such, aid | don't
see how he is going to get around it,"
The complaint in the case is drawn up