The record-union., 1891-05-13
A FORTUNE In PIE.
The Facts of Mrs. Batterman's
Profits.
The Noted Two-Dol1ar Pies Lead to
the First Divorce Granted in
Eel Dorado County.
[Placerville Democrat, May 9th.l

Placerville Democrat, May 9th
j. r. Griffith, one of the old-timers of
Ell Dorado County, who has been visiting
Placerville for couple of weeks past,
noticing in a recent issue of the Democrat
notice of Mrs. Wakefield and her two
dollar dried-apple pies, regaled us the
other evening with sketch of the lady,
with whom he was well acquainted, and
her success as a pie-maker. How she
came to be running restaurant by her.
self has been variously asserted, some
saying she was widow, while others
road across the plains. AS matter of
fact, however, she accompanied her hus-
band to this city, leaving him soon after
her arrival here, and in the spring of 1851
sued for a divorce. This was the first
divorce sought to be obtained in FL Do
rado County, and the various papers
| therein filed give glimpse of the varied
life OF the early days in the county.
Mrs. Wakefield was a native of New
Haven, Connecticut, her maiden name
being Lucy Ann Stoddard, while her
husband was of English birth, and a
| dentist by profession, hence his title of
doctor. They were married in 1912, in
Camden, n. Y, and against the wishes
of her relatives and friends, her parents
being dead. These, and many more
facts are set forth in her complaint for
| dlYorce-a document covering seven
pages OF letter paper, written by her.
self in good hand and in a style that
is interesting in the extreme, and show
| ing the business capacity of the woman.
| In this document cruelty and jealousy
are assigned as the grounds for asking
| the divorce. While nominaly employ
| ing attorneys, Mrs. Wakefield managed
! her own case.
1t is in DR.. Wakefield's answer, written
| by himself, that much interesting infor-
nation Is given regarding early days.
The document covers about fifteen closely
written pages of letter paper, and denies
| all of the charges preferred. In retalia-
| ton he charges that during their trip
across the plains to California his wife
| rode horseback with another man most of
| the way over preferring the company of
the stranger to that of her husband, and
that upon arriving in Hangtown she
announced her determination of leaving
| her husband before long. In speaking of
the 81 pie business, DR.. Wakefield says:
Upon arrival in California and going to
| work, my wife being anxious to accumu-
| late money, she thought she would try
making pies, which at that time COM
manded good price. / therefore went to
| the village and procured her customers,
and in few days she had lucrative
! business which lasted as long as she lived
! with me-"
The business" comprised making
| dried-apple pies. These were baked in
! deep, wide tins, and sold at 81 each. They
| SO suited the appetites of the miners that
| the lady at once CLEANED a harvest. Her
| downtown house became a popular stand,
| and 1t was customary for the miners to
| stop in and get cup of coffee and quar-
ter of a pie, for which they paid S1-fifty
q .nf 1Ain 4fuy/ ,tr
for the coffee. At this rate her business
| grew, and her wealth also. She owned a
| log cabin on the outskirt of the town, and
also log cabin where she made and sold
| her pies. This latter cabin was situated
| on Main street, somewhere about the site
of Alderson's store below the postoffice.
! Here the landlady held open house until
late in the evening, then going to her
| house and attending to household duties
But 1t would seem that all was not work
| in the latter domicile, for in his answer to
his wife's suit DIR. Wakefield AYERS that
his wife gave whist parties at her resi-
| dence, which kept him awake at night
often as late as midnight, and burnt up
! considerable wood, which he had OBJ
tanned at considerable expense from the
Mountains Further, the irate husband
alleged, his wife went to dances without
| his consent. This he considered great
| breach of decorum, and an injury to him,
member in the East, and the dances here
were attended by gamblers and frequent
| ers of gambling resorts. "a queer COM
plant, when about every resident of the
| county gambled more or less.)
But Mrs. Wakefield went to dances and
| gave whist parties, meanwhile making
| money out of her dried-apple pies, for in
! his answer to her complaint the husband
AYERS that he had paid her about 81 900
| due her as part of her fathers estate,
(which, together with what she had made
out of her bakery the winter previous
| i1S50-51) left her with about 1000"
Mrs. Wakefield was given the divorce,
however, by a jury, and the court, in set
| ting aside to her the property earned by
her own industry, denoted "a log cabin
in Hangtown conveyed to her by Cole
man and brother, February IA, 1851: also,
the log cabin occupied by ]. B. Wake
| field as residence, together with all the
| and her inheritance" held by her hus-
| band, who also had to pay the costs of the
| suit
Thus the first suit instituted in the
| county was won by the plaintiff, who not
only won her case, but the very house
| her husband resided in, and all the stock
OF provisions contained therein. This ex-
| treme verdict can possibly be accounted
! for from the fact that Mrs. Wakefield was
a handsome woman, of commanding
presence, and was living IL a community
where women Were scarce and almost
worshiped, while the jury was composed
of men who were but mortals, and wor-
| shippers.
This sketch would not be complete
| without the sequel. Among the witnesses
for the plaintiff in the suit were men
named Stoddard, j. c. Johnson, T. c.
Nugent, w. +. Stewart and August Bat
terman. The latter helped the lady
through with her suit, and then began
one of his own, in which he was the win
ner, for not long afterward Mrs. Wake
! field became Mrs. Batterman
After residing here for a number of
years Mr.. and Mrs. Batterman removed
to San Francisco, and from there went to
| Nevada, in which State they are now
living.