The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-11-30
FOR HER HONOR.
A California Woman's Long Strug.
gle to Prove Her Marriage
For Forty Years She Engages In Legal
Warfare and ut the Ago OF Sew.
snty Is stu Determined
to He R1shted.

A white-haired old lady, with bent
figure and sad worn face, gave the
outlines of curious story before
Judge Hunt in San Francisco tho other
day. She was ov r seventy years old
and she wanted = divorce, If she Is
married. or what she calls Justice" If
she is not married Therein. says the
San Francisco Examiner, lies the whole
point in the controversy she Is making.
For forty years she has been struggling
to earn living and settle that disput-
ed point. Once the courts decided that
she was married, but by a freak Of for
tune the judgment was never entered
up, and by her victory she only offered
another ground for contest to the man
she calls her husband Catherine Joys
was married to Thomas Joys in Killar-
ney, Ireland, in April, 1912, 50 the old
lady, Mrs. Joy, claimed to Judge Hunt.
Nearly two years later . son was born
to them In 1s47. dve years aftcr the
marriage, Joys suddenly disappeared
from Killarney. About the Same time
one Of the village beauties, Ann Cox,
also left her home. Shortly afterward
everybody know that joys had gone to
America. A little later he reached Cal
ifornia- After knocking about awhile
he settled in this city.
Mrs. Joys learned of his whereabouts
and followed him here a. soon as she
could get money enough together.
This was in 1889. She tried repeatedly
to have him recognize her. but no stead
tasty refused. stoutly affirming that no
had never married her. She remained
near him, however, hoping against
hope that he would change his mind
and take her to his homo. Ono day .
letter from ireland brought her tidings
that her boy was dangerously sick. She
hurried to him and arrived only in time
to bestow . parting blessing before he
died Friends collected another purse
for her and she returned again to tho
fruitless struggle Of trying to gain
some sort Of recognition from Joys.
He would have nothing to do with her
and denied her all assistance. Mrs.
joys earned what she could working
out. getting help if she needed it from
friends who knew her story.
Meanwhile joys had succeeded in
business and was accommodating a nice
little property. Ann Cox, the while,
was living at 4s1 Hayes street. In 1873
Joys thought his affairs in such fine
shape and his prospects, 50 free from
disturbance that he married her. A lit
tie later Mrs joys Nc. brought suit
for divorce on the grounds of infideli-
ty. The case was fought long and bit
terly in the old district court. The
great point in the fight was to prove
her marriage to joys in Killarney. Mrs
joys won hor suit and was declared to
be the legitimate wife of joys She
was granted the divorce and joys was
ordered to pay her twenty-five hundred
dollars as her share of the community
property. She had alleged that Joys
was worth over twenty thousand dol
lars and detailed where the property
was located, but joys swore that he
held the property in trust for Miss Cox.
At that time costs in a suit were very
heavy. The charges against Mrs. joys
to enter up this Judgment would have
been something like one hundred and
Wall toAlaiS SosS bplly
against paying her cent. and days
and weeks sped by while she was try
ing TO get the money to enter the judg-
ment 1t has never been entered to this
day. joys continued to live with his
hearts second choice. She died net
long ago, leaving him two grown
daughters and an estate valued ct fifty
Thousand dollars One of the daugh-
tiers brought suit against a local sssv-
ings bank not long ago to recover the
money her mother had on deposit there
and which she claimed was her own.
joys still lives On Hayes street and is II
very good circumstances. lie still We
hemently denies that he married Mrs.
joys A peculiar Circumstance con-
nected with the present suit is the TACT
that all the papers in the first suit re-
Gently disappeared from the county
clerks Office three weeks ago, few
days after the second suit was fled.
Dust-covered copies Of some of the
papers have been found in the Offices of
attorneys who worked IN the FIRST case.
1t was the disappearance of these
papers that caused delay in the hear
ing.