The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-08-24
SENSATIONAL STORY
Peculiar Case in the New York
Supreme Court Chambers.
SUED BY HIS FORMER MISTRESS
Maurice g. Wormser and His Common Law
Wife Figure as Principals in a
Divorce Trial.


New YORK, Aug. 23.-Judge Patterson
in the supreme court chambers and large
audience of lawyers were treated to ro-
mantle and sensational story today, in
which Maurice S. Wormser, the son of the
banker Simon Wormser and his common
law wife figured as principals. Lawyer
Charles Brooks moved for counsel fees and
alimony in an action for divorce brought
by the woman who represented herself as
the wife of young Wormser. Lawyer
Brooks started off by saying that Mr..
Wormser met Miss Olive X. Turner on
March 10, 1889, and suggested that they
LIVE TOGETHER AS MAN AND WIFE.
Miss Turner was much in love with young
Wormser, Mr.. Brooks said, and wanted
him 20 have the vows solemnized by a
minister or rabbi. Wormser, it is said,
told Miss Turner that it was unnecessary !;
that if he acknowledged her as his wife
and introduced her as such to his friends,
the vows would be as binding as il min
lister had been called in.
Believing him. she consented. He then
told her, according to Lawyer Brooks, that
if his father found out that he was married
it would enrage him and spoil his pros poets
in life He Their suggested that they live
under the name of MIR. and Mrs. Russell.
Under this name they lived in fat on
Park avenue and neighbors and merch ants
with whom the couple did bushes
THOU CHIT THEM TO BE MAN AND WIFE
After living together for some time Mrs.
Russell pleaded with her husband to have
the marriage solemnized by minister or
rabbi. Young Wormser's reply was:
you are my wife, Olive, and the tie
could not be made tighter if we went to
fifty Minister'S
The couple subsequently went to live at
the Lincoln hotel, at Broadway and Fifty
second street, under the name of Mr.. and
Mrs. Wormser.
April 80, 1892, the alleged Mrs. Wormser
discovered absolute proof that young
Wormser had deserted her because,
according to the Hebrew custom,
he had openly aVowed his in
of his own religion. The abandoned woman
then brought action for divorce. Mr..
Brooks said the alleged wife was left abso-
lutely in destitute circumstances and is
now living upon the charity of her friends
and landlord. She has not one penny to
her name he said. The lawyer produced
an affidavit from Mary Kelly, former
cook of the couple at Fifty-seventh street
L
said they were known as Mr.. and Mrs.
Wormser. Mr.. Wormser, she said, owed
her $50, and one morning he told her that
he would bring it home that evening.
HE NEVER RETURNED
and still owes the cook.
Counsel for young Wormser said thai he
had never in all his experience listened to
such an in teresting romance which, had no
truth in it. AS a matter Of fact, he SAID,
Mr. Wormser met the woman in house in
Thirteenth street and became interested in
her. When he asked her to live with him
as his mistress she gladly accepted the
offer and suggested herself that they go to
the fiat on Park avenue and live under the
name of Russell. She had lived there be-
fore, she said, under that Eame, and the
name on brass plate was on the door
plate when they went there. The neigh
bors, said the lawyer,
KNEW THEY WERE NOT MARRIED.
She also knew that young Wormser was
going to be married and after he had left
her she wrote him letter saying that she
supposed she must ''step down and out"
and said that she would not put straw in
his way. my friends" she wrote. "have
advised me that | can sue You under some
law, but have no claim on you and | wish
you all the happiness in the world"
''This is not all,'' said Wormser's law
yer, II have here an agreement made on
April /, and signed by Olive Kent Turner,
that in consideration of 500 she reliD-
auished all claims to him.
This staggered Mr.. Brooks and he said
that it was a case for the referee
Judge Patterson did not think so,
but gave Mr.. Brooks until Friday
to file affidavits in answer to adj
davits brought out by the defense.
Maurice Wormser has the reputation among
wealthy young mon in this city of getting
80 deeply into bad scrapes that he finds it
difficult to get out of them again. His
father is one of the wealthiest Hebrew
bankers in this country. He is reputed to
be worth more than Sl0,00O,00O. 1t is said
the firm of Isador 81 Simon Wormser had
to settle when Maurice undertook to
handle private deal in Reading stock in
1885, The young man bought heavily, but
became short, it is said, to the extent OF
1900, 900. He then turned his attention to
the race tracks, but his luck was no better
there Hebrew society circles will remem-
Der the brilliant wedding of the gay young
man to Miss Ranger April % last at
Temple Emanuel in this city. Simon
Wormser gave his boy $500, 900 in railroad
and government bonds on his wedding
day, because the son was at last doing
something which pleased him nightly.
The other presents to the bride were al
most equal in value. Now another woman
comes forward and elaine first place in
Maurice Wormser's affection on the plea
that she is his common law wife,