The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-06-05
BLEDSOE WAS BAD
The AssembIyman Sued
for a Divorce.
SERIOUS ACCUSATION MADE.
Charged With Selling His Vote
for S1OO.
1T WAS ON THE RIVERSIDE BILL.
The Purist of the Legislature ToppIed
From His Pedestal by His
Wife.

EUREKA. June 4.-Compaint has been
filed IN the Superior Court by Mary j.
Bledsoe against her husband, A. j. Bled-
soc. for divorce. Andrew j. Bledsoe is
lawyer here ana was member of the last
Assembly from this county.
The grounds on which separation is
prayed for are infdelity and cruelty. The
correspondent under the infidelity charge
is Mrs. Charles Hornaday, a woman So
years of age, the mother of two children
and a member of the Christian Church.
Among otner things the complaint al
leges that while at Sacramento during the
last session of the Legislature Bledsoe ac-
cepted 500 from one Joseph Brown
upon agreement and understanding that
his vote, opinion and action upon the
legislative bill pending before the Legis-
lature for the purpose of constr ucting the
county of Riverside should be Influenced
thereby, and that he shamefully and in
humanity abused his wife when she remon-
Strated with him. for no other reason than
that she knew of his criminal conduct.
The parties to the suit were married at
Santa Rosa, July g. 1887, and they have
one chil0, aged years. The complaint
also alleges tnat the community property
amounts to $3.50.
1t appears that upon one occasion Mrs.
BledsOe came to the door of her husbands
office. and, according to BIedsOe, Mrs.
Hornaday being there engaged on legal
business he ushered her into a private
room before he allowed his wife to enter
his Office. He tried to keep his wife from
going into the private room. but she
pushed him aside and asked Mrs. Horna-
Govy . rhn Nbo \
to no explanation, as she was greatly ex-
cited. Bledsoe alleges it was Frost. Mrs.
Bledsoe's attorney, who put up the job ont
of malice and in colusiOn with his
enemies TO ruin him. Mrs. Bledsoe would
not talk with him after the scene, but hid
herself from him and her little girl. Her
attorney, Frost. last Friday withdrew from
the case, as ne is chief witness for the
prosecution. and j. II. G. Weaver was
appointed in his stead.
The opinion of the community is divided
in regard to the case, some believing it is
a job put up on BledsOe; others claim
BledsOe is thoroughly bad and dishonest.
1t is thoroughly disgusting scandal and
will be disgusting trial in court. 1t will
probably not come to trial before July.
Bledsoe is still a candidate for the AS
all his enemies to the bitter end. Mrs.
Hornaday stood we'll in the community and
her husband stands by her and says there
is nothing wrong between her aud Bled-
soc; he would stake his soul on her honor.
While the charges of infdelity and
cruelty made by Mrs. Bledsoe might have
failed to attract general attention outside
of Humboldt County. the allegation that
her husband, who posed as a man above
reproach-a censor OF morals, in fact in
the last Legislature-daobed in the pool
of corruption and accepted a bribe, raises
the case at once to a cause celebre.
Mrs. Bledsoe's charge that her husband
had accepted a bribe of 500 from Joe
Brown to vote against the creation of
Riverside County comes as a startling rev.
elation. And is this the man who posed
through two sessions of the Legislature as
a pillar of Dropriety and a power of re-
form? His discOrdant. squeaking voice
was heard at all times against everything
that savored of corruption, and he was the
father of many bills which were calculated
to purify the world.
When ElwOod Bruner was caught SELL
ing positions on the San Francisco police
force Bledsoe was one of his inquisitors
and was the lOudest. shrillest and noisest
denunciator that appeared against the
miserable Bruner.
Bledsoe's personality is strongly against
him. He is a little, thin. yellow-visaged,
sharp-featured man with a cold, clammy
hand. such as Uriah Heap stretched forth
to David Copperfeld He was repulsive
10 all men who knew him. but his sweet
faced wife, who sat near him, seemed to
look through and beyond his forbidding
exterior and find something to call forth
strong admiration and love.
Although Bledsoe was heralded through
out the State as one of the few honest
men in the Legislature, he was not above
making this same sweet-faced wife the
clerk of his committee (Which was Public
Morals) at daily stipend of S5.
This unimpeachable, irresponsible law
maker from Humboldt was declared ter
rifyiDg nuisance, even by those whose
measures he favored, for he was on his
feet two-thirds of the time shouting wildly
against every bill that did not fulfill his
ideas of hgih moral rectitude. Indeed his