The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-04-19
John A. VESTS WIVES
f1aim of a Woman He Deserted
Fourteen Years Ago.
.wep UNDER AN ASSUMED NAME.
Snenb,eys who Gss Ennkoed by Their
Partners Have No Recsurss In
the Courts.

woman wh o claims to be long de-
Eeeyted wife filed complaint in the super
! lor cour. yesterday praying for the
restoration of her eonJuzai rights She al
! l>ges that q man known IN tSis town -
John West has for twelve years been iiv-
ing under an assumed name. and that .
woman known a. HeIens West. who has
been living with him - bis vile, 10 an-
9th eY mans WIFE,
The plsin.if in the case is Anna Fried.
sYike wo.fensfein. aged IS years. who says
she was married to Johannes August
Wolfenstein in Brooklyn. n. Y, on Mo-
vender s. 1896. In June. isso. she says.
her husband deserted and abandoned her
40 New York, leaving that state in COM
! oany with Helene Hockmann, then and
nos the wife of one August Hickman.
md that they have ever since that time
been living in . state OF adultery, although
fhey have pretended to be husband and
wife under the names Of John and Helene
West
They assumed the name OF West, she
esys, when they :rst came to Seattle. In
! 1852 for the purpose Of concesiine their
vhereabouts and identity from plaintiff
and succeeded in doing so until within the
past two years. At the time Of the al
jegsd desertion Mrs. Woifsnstein claims
] her husband Was possessed of large prop
] aty belonging to them both Jointly. but
skas Mrs. Hockmann had no property Of
her own Whatever. and Gil the
property the latter now claims
the product, increase and gain
ii the property owned by the Wolf
tns:eins and carried off by him and OF his
sxtrtions since that time. When the de-
fsndants came TO Seattle in iss2, Woifen-
stein invested the money he brought with
him In real estate and other ventures here,
snd ~ the result Of these investments and
hs savings about 81, 900 worth OF real and
personai property has been accumulated,
producing an annual income Of about
y 60 But she says that her husband
hauduIentiy conspired with Mrs. Hook
mann, and with the purpose and intent to
eonceal their property from the plaintiff,
her husband caused the titles TO the prop
ssty TO be transferred from the persons
from whom he purchased il TO Mrs. Hook
mann under the name Of West.
Mrs. WolfensteIn says that ever since
her desertion she has been obliged to sup
port herself, except when she was com.
pslled to depend upon charity. She il
sow in poor and delicate health and un-
able physically to support herself, and 10
IN destitute circumstances, having been
dependent upon charity for the Jast four
years.
Notwithstanding the cruel wrongs she
claims to have endured, Mrs. Wolfenstein
does not ask for divorce. She asks the
court to compel her husband to pay her
1900 year out Of his income. SIS per
month during the tendency Of the action,
m attorneys fee OF $500 aid To restrain
both her husband and Mrs. Hickman
ifom alternating their property 90 third
persons. which. she alleges, they will do,
anIess prevented. with the fraudulent pur.
pose of preventing her from acquiring any
right thereto.
A Posr-IsTELLraEscKa reporter inter-
waved Mr. and Mrs. West last evening ut
5her comfortable home, i224 Randolph
street, aud found them very willing to ex-
plain everything In connection with the
MAR. They admitted at the very outset
Cha, their name Is Wolfenstein. ~ alleged.
but that Was all they would admit was
true In the alleged MIRA Wolfenstein's
Hcry. Mr.. West is a strong. good-looking
snd good-nsturcd Swedc Of about 50 years
Of age, and speaks English with q slight
fcsrign accent. Mrs. Wcst Is cookbook
Ing. weil-preserved woman Of about 40
PEARS. and both spoke of the matter under
discussion very candidly. Said Mr..
Vest: Yes, my name il Woiien-
stein. and changed il rashly.
o. the suggestion of q friend of mine in
6an Francisco, TO get rid OF this woman
Who claims to be my wife. Although I
lived with this woman several years. she
= not my wife. and my life with her was
perfect hell. She never was my wife. be-
tanse at the time married her she had
ashland living from whom she had not
been divorced. She had one or two chill
drrn born out of wediock in the old coun-
sfs and then she got married over there.
but became 30 bad that the county,
sAirpsd her over TO this country 20 get rid
ef her. At the time I met her did not
kaow anything about her previous life.
We got married and were always quarrel
Tag and she was ~ mean ~ she could
n, even one time striking me in
i the face at table in n fit Of anger.
AFTER we were married tho authorities in
the old country sent three of her children,
legitimate and illegitiinatc. over here to
Der and supported them for years. Her
husband, named Mueller. even came over
here and died in q New York hospital,
and she even went 10 the hospital 10
Claim his effects. / threatened to leave
asr many and many time and one time.
When she threatened 10 write to my poor
l osd mother. " no is still living in Sweden.
About some Wild eseapade OF my brother. l
warned her that II she did so ] would
cave for good. She did write TO my
mother and left her. Wa agreed AMIGA
Ely - 10 the division of our property. |
lad 81. 100 in bank. took $500 aud lett
Der $50 aud all our household effects. Ny
PRESENT wife was . poor woman then
sish troubles Of her own, which she will
Explain 10 you. We sympathizsd with
Que another and left for California, and
ass staying a short time Ia San Fran
sisco we went 10 Stockton and lived there
We years before ceriing here in is>a
Salie in California friend suggested that
food way TO get rid of the womans
"shering the Was TO change my name,
sad did so. The woman / left in New
tetx followed me out 20 California and
eesaered me good deal. She published
notice In the Cali that If did not show
Cata certain time she would claim Ia be
S"orcsd, sud / have learned recently that
vac VAS married in California, and that
ser husband has since died. After her
ssshand died she returned ~ New YORK
- commenced fostering our relatives
mere trying so get cur address. but they
ssast not give 10 10 her, although sne sue
~saed 10 getting IL IN some manner.
sassn't seen her, and the first thing i
sass about her being here WAS when nes