The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-08-27

She Erred-Maeowan and His Wonder
fuI Energy and Personal Fascination
Trenton, Y. J., Aug. 26.-The arrest
og ex-Mayor Mcgowan at the instance
of John A. Barnes was followed today
by the fling Of a petition for divorce
by Barnes, naming Mcgowan as CO.
respondent The petition is very brief.
1t charges the wife with having been
intimate with Mcgowan at the Hotel
Anderson, Pittsburg, on April 10, 1885;
Hoffman House, New York, June /;
Hotel Imperial, New York, June 26;
Hotel Savoy, New York, July Is; Hotel
WiaSsor, New York August 20, and at
various times at Barnes home in Tren-
ton during the month of July.
Barnes asks for divorce and the
custody of his 5-year-old daughter,
Rervi. who is now with her mother in
New York. The petition is accompan-
led by the usual affidavit that there
is no collision between the parties in
terested.
Mcgowan SEEMS COOOL.
The divorce suit was anticipated af-
ter the arrest of the eX-mayor on the
sensational affidavit of Barnes yester-
day. Mr.. Mcgowan refuses to discuss
the scandal except to say that the
charges made by Mr.. Barnes are false
and will be thrown out of court il the
case ever comes to trial The eX-may-
or says his case is in the hands Of able
lawyers and that he will be governed
by their advice.
Barnes says he has evidence that
Mcgowan tried to induce Mrs. Barnes
to go out to Oklahoma TO get a divorce
eft the time it is alleged Mcgowan
rEae nT rot
ting e divorce from his wife. Barnes
SAYS that Magowan's actions in max
ing a charge of perjury against him
was merely a bluff TO divert public
attention.
There is much speculation as to what
Mrs. Mcgowan will do. This summer
she had been stopping at Spring Lake.
Recently when statements were pub
lished connecting her husbands name
with that of Mrs. Barnes and that he
intended to get a divorce from her in
the west. she hastily left the Mon
mouth House at Spring Lake and came
to Trenton with her children. Her
husband assured her that there was
10 truth in the story and she returned
to Spring Lake Mrs. Magowan's in
innate friends in Trenton say she will
believe in her husband until Sc has
positive proof of his infidelity.
MAN OF MARVELLOUS ENERGY.
Frank A Mcgowan, the centre of
so much attention just now, was born
here, and grew with the town. Almost
everybody knew him, and his frank
and cordial manner, his Astounding
spirit, his clear, manly voice and his
good looks made him irresistible Ev-
erybody yielded to his charm. He
came of a humble family and had to
make his own way in the world. 1t
has been a marvel for years when he
got time to sleep. For fifteen years
at least no business man has been at
work earlier or with a clearer head,
yet no man about town in this place,
where there is a very fast set of young
men went at it more earnestly or sat
I'D with it later. When he reached
certain position and had a few thous-
ard dollars put by, he began to branch
out into all sorts CT enterprises in
way that made all the old-fashioned
men of capital in business predict an
immediate collapse. But he kept on
year after year growing richer, man
aging half a dozen large manufactures
wisely and profitably, attending to
even the details of such varied indus
tries as the making of bicycles. of oil
cloths, Of rubber goods, OF pottery, OF
beer.
Two years ago Mr.. Mcgowan made
a sworn statement of his assets and
the statement, carefully verified at the
time. showed that his personal for
tune was 81, 100000 and that his various
interests brought him in a much larger
income than the normal interest upon
that sum. In addition to this bus
mess he had found time to twice be
mayor of Trenton, and had made the
whole town grateful by honestly and
economically spending the public
money on improvements that have en-
abled Trenton to become what she ia.
His business enterprises, building up
the town, employing several thousand
people, made as much for his popular
lty as his public record. 1t was this
popularity that made him a strong
candidate in 1892 for the Republican
nomination for governor, and that has
kept him among the first Republicans
Of the state.