Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1896-11-04
A MATRIMONIAL HUSTLER.
Twelve Wives In Twenty Years the
Pace of Hoosicr.

"
Pace of HOosier.
The matrimonial career OF Abraham Rhimes
OF Fulton county, Indiana. is believed, in the
point of number OF wives, to be without
parallel in the United States. Rhimes is rs
years OF age The story of Rhimes' remark
able experiences with wives relates the Gin
cinnati Tribune, covers a pericd OF twent.
years. during which time he has divorced
eleven wives, and has just taken to himself
wife No. IL. Rhimos started in life poor,
but by frugal industry succeeded in &C
cumulating a comfortable fortune, which,
after 1876, rapidly dwindled as the result OF
litigation in divorce courts. Rhimes may
now be said to be rich only in experience.
Miss Emeline Candy of Minneapolis was
the Indiana mans first wife. When Rhimes
was 90 years old he decided to marry. and ad-
vertised in a Chicago publication. Miss
Candy answered the want notice, and but
seven days elapsed after the exchange of let
tiers until their betrothal, their marriage
speedily following. Rhimes lived with his
first wife two years when Mrs. Rhimes, on
the ground of cruel treatment obtained di
vorCe.
He remained single for two months, when
he chose for his second companion Miss
Martha Robbins, an Indiana girl. Their mar
ried life was one of disCord, and six months
after the second marriage Mrs. Rhimes'
temper formed the basis of complaint for
ulNO4Ctt WulCH was BIdultu. lIlInC
diately set about to capture his third wife,
and found helpmate in Miss Samantha Ben
gal of Detroit, Mich Their welded life was
remarkable for its brevity, and in 1882 the
divorce court was again called upon to
record the familiar story of domestic in
felicity. Rhimes next found peace OF mind
in an alliance with Miss Lavina Straw of In
dianapolis, and, contrary to past experience,
lived happily for upward Of a year. when the
hand of fate separated Rhimes from his girl
bride and the much-married hoosier was
again at liberty.
Rhimes left Indiana and returned year
later with Mrs. Anna Roland whom he
met in st. Louis and married April 5,
1886, Rhimes was again divorced, and he
enjoyed single blessedness until July IA of
the succeeding year, when he again entered
the ranks OF the married. His sixth wife
was a woman advanced in years. Mrs
Sarah Overly, whose incompatible temper
sufliced to drive Rhimes to seek redress in
the courts, and the woman who took him to
be her third husband, made way for Miss
Rachael Magnum of Cleveland, o., their
marriage taking place in 1888. Rhimes di-
vorced her September s, 1889. and two
months later repented, and their recon-
Citation having been effected, Mrs Rhimes
No. Z, nee Miss Magnum became his
eighth wife. But an estrangement soon
resulted, and the inevitable legal separa-
ton became a matter of court record.
When Rhimes agreed to disagree with his
ninth wife the Indiana courts refused to
longer issue bills of divorce, and Rhimes
went TO Dakota. where he acquired resi-
dence, secured a decree, and returned to
Berrien county, Michigan. where he was
married to Miss Stella Bloomhagen, aged
"A. Rhimes lived long enough In Michigan
to divorce his tenth wife, and, returning
to the scenes of his former marital con-
quests. was married to Mrs Mary Walsh,
with whom he lived longer than any OF
his previous wives. But the mania for di-
Gfi oil In
1895, wife No. IL cast off the name of
Rhimes
The Hoosier patriarch was married to
wife No. IL last week. During the twenty
years that Rhimes has been a familiar
figure In divorce courts he has paid In
alimony $4,000