The record-union., 1896-03-03
DESERTED And PENNILESS.
The Woman Whom Actor MOntSerTat
Promised to Marry.
No Relief for Her in Law-Judge
Johnson Gives Her Betrayer
Scoring.

Judge johnson yesterday heard the
matter of the application of Mrs. Sarah
Montserrat for an order of court re-
quiring George L. Montserrat to provide
for the support of herself and infant.
The fact that the plaintiff and defend
ant had not been married in due form,
however, was against the legality of the
woman's claim for alimony, and the
court was obliged to deny the applica-
ton.
Mrs. Montserrat, who said she consld-
cred herself the wife of the defendant,
is a very comely young woman, and her
appearance and manner on the witness
stand impressed everyone, including the
court, with the conviction that she was
an honest, truthful person, whose only
fault was the placing Of her honor at
the mercy Of a man who was base
enough to betray her.
On the witness-stand, rocking her
four weeks -old babe in her arms, she
told her sad story in a plain, straight
forward manner She said that last
April, while employed in a hotel in St.
Paul, Mimi, she first met Montserrat,
who was then member of a theatrical
company in that city. He seemed to
yited him to the humble home of her
parents, where he established himself
as one of the family when he lost his
place in the theater.
She had previously been married, but
for two years or more had neither seen
nor heard anything of her husband, and
Mcntserrat assured her that she was
legally entitled to marry again. Hav-
i
fornia, he induced her to come to this
State, promising that he would marry
her here. Confiding In him, she came,
and he bargained for a small farm
near Mountain View, Santa Clara
County, for 50, 750, on which he paid
$500. He furnished the house, and then
induced her parents TO dispose of what
they had in st. Paul and come out to
this State to make their home on his
Santa Clara farm.
Montserrat then went to play an en-
gagement in San Francisco, and after
ward came to Sacramento. That was
In September last, and from that day to
this all the money he had sent her for
her support was So Three or four times
she came to Sacramento and pleaded
with him to make provision for herself
anu the cnlIU lldL was soon TO De porn
to them, but he refused.
Four weeks ago her child was born,
and she is utterly destitute and una
ble to provide for either herself or the
little one. Montserrat, though earning
from $50 to $45 per week, had made no
further payments on the Santa Clara
property, and the owner had been
threatening to turn herself, her baby
yld hEsvs no T7+g out Nf 1n Y1l0
They are without friends and have not
a dollar in the world.
She had been aided while here by the
Catholic Ladies' Relief Society and her
lawyers (Messrs. Clarken & Ross. All
she asked of the man who had brought
her to California, and who is the father
of her child, was sufficient from his
salary to keep them from want.
While the poor creature was giving
her testimony she frequently burst into
tears, but her misery seemed to stir no
responsive emotion in the breast of
Montserrat, who sat before her with
what appeared to be a cold sneer on
his face.
Montserrats own story differed but
little from hers, so far as the main
facts were concerned, but he spoke of
her as one for whom he thought he had
done all that was required of him. He
even went so far as to say that he had
no direct proof that the child was his,
and did not want to be pursued fur
ther by the woman.
In denying the application for ali
mony, or support, on legal grounds
Judge Johnson said he regretted that
he had to do it. He then turned upon
the actor and gave him such dressing
down that, unless the latter is made of
stone, the Judges words must ring in
his ears for years to come. He told
him plainly what he thought of his con-
duct in betraying woman whose only
transgression was that she had trusted
to his word of honor only to find herself
deserted and thrown upon the charity
of strangers. The least that he Mont
serrat) should do was to support his
child, and this the man said he would
do whenever he was able.
He thus tacitly admitted that nc was
the father of the child, rnough he had
previously insinuated that he did not