Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1896-09-24
Madison, September p

Al mluulSnI on saturday, oct. ~,
1895, a carriage drove up to the resi-
dence of Rev. j. w. Cochran. A
man leaped from the vehicle and going
to the door-bell of the manse pulled
vigorously, arousing the reverend gen.
tleman from his peaceful sleep. The
man who pulled the bell was Mr..
Radcliffe Hicks, millionaire manu-
facturer and politician of Meriden,
Conn. In the carriage were Mrs. Isa-
belle Burrell Wormer of Chicago and
her young daughter; Mrs Emma w.
case OF Chicago, sister of Mrs. E. NJ.
Fuller of this city; and colored maid.
Mr.. Hicks was a man of middle age
and Mrs. Wormer a magnificent look
ing woman of about thirty Mr..
Cochran was informed by them that
they intended to form a life union and
that he had been selected to tie the
silken bonds. Finding no legal bar
to such union, the minister performed
the necessary ceremony and received
in remuneration a fee in keeping with
the station of the couple though
not, as he AYERS, with a fond, reminis-
cert smile, too much for a man when
reused out at midnight and especially
on the night before preaching a sermon
or two. After the ceremony the party
went to the Park hotel where Sunday
was spent. That happiness followed
Mr. Cochran's good work for a short
time at least seems to be indicated by
the fact that shortly afterward he re-
ceived photograph and a genealogy
of Mr.. Hicks as further reminders of
the esteem in which he held him for
performing the ceremony. The latest
developments in this romantic case is
cleaned from a Chicago paper which
contains the following:
when Mrs. Isabella Wormar OF
KeDwood, H., married Radcliffe Hicks,
millionaire, manufacturer and poll
tician, of Meriden, Conn, a year ago,
in the Wisconsin capital, south
side social folk of Chicago
metaphorically threw slippers and rice
after the happy couple. The south
side was unanimous in the belief that
the gifted and beautiful Mrs. Wormer
had brilliant future before her as
Mrs Radcliffe Hicks. But the news
has now come that Mrs. Hicks has
been forced to seek a divorce from her
millionaire husband.
Mrs. Wormer, when she was
reigning belle in Kenwood numbered
three-fourths of the society people as
warm friends. They have taken deep
personal interest in her as the wife of
one of Connecticut's leading politicians.
They have hoped that she would have
great triumphS in eastern society and
the tidings of her marital difficulties
are bitter to them.
Mrs. Isabella Wormer Hicks is
handsome in face and figure. Tall,
well-proportioned and a blonde of ra
diant beauty, she was fitted for the
highest social station. She was noted
for her brilliant conversation and in
business her acumen and ability were
remarkable. During several years she
supported herself and daughter by con-
Quoting a business which she made
highly profitable. 1t was through this
business that she met Mr.. Hicks. In
1895 she had been in business two
years, having obtained a divorce from
her former husband, Mr.. Wormer,
shortly before beginning the manufac-
ture of dress shields, and she was pur-
chasing her supplies of the Garfield
Rubber company, a big eastern corpOr-
alton. Radcliffe Hicks is president
of the rubber company, and wuen Mrs
Wormer visited the New York office of
the concern to buy materials he met
her. He at once began paying her at
tention and within few months he
came to Chicago to see her. When he
became outspoken in pressing his suit
he found his affection reciprocated.
But many visits to Chicago were
required before Mr.. Hicks persuaded
Mrs. Wormer to marry him. Her
final determination to accept him,
made in the fall of last year, proceeded
from no mercenary consideration
When it was limited to Mrs. Wormer
that her prospective husband could
well afford to give ner a marriage set
tlement she refused to consider the
matter. She was then about 80 years
old and her fance was her senior by
decade or more
''They were married in October. 1895,
quietly in Madison, Wis. Mr.. Hicks
intended to take his bride on a Euro
pean tour, but for some reason they
Travelled no farther than his home in
Meriden, Conn, where he has one of
the finest big stone houses in the town.
The exact nature of the difficulty that
arose between the husband and wife
after six months of welded life is not
disclosed as yet. 1t is said that Mr..
Hicks left his wife and went on
European tour. Mrs. Hicks left his
roof and lived quietly, seemingly in.
the hope that her husband would re-
turn. He has not returned to her,
and Thursday she filed an application
for divorce. Under Connecticut law
she is entitled to one-third Of her hus-
bands estate, and she laid claim TO
100000 as her share of his property,
and attached real estate to that