The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-09-11
DIVORCE.
Mayor rockingham Of Airing
ton Secures a Separation
From His Wife.

Especial to 1.-THE Jersey City News
TRENTON, Sept. II, S97.-Howard p.
rockingham, Mayor of Mount Airing
ton, Secretary of the New Jersey Fish
and Game Commission and a wealthy
broker. of Wall street, New York, has
secured an absolute divorce from his
wife, Julia A. rockingham, on the
ground of infidelity. The final decree
granting the divorce, and signed by the
Chancellor, has just been filed in the
office of the Clerk in Chancery.
The Chancellor also flied with the de-
cree an order ~instructing the Clerk to
seal all the testimony and exhibits in
the case, and to keep them sealed until
further orders from the Court are given.
The result is that the official records OF
the divorce proceedings, which under or
binary circumstances would be open to
public inspection, are securely slowed
away in the depths of a huge vault,
where their secrets are safe from scru-
tiny. This is the first time in years that
the Chancellor has made an order to seal
testimony, and he did SO Upon the joint
application of William H. Corbin, repre-
senting Mrs. rockingham, and John H.
McMaster, counsel for her husband.
1t is known that the testimony in the
case was voluminous, and it is under
stood to have. been of a most sensational
character, containing among other things
a quantity of correspondence between
Mrs. rockingham and her alleged par
amours.
From the bill of complaint ii. appears
tina Mr.. and Mrs. rockingham We're
married on September 81, 1881, in the
Church of the Heavenly Rest, a fashion
able place of worship at the corner OF
Forty-ffth street and Fifth avenue, New
York. They lived in New York, where
both were prominent in the social world,
until 1890, when they removed to Noun
Arlington, where they soon became rec
ognized leaders of society.
The petition charges Mrs. rockingham
with ~disregarding her marriage vows and
maintaining improper relations with a
number of married men. Among the CO.
respondents named are Charles Gomez,
Frank Rust, Peter Collins, w. G. Newland
F. o. Cormack, B.. c. McVeigh and Frank
Turner. The bill charges that on several
occasions Mrs. rockingham spent the
night at the Plaza and Imperial Hotels in
New York in company with Gomez. -
charges that she was at Los Angeles ana
San Francisco hotels with Cormack, ana
with Collins at the Hotel Green; Pasa-
dena, California. Inc pellllOn also SetS
forth that Mrs. rockingham lived a fast
life, frequently being in the company OF
men with whom she drank freely ana en-
tertained at the mansion in Arlington.
Mrs. -Frothingham's answer to the pc.
tition was a general denial of the truth OF
her husbands charges, although none OIL
the allegations were specifically denied.
The case was Immediately deferred to a
master, upon whose report the Chancel-
lor's decree was based. The utmost sec
recy was observed in regard to The
whole matter.
On Sept. 1, 1897, on account of the scan
dial created by Mrs. F~rothingham's actions
the husband and wife signed articles
of separation, in which it was agreed that
the husband should have the custody OF
their one daughter, Lillian, now IA years
of age. After the agreement was signed,
Mrs. rockingham continued to occupy
the Arlington mansion, while the husband
with his daughter. spent much OF their
time in New York. Mr.. rockingham
has also a summer home at Lake Hopat-
cong.
Before her marriage, Mrs. Rockingham
was a popular society belle OF New
York.