Evening journal., 1897-07-17
MEADS AND PERSIANS.
They Will Fight it Out in
the Superior Court.
SEVERAL MEN ARE ACCUSED.
A p, w. AND B. ENGINEER AND
HIS WIFE ARE NOW GETTING
READY FOR A BITTER CONTEST
IN THE DIVORCE DEPARTMENT
OF THE COUNTY COURTS.

win c. Mead against his wife, Lydia l..
Mead, threatens to eliminate in one of
the worst scandals which has shocked
Wilmington in recent years. The hus-
band makes the gravest of charges
against his wife, and names five or six
responsible business men as correspond
ents. The wife makes equally grave
charges against her husband. and
names a woman on East Seventh stree,
as the person who has been favored |
by his attentions. Taken altogether it
is one of the most complex cases of do
nestle trouble that has been brought to
public notice for a long time, and the
commissioner who is appointed by the |
Superior Court to hear the testimony |
will have some spicy recitals poured |
into his ear.
When David ]. Reinhardt, attorney |
for Mr.. Mead, first filed his libel It ac-
cused Mrs. Mead Of adultery with Harry |
James and with divers other persons at
divers other places" but since then Mr.. |
Reinhardt has decided to amend his bill |
and bring in four other men before
young James. II was expected that this |
amendment would be made to-day, but |
to an Evening Journal reporter who
called upon him at his office, he reluct- |
antly admitted that 1t might not be
made until some further day.
Mrs. Mead has retained George T. |
Brown to represent her interests and
TO defend her virtue against the sweep
ing attack made upon 1t by her hus
band, and the indications are that 1t
will be a bitter fight on both sides.
Tho dafanHupf m tho hnaarnq
the general talk of the town when she
was arrested for fast driving and taken
to the City Hall. II is said chat one OF
the men accused OF being intimate with
her showed great interest in her at that
time and was instrumental in extricat-
ing her from the difficulty Another
man accused displayed considerable ac-
tivity in getting the newspapers to
overlook the unpleasant incident. IL
was said that at the time of her arrest
she was driving the team Of another
prominent citizen, and that she made
use of the team both before and after
| the incident referred to. Further than
that it is insinuated that a bicycle she
rides, and which she says was given to
her by a cousin, was a present from an
other admirer, who is well-knOwn in
! business circles.
Last Monday Mrs. Mead sued her hus-
band for support, the separation having
taken place about two months before.
i The action was brought in Magistrate
Pritchett's court, and resulted in a COM
/ promise, whereby the husband agreed
to give his wife $50 a month during the
pendency of the suit for divorce.
An Evening Journal reporter called
on Mr.. Mead at the home of his mother
at Eighth and French street, where he
has been living since he and his wife
separated, and requested an interview.
He declined to give it, saying that his
lawyer had advised him not to say any
| thing for publication. He admitted,
however. that the bill would be so
amended as to include the names of the
| business men which were called of to
him by the reporter, who had the list in
his possession. He is a short, stout
man. with heavy features, and has re-
Gently had his head shaved. He is about
80 years old and is an engineer on the
Maryland division of the p, W. & b.
railroad.
The reporter then called at Mrs.
Mead's home, No. 200 East Seventh
street. where she and her husband re-
sided at the time of the separation. She
was not at home, but a second call
found her in.
She is a slender woman, a rather
pretty blonde. and several years her
husbands junior. The reporter stated
his business and was ushered into a
small. but comfortably-funis par
lor After hearing the charges and
statements outside the bill she denied
. any and all intimacy with any of the
correspondents TO be named in the
amended bill, and particularly with
. young james. whom she characterized
, as mere boy who was keeping com
Z pany with her niece.
S "The team ! had hired at Tanguy's
! stable on Tenth street, she said. 81
never used the team of the man spoken
of. / was born In Townsend and came
r to this city when / was II years old and
e lived with my sister, Mrs. Anderson
When l was 16 years old / met Mr.
Mead and at II / married him. His
2 mother caused all the trouble between
: us by carrying tales to him about me
, He drank and ran around, and Was
once up i'm a clubhouse at Holly OAK
for a week He nearly lost his position
for that. Last Winter he told me II
would buy him a wheel l might go tC
A Professor Scarlets dancing school.
did so. and the wheel is now upstairs
/ III Mdo lnNl0 AAAtNA nANN JUMP
and we were partners. Afterwards
danced with him at Shellpot Park anc
= expect to dance with him whenever
> please. Mr. Mead rode the wheel
gave him and took rides with this wo'
r man out on East Seventh street, be-
tween Poplar and Lombard. l car
prove that by persons who saw them.
, few hours before he left me got hin
out of that woman's house, and the da,
before he left me he came home intoXi
J. Gated and beat me black and blue. W.
. were married on March II, 1887. What
y ever | drank he brought to me and
s deny his assertion that l am an habit
e ual drunkard. will be % years old m,
= next birthday. When / met him ne wa
fireman on the Maryland division. W.
o lived at his mothers until the baD.
u was born, and then We went to house
keeping on East Sixth street. Hi
mother was always making trouble b.
: bearing. He never took me or IN
child anywhere. A year after that w
went to boarding at Seventh and Kin
\ streets, then went to Mrs. Haines' a