The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-11-27
mEvED N FREE Love.
= His Suit fer D1vesee, Whaeh
C~nses to Tsis1 After 1Gaay De1oyu.
- BASES His Claia - Her Al
1eGe6 gnfaftAlsIness to ues VoSvs.

After many delays the divorce case Of
yoseph B. Hill against Anna n. Hin b on
lsisi before Judge Jacobs. II was begun
gestosday. and win probably be continued
~ several days. The initial papers in the
1T we're flied nearly a year ago. but owing
anstly te the prominence Of the persous
n6ee concerned and partly to the incou-
e1ete and unfinished statements Of the case
nat we're made part Of the record very
n1sik has been said about the matter.
r.. Hill, well-known resident Of De-
49, Has been prominent IN business cir
- He married his present wife, Who
- ct that time the divorced vita az
Uf6Aelas r. Cieary. In Baltimore. ma,
80 seven years ago. and for Q while
- b Washington City. coming ont to
r. e|ate several years ago. Mr. Hin, who
& = his wife with unfaithfuiness TO her
& n6nlige VOWS, has named rs correspond
= = the case Nicholas r. CleAry, her
IyrenH8 husband, and Elisha r. Meredith.
~ A11wney In the case in which she OBJ
sn1ns1 divorce from Cleary. The latter
81 secured on the grounds OF desertion
~ failure to provide. and also on the
. nnn1 Of drunkenness.
~ tn yesterday Progressed no fur
/ ~ lin 1he opening statement BY counsel
~ plaintiff and the reading OF one or two
Y eollmlnasy depositions. Counsel referred
70 nm Nm as woman OF brilliant but
1e1je character. constantly DESTROYS Of the
: att1nfion1 Of other men besides her hns-
hanA and believing almost absolutely I'm
~ dostr1ns OF free love. Counsel said that
II would Be fully proved that In the sum-
mr. Of 1881 Mrs. Hill hadsconfcssed to her
husband IN Washington City that she had
been and was still the mistress of Mere
.dith: that this confession caused him to
OInto au0sher room, although he had been
II ~ at OF undressing: that later she
~ D11aded for his forgiveness, assuring
lin that she had made such q statement
- I'm Only tor the sake Of teasing him.
HAf p1eading brought about q reconcilia-
Ia. Then Nj. Hill came to Seattle, and
nd HI plans Tor going into business here
In company with his sister-in-law he re-
lus1e1 ~ HE national capital. planning a
Dleosant surprise Tor his wife by not In
chemtng her Of their coming. They found
~ dressed and ready to go out to IN even
~ entertainment, and the sight Of them
o61m6a ~ asitate her strangely. Later she
noknowIedged that she had just been pre-
f60ng 10 - out with Meredith.
Arr they had moved to Seattle Mr.. Hill
Ahtyas that he read a letter in which Mrs.
IN Denk her love 10 "E. E." meaning
MGr16teG and also that he saw an indirect
mogny9 to her from Cleary through her
daughter by the former marriage. Maud
He claims that he asked her whether she
Ind heard recently from Cleary, and she
denied having done 80. This. he says.
awakened hia suspicion. and he began
readlng her letters, numbers OF which were
htng epened about the house. In these
Ne says he discovered a conspiracy be-
tween his wife. her daughter and her for
mer husband. rs the result of which his
wife Was 70 leave him and go back to live
With CleA<yL He olAims that when he had
unearthed this conspiracy. two years ago
last summer, his wife asked him to sign q
paper proviAing for Maud, telling him that
unless he did so she would leave him.
Counsel contended that Cleary in his depo-
altton. now on file. admits the existence of
the conspiracy charged by Hill. Mrs. Hill.
counsel said. then went East. promising to
come back within month: but on reach
Ing Warrington City she declared her de-
Termination not to come back at all. Hill.
counsel said. went after her. and discov-
cred that she had been living with Cleary
At Mount Vernon. N. Y. where she had
passed a. his wife. Counsel said he would
be able to prove also that Cleary stlll loves
Mrs. Hin. and has furnished money and
directions for the present case.
The defense then read Mrs. Hills answer.
IN which she denies the charge OF adultery.
and makes a counter charge OF cruelty
agAlnst her husband, saying that he has
been insanely jealous. grudging even her
attentions to her daughter Maud. and seek
Ing by the publication OF these scurrilous
charges to defame his w.fe's character.
The case win be resumed this morning.