The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1897-05-31
HER HUSBAND NOT A LOVER.
The Inside Story of Mrs. Laura
Crocker.Acklan'sL Life.


Sherman, an enga cement OF six months,
wedding for which 1900 invitations
were issued, and a divorce in less than
one year from marriage, is the expert
ence of Mrs Laura Crocker Acklan, who
was last week legally separated from her
husband by the Delaware legislature. Mrs
Acklan ON Friday last received a copy OF the
decree that sets her free, and with this
most probably the curtain drops on the
last act in the drama of divorce with
the Delaware legislature as the scene, as
the new constitution forbids the granting
of separations by the general assembly.
Educated in the first schools in Paris,
naturally bright, with all the advanta ges
of culture that wealth could afford, when
Miss Laura Croker, eighteen years old,
the only daughter of rich eX-Judgc i. ID.
Crocker made her bow TO Cleveland, Ohio,
society five years ago, she WAS welcomed
as one Of Its destined favorteS.
While at st. Augustine, Fla, about four
years ago, Miss Croker met Baron Won
Euchtritz, a chamberlain OF the Emperor or
Germany, who was travelling III the United
States. The baron soon offered marriage
Later he visited Cleveland and pressed
his suit without avail. 1t became
whispered III Cleveland circles that Miss
Laura Crocker Lad rejected title be-
cause she preferred an American How
ever she still mas recolleCtions of the
foreign nobleman.
Three years ago, Miss Croker spent the
winter il Washington, ID. G. At the re-
ception at the residence OF Mr.. Sherman
she was admiredb by William Hayes AckIan,
originally from Nashville, Tenn, d devotee
of literature, novelist, and society man
The admiration was mutual. In response
TO an invitation in the summer of 1894
Mr.. Acklan called on his future wife in
Cleveland. One afternoon Mr.. Acklan and
two others went driving behind two
spanking pain of horses, with Miss Croker
holding the Ieins. The team ran away
some distance in the country; there was
smash-up and four injured people Miss
Croker was slightly hurt. She arose i'm
mediately. Mr.. Acklan was caught under
the wreck With blood oozing from Il
CHASTITY wound in the forehead, he cried.
For Gods sake save me. l am dying"
Tenderly his future wife grasped him
about the waist, and he was carried to Il
nearby house. Later, in an ambulance, he
was taken to the Croker mansion where
he was nursed back to health by Miss
Crocker. He then proposed marriage She
demurred and promised an answer that
came a year later.
In the meantime Mr.. ACklan had written
a novel entitled ''Sterupe, the Yelled
Plead one OF the characters says:
And about what in the deuce, thought
Malcolm. does Detrelan want to talk TO
me in private, unless it is the marriage set
tlument? VIII he act generously, and make
the dot n cool 100000? But VIII show
no disappointment if 1t is less, for in few
years the whole pile Will tumble to us in a
block The novel deals with the efforts
of young man to marry a rich wife, and
the disappontments that sometimes follow.
After the six months engagement the
wedding took place in "a shionahIe Pres
byterian church of Cleveland, on June 2
OF last year II was a brilliant social
function. Immediately afterward the
couple sailed for Paris, visited Homburg
and other points of interest. While abroad,
according to Mrs. Acklan's statement, her
husbands health seemed impaired, and lie
consulted doctors in almost every city
He paid little attention to her, and talked
chiefly of literature A journey of three
L
Hotel Treymoyle,
Here the first disagreement arose. Mrs
Acklan found some jottings made on a
slip of paper by her husband that re-
Elected on her lberalty. She upraided
him lie resented and pushed her over a
chair, she says. This quarrel widened into
a breach which caused the couple to de-
part hastily for America on the City of
Berlin. While on the steamer Mrs. Ackldn
gave her je vel box to the purser for safe
keeping. Mrs. Acklan says that her hUS-
band afterward went to the purser and Sc
cured one of her rings from the box.
Arriving in New York last October Mrs
4 cklan departed for Cleveland, Il aving her
her husband to go where he chose. Last
February Mrs Acklan's friends advised her
10 get a divorce Horace Greeley Knowles.
the lawyer, who had met her while consul
at Bordeaux, France, and was one of the
ushers at the wedding, suggested that
she remove to Delaware, and secure the
divorce through the legislature, 10 fixed
time of residence being required in tits
State month after this Mrs Acklan,
with her mother, went TO Wilmington, and
a notice of the intention to apply for the
At the same time It was said that an
effort was making to patch up the trou-
bic In April Mrs Acklan appeared before
the divorce COMM ttee Of the senate. In al
dition to the story of the diSagreements
she declared that ner husband had never
caressed her, was not affectionate and did
not deserve the name of husband. She said
her husband had misreprescntcd his age,
claiming TO be a younger man than he was,
and in good health. Within fifteen minutes
after hearing the story the committee, bya
unaniraous vote. decided to report the bill
favorably. Senator T yle was asked to hold
up the bill while Lawyer Knowles went to
New York to be married and return from
his wedding trip. During the lawyer alb
senCe all sorts OF rumorS were afloat that
attempts were being made to extort
huge sums of money from Mrs. AckIan
to secure the divorce, and this finally led
to theiegislative investigation. Mr. Acklan
wrote for a copy of the bill and later as
sured Lawyer Knowles that he did not i'll
tend to oppose it
Tie bill passed the senate without CON.
ment. Called up unexpectedlyin the house,
Mr. HAZEL, the Democratic leader, and Ms
Dempsey made sharp speeches in opposi-
tion and the bill was defeated, the twenty
members present voting soiidly in oppo-
sition. When Mrs. Acklan heard of this de-
cision she exclaimed: 1T cannot be. They
do not understand the case They would
certainly grant me divorce Then La W.
yer Knowles started to upturn the unani-
NOUS vote of the house.
Last Saturday Mr.. HAZEL was surprised
in his office at Smyrna to behold hand
some and fashionab bly, attired Young woman