The Wichita daily eagle., 1897-12-23

Pushed Claims Against Estates m
Those Grounds That the Field For
Quick Vitted Adventuresses Has Great
Iy widensd and Many Arc Piucking .
Wise Observation-Disclosures, Particularly,
suffering After Their Death, However
Chicago. Dec Elf you are bachelor
with property be careful you do not get
caught in the common-law marriage net.
Just now there seems to me passing over
the country an epidemic Of claimants for
common-law widow honors, and many re-
spectacle old family names are being
smirched In the public courts by charac-
terless women and by men who make a
business of weaving these common-law
marriage webs around the names of
wealthy widowers or bachelors who die
intestate.
These plotters on the sacred law of mar
riage confine their operations TO no par
uculsr section. They can scent a victim
a long way ahead. They watch and walt
for him to die, and then, like lot of vui-
lures, they swoop down on their prey. and.
with the dead mans mouth forever closed
they pour their rehearsed tales into the
ears OF lenient courts. get their sympa-
thetic DEGREES and go forth TO disipate the
hard-earned accommodations of another. Ore
fortune spent. the professional common-law
widow begins TO weave another web.
The professional common-law widow only
is alluded TO here. There are many wo-
men who. through misfortune or love. have
been forced by reason of threatened pow
erty TO set up claims as common-law wild
ows, Children often figure in the case, and
in these instances the claims are consid
cred legitimate by everybody.
According to the legal records. alleged
common-law widws nav increased in num-
Der TO an alarming extent in this country
during the last five years. Lawyers say
this is due TO the growing ieniency OF the
courts toward common-law claimants, TO
a class OF cheap lawyers who make bus
mess of establishing fraudulent common
law alliances and TO the increasing incltn-
atoms of wealthy widowers and bachelors
to be known as ''men of the world"
Chicago and Illinois seem TO be favosSee
field for these unscrupulous fortune hum
ers. for Illinois stands third m rne num-
Der of common-law widow claims filed,
New York and California heading the list
New York is first on account OF its immense
population, and California Is second be-
cause of the excessive male population. The
early gold rushes 10 the coast caused an
overproduction Of bachelors who accumu-
lated vast fortunes. The great majority
Of these men never married, and waen they
died scores of women came forward 70
claim them as their deceased husbands.
In the three states named the courts have
been and still are very syInpathetic toward
these claimants. In Illinois the claimants
have been no more successful than in otA-
er states. but Notwithstanding this fact the
common-law-widow industry in Illinois ie
just now in q nourishing state, Each sue
cessfui claimant furnishes an impetus 70
other women who imagine, for reasons
sometimes very slight, that they are ent-
lied 10 some mans fortune. II L sign,n-
can, fact That common-law-widow claim
ants seldom come angiy; there are marry
always from two 20 ten women who claim
20 have occupied the same relations with
the deceased
Chicago has furnished some celebrated
cases OF alleged conmon-law marriages.
Perhaps the mos. interesting and recent one
was that OF Marie Lawrence against WILL
ian Lawrence. which was decided against
the woman by the Illinois supreme oour,
IN November of last year
Marie Evans Lawrence" as sa. called
herself. was q neSreSs ard a. ex-slaya In
hondase sAs was the property ot a Louis I
ianaG by the nome OF Evans. Just az the /
beginning of the war Evans set Mare tr.e
and gave her 81. ooo in money. She we-i /
80 New Orleans and there net William |
Lawrence. With whom sae hvsi for twenty !
FIVE years. She gave Lawrence al. as- /
money. and WIKI :; q. attsT was zlysz /.
q financial start which en6a. IL las zn.sss- i
ing ar estate verth ssyers! aglirei tAcu- 4
sand dollars. Lawrence always treated ;ls /
woman as his seTvant, never ackroEiedS- !
ing he- 20 anybody as rs wife. although !
sic claimed ma. &c tod he- re FAD mar 1
RED hs- for l:fs
LswTsacs died in;ssfa;e ard Mare irrne-
cia;eiy ss; up claim OF a conlsoa-isv
sa5 for tAe widows share IN h.s
estate. j@5g. B-ea;ano decide; y favor ., .
the woman. but Judge Philippe OF -ae 81
prene eou-. reversed re decision, a.t !
Marie VsS ct 20 her ovn resources i !
this case Mare Was 70; the eniy claimant,
five c,seT women. al write, co1lrz for
war; as Lssrsncs's zi5owS
TIE StIss Port case vas a1otssr famous
,ne 4 the annals Q. re Cook county
ocur.s. Po-t vas 4 wealthy North see
bachelor E~s-g a. 81 Clark stree. He dec
r.ss;sfe ard re Ta.s--szz- wAo called asr-
,ei: Nellie Port claimed &c ee as vt3oD.
TIE only isgal proof cf the conno--.sw
7-1ziion VAS that Port had oace -sx<s.s-s5
asrss.vss a, a hct.i as Nr. and 3-.-
Port B1t ne cour- ED tz.s ;ass ore
,cisEo-T ss1-ezers ~as no. made Ga2z- -
,1-sst<,css IaAs would warrant l1s cosEi