The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-03-24
DIVORCE MANIA INHERITED.
Indications That There Is Such a
Disease and That 1t Is Transmits
From the Courier-Journal.

Sible.
From the Courier-Journal
Anderson, Ind, March 12-Wthin the
past week two most remarkable cases have
come up in the courts of this county
which would naturally lead to the ques-
ton wether there is a disease that might,
for want of medical name, be called "di-
vorce MANIA" and whether this disease is
transmitted from sire to son and from
mother to daughter, the same as consump-
ton and other diseases which leave traces
through many generations. Extending
the time back a month and taking into
consideration two other most peculiar
cases in this and Hendricks county, the
question becomes more perplexng.
In the Circuit Court of this county AL
len Lemon has been granted a divorce
from Minnie Lemon. Some six months
ago, after she had been a bride less than
six months she brought suit for divorce
but because of the fact that she had not
gained residence in this county and state
up 10 that date the case was thrown out
of court. In her complaint, she made the
charge of lncompatibility, due to cruelty
and inattention. Allen Lemon the hus-
band, then filed his suit, he having been
resident of this county for many years
Upon his application the decree was grant
ed, but moi until most extraordinary
chain of evidence had been presented The
court was not inclined to grant the decree
upon the usual grounds, probably consid-
ering them sufficient. The plaintiff and
his attorneys then took up the family
tree, and a most remarkable and interest
ing one IL was, with many broken
branches that attracted attention
The defendant, it was shown, was but 20
years of age yet she wanted divorce
after six months of married life. Going
back only to her great-great-erandmot
in order thai the evidence in detail might
have a limitation, it was found that that
old lady had been divorced; that her moth
er had been divorced and probably her
mothers mother. and tracing it back. in
a general way, ten generations it was
found, had all been divorced The great
great-grandmother's sisters had been di-
vorced. The defendants great-grandmo-
Their had been divorced and her sisters
had also acquired good divorce records
numbering from one to three The de-
PENDANTS mother had been divorced three
times, and her sisters, the defendants
aunts, had also been divorced from
one to three times. This brings
the woman folks down. every one
of them with divorce record, to the
de-
fendants sister. who is but "a years of
age, was already an applicant. and had
another case on and Minnie, the last of
the generation of manageable age had
started in at the gentle age Of 20 to make
a record for herself, with indications of
acquiring a good string of DEGREES.
It was found upon examination that the
women all had divorce records as far back
as the family tree can be traced, and their
tIa a.
terent fathers carry not less than 100 diff
ferent names. The evidence might be car
RED TO still further point by tracing the
records of the many branches of the fam
lily but this would fill paper and probably
run the records up into the hundreds Up
on this point the decree was granted to
the husband. The casa is one OF the mosr
remarkable that has ever attracted atten-
ton in divorce courts, and of itself justi-
fes the question of whether it is possible
that there is such an Inheritance as "di-
vorcc mania"
A parallel case, and one that. if fully
examined, might prove quite as remarka-
bic as the Lemon case, attracted atten-
ton in the Superior Court. Ii was i'm the
case wherein George Gephart, a young
man, was claiming a share of the estate
of Frank Black, on the grounds that
Black was his father. Mrs. Gephart had
formerly been Mrs. Black, and, though
she was married TO Gephart, young Gep-
hart was born about six months after
she had been divorced from Black. It
was brought out in the trial that the
Black family was subject to a disease
which might be called divorce MANIA"
hereditary in nature. To prove this as
| sertiou, the Black family tree was brought
| out and traced and it was found that
there were many broken branches caused
by divorce laws in courts. After tracing
he fso iOy hal
finding them badly split up by divorces
almost IL not as much so as that brought
out in better detail in the Lemon case
the question was brought down TO the
present generation. and IL was found that
not only had Frank Black been divorced,