The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-04-19
USED TO LACE HIS SHOES
Continuation Of the STREET.
wolf Divorce Case
Wife Tells Her
Woes.

! In the Court of Chancery this morning
Vice Chancellor Pitney began the hear
| ing Of the Streitwolf divorce case The
matter from appearances will be a lengthy
one and the Vice Chancellor has set apart
| three days for the hearing. August Streit-
| wolf is prosperous wholesale liquor
dealer of New Brunswick and man of
| some means. He and Elizabeth Land
messer were married in New Brunswick
on June 3. 1877, and went to housekeeping
| in that city, when they lived together,
| until August A, 1886 when Mrs. Streitwolf
! left her husband on account of his ILL
! treatment and abuse, as she charges in
| her bill, which she filed for divorce
| August II, 1896 She alleged that he had
always been moody and fitful in his con-
duct toward her and treated her with the
utmost harshness and brutality, both in
| words and in blows.
| While this suit was pending Streitwolf
went to North Dakota and obtained a
divorce from his wife on the grounds of
her intemperance and incompatibility of
| temper. This divorce, Mrs. Streitwolf
petitioned the Court of Chancery to set
aside on the ground that her husband
was not a bona fde resident of North
Dakota at the time and Vice Chancellor
Pitney advised that the petition be grant
ed. Streitwolf appealed from the decision
and the appeal was urged at the last term
of the Court of Errors and Appeals,
which now has the matter under advise
ment. Todays proceedings we're in the
original suit brought by Mrs. Streitwolf,
10 a witness
stand all of the day.
She testified TO her husbands i'll treat
ment and said that through shame, she
concealed as much as possible her hus-
bands treatment, even from her fathers
family, but 1t gradually affected her
health so that in December, 1895, she be-
came nervously broken down to such an
extent that her fathers family concurred
in the suggestion of her husband that
she go for time to a sanitarium at
Westfield, Conn. When she went there
with her husband she noticed two insti-
tutions on the street, almost oppv..--
each other. They entered one and she
noticed that all the doors and windows
were barred. Besides this, she heard
shrieks and screams and saw about wild
eyed individuals who looked like lunatics.
Her husband had conversation with a
man who acted as though he were in
charge of the place, and she heard the
man say that he could not take her with
out certificate. Soon afterward her
husband took her across the street to the
other institution, which was the san1Iar-
ium, and at which she remained. Mrs.
Streitwof said She had been at the sani-
tarium only few days when she received
$40 a week on her order and send her her
that she could not return to him, that
the doors of his house were barred
against her, but that he would pay her
$40 week on her order and send her
clothing and jewelry. On January g..
1896, she left the sanitarium and came
to the home of her sister, Mrs. John
Ficken, of this city, where she
remained until the March 81 following,
when, at the request of her husband and
having been much benefited by 1.-The rest
and cessation Of his ill-treatment,' she
returned to live with him. Upon her re-
turn her husband almost at once resumed
his former treatment of her, Mrs. Streit-
wolf said, and she enumerated many in
instances of his cruelty. She used to lace
his shoes for him, she said, and one
occasion she did not do it to suit him and
he kicked her. On another occasion he
came home intoxicated and went to the
bathroom. She went there to see if she
could assist him and after some words he
struck her over the kidneys with such
force that her back was sore for several
days thereafter. Once her husband fell
into the river and was nearly drowned.
As soon as he was brought home Mrs.
streitwolf hastened to his side. He had
been restored to consciousness and he
stopped a moment to think where the
socks were when her husband boxed her
ears and grabbed her by the throat. She
screamed and he released her.
One morning in December 1894, STREET.
wolf, she said, came home about two
o'clock. He was under the influence of
liquor and took off part of his clothing
in the parlor, where she was sitting up
waiting for him. He left his clothing
scattered over the floor and went up stairs
to bed. Mrs. Streitwolf followed him to
help him, when he pushed her away, say
ing he wanted nothing more to do with
her as he had someone to take her place
and In the morning he would leave for
parts unknown. This so worried the COM
plainant that she could not sleep. She got
up and went to the home of her brothe,
whom she told of her husbands threat, /
and all the satisfaction her brother gave
her was Let him 60" Then she sought
consolation from her family physician,
but he only expressed surprise to find
himself summoned at that time In the
morning to be told of a domestic row
The next morning her husband packed a
vaise and left the house. He was gone
two days. When he came back his wife |
demanded an explanation of his absence
and for her question had her eyes
blacked and her face punched until II was
an awful sight" she said.
When, finally, on March g. 1896, she left |
her husband she sent to him for her
clothing and it was sent to her. 1t was
in bad condition. Shoes were cut de-
with a sharp knife fichu was
badly torn, the sleeves were torn out of
a plush sack and a big slit was cut in the
back, while several other articles were
rendered unfit for wear in similar man
ner. These articles were exhibited in
court and the Vice Chancellor examined
them critically with the eye of an expert |
The afternoon session was taken up
with the cross-examination of Mrs. Streit- |
1~,af~ TEL