The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-11-08
PRICE OF WOMAN'S LOVE
OLIVER VI. HENRY WANTS $-o,ooo
FOX THE LOSS OF HIS WIFE.
An Ardent Letter written by Harris
to His Present Wife's fare"s
Introduced as Evidence.

is sought to prove that the deienoaht
robbed the plaintiff of a wife's love, went 10
trial in Room . Superior Court, yesterday
morning before Judge feathers ana jury
The charge against Harris is that ne AMEN
ated the affections of Mrs. Henry ana de-
stroyed the plaintiffs home. THESE alIec-
tons are valued at $4,000 by Henry and he
is asking the jury to give him verdict Tor
this amount.
Harris and Henry's former wife have
been married since early in 1925. They re-
side at the Denison Hotel, in this city.
Harris is said to be about fifty years OF age
while his wife is about thirty-seven. henry
Is in the neighborhood of forty. He travels
for Cincinnati harness establishments IL
Is said that Harris is well off. He is an IN
ventor and promoter, according to his tes-
timony on the witness stand.
The maiden name of the present Mrs. Har-
ris was Dollie Lennon. AT the time or her
marriage to Oliver Henry she lived with her
grandmother at Cambridge City, where she
was a reigning belle. The marriage oc-
CURED in 1850. The Henrys lived together
until November. 1896, when they separated
They were then living in this city at the
home of Mrs. Henry's father, on Bellefon-
taine street. In April, 1897. Mrs. Henry got
Superior Court. and in March, 1898, she was
married TO Harris at Omaha. Neb. Two
months prior to the marriage Harris had
procured a divorce from his wife at Grand
Forks, S. d.
CROWDED COURTROOM.
At the opening of court yesterday morn
ing there was good-sized audience on hand
to hear the evidence, and by noon the court
W. In q afternoon. when
the crowd found that the evidence was not
to be highly sensational, 1t dwindled down
to dozen or more men and two women.
Although Mrs. Harris accompanied her hus-
band to the courthouse, she did not go into
the courtroom with him. and all day she
waited in the corridors with a number OF
feminine acquaintance who fluttered about
her and tried to comfort her In various
ways. Mrs. Harris is a pretty woman; win
blue eyes and blonde hair. She Is tau ana
has a good figure, which was CARRIED In a
tight Lifting tailor-made suit OF some FASH
ionable brown material. She wore becom-
ing hat, and. altogether, looked very styllsh
and handsome. Harris is a rather fine-look-
ing man, with a smooth face and hair that
is slightly tinged with gray. Occasionally
he would leave the courtroom and go out
to his wife. They appeared TO be devoted TO
each other.
The most interesting feature of yester-
days evidence was the Introduction of let.
ter which Harris wrote 10 the father OF
Mrs Henry in November, 1896. The letter
r5ed b Wsoe to the MF letter asr he had
heard that Mrs. Henry had applied for di-
vorce. The, letter, was written in Toledo
and was addressed to James 5. Lennon,
No. 81 Bellefontaine street, this city:
at is with feeling of mingled pleasure
and trepidadon that attempt TO write this
letter." the epistle. read, though feel it
justly due you and your good wife that l
| state plainly as possible my hopes as re-
| CARDS your dear daughter. 1 would in all
| things desire encouragement In and approx
al Of our course. My deep-seated love for
your daughter has not been spasmodic or
| of a few days or moments duration, but
| has grown with time and association until
| now i feel that we have the sanction of
Almighty God and should have the approval
| Of all human kind. would not willingly do
| anxiety or discomfort. l do not desire to
| take from you the love and confidence or
| your daughter, but on the contrary desire
| TO gain that love and confidence that should
| be given the husband of a daughter or the
| wife Of a son. L can fully realize the Inn
portance of the situation and know fuii well well
| father and mother in advising a safe and
conservative course under existing circum-
stances.
AWAY WITH CONTEMPORARIES
II respect and honor that feeling and I
beg that you will not lose sight of the fact
that life is short and The limit of true
happiness is all too short to sacrifice much
time to conventionalities or too strict re-
| gard as to what disinterested humanity may
| think. Marriages are made In heaven so
| we are taught. Then God ouI1 not sane
ton an unholy marriage, rauch less woIl'l
He sanction a rontin nation n wedIock when
the relation becomes unholy. Therefore. !
feel fully justified in assuming that God
| has blessed the love 10 your daughter for
| me and my love for her. AMI loes and Las
| for years con1e 'nnsd the union that has
| brought little else han suffering enc shame.
God and my own purpose, 1 shall fe II
may take some time, though no store shall
remain unturned,' ID the full accomplish
fortunate for the last three years and only
| the encouragement received from and the
love for your daughter has preserved my
earthly existence. l cannot now write al
length of the many difficulties that 1 have
been forced TO overcome, but hope that some
day may be able to acquaint you with
| enough of the past to thoroughly gain your
full confidence. / now beg that you will
| not interpose an objection to any and al
| legitimate opportunities for the enjoyment
for your daughter and myself until such
time as may be the proud possessor OF
her hand In marriage and can thank Goo
| for the full possession OF true happiness
and claim her family and her friends al
equally mine. To that end 1 swear that
shall bend my every effort and guard anG
protect the one love with a true and holy
love. even to the cost of life if need be.
think Dollie has had an opportunity fol
knowing me better than anybody else. She
can speak for herself and her pleasure shall
be my pleasure, her happiness my happi
ness her sorrows my sorrows, her caus,
my cause to the end of time"
WHY LETTER WAS READ.
This letter was received by Mrs. Henry
father In November, and the following Jan
uary she brought her suit for divorce from
Henry. The latter's attorneys produced tn
letter with a view OF showing that Harri
and Mrs. Henry were pretty well &C
quainted before the woman got her divorce
despite the statement made by Harris OF
the witness stand that his relations witt
Mrs. Henry prior to the bringing of her di
vorce suit were of the most formal charac
ter. Harris was on the witness stand 70
| nearly two hours. He did not deny writin
the letter to Mrs. Henry's father, but in
sisted that he believed her attorney hai
| filed her divorce suit al the time he wrot
the letter. This is Ha-ris'S third matri
monial venture. He said yesterday that hi
first wife was ten years older than he.
married her to spite my parents he re
marked to Judge Gardner. one o
Henry's counsel, when the attorney aske
| him about his first two marriages. Hi
| first wife procured a divorce from him 1
Ohio and he got the divorce from the sec
ond wife. Harris was interrogated closet
about his acquaintance with Mrs; Henry
| He said he first met her in Detroit at III
home of a man named White. The latte
was friend OF Harris, and Mrs. Henry
with friend, happened 70 be visiting there
Harris said he went TO Detroit on bus
ness. Afterward he met Mrs. Henry in CHI