The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-03-02
SALE OF FACE LOTIONS
HAS PART IN TIE DOMESTIC
wRANGLEs of THE M'wHORTERs.
Robert E. McWhorter Arrested by the
Detectives-Husband and Wife
Tell Their Stories.

Robert E. McWhorter, who has had an
office in the Blackboard building. at Me-
ridian and Washington streets. for the sale
of face powders and other toilet qrepara-
tions, was arrested yesterday by Detec-
tives Gerber and Fort, and charged with
lettering and drunkenness. Mcwhorter and
his wife came here about the middle of
December and live at No. $50 North Beville
avenue.
Wednesday, Fred Holzgrefe complained
at police headquarters that McWhorter had
been guilty of fraud in selling him his Of
flee furniture and a state agency in the
business conducted by him. The detectives
said they had no jurisdiction, as Mcwhor-
ter had given a regular bill of sale.
He claimed his arrest was brought about
by his wife for the purpose OF securing
something against him and getting posses
sion OF his property. He said she was for
merly Mrs. Arnold Wernicke and lived In
Chicago. He met her on train while she
was on the way to meet her husband In
Georgia, where he had gone to prepare a
home for them. He said they had property
I'm Chicago and that she induced her hus-
band to sign a quit-claim deed In her favor,
/
a divorce After some correspondence he
went to Chicago and they were married.
He claimed she had caused him to fail
in business and that the present trouble
was started about week ago. when she
tried to get him to sign over his interest in
the property at No. $50 North Beville ave-
nue. and another property on Euclid ave.
nue. to her, which he refused to do. He is
about twenty-seven years of age and Mrs.
McWhorter is about fifteen years HIS
senior. He had In his pocket number of
letters which, he said. had been written to
his wife by her former husband, and
showed that she was making arrangements
to leave him to go to Wernicke. He denied
the story told by his wife to the detectives
that he was wanted In Chicago on war
rants charging him with obtaining money
under false pretenses.
THE WoMAN'S STORY.
Mrs. McWhorters side of the story was
altogether different. She told of how he
had abused her. spent her money, induced
her to sign over her property in Chicago
to him and then trade it for the property
here. and mortgage the real estate and
furniture. She claimed he had not con-
tributed penny during their two years of
married life to her support. but. on the
! other hand, she had been obliged to sell
the toilet preparations, which she made
from house to house, in order to live and
also to supply him with money which he
spent for liquor. She said from the time OF
their marriage until the time of her set
ting over to him one-half of her property
he continually talked OF that subject and
was not satisfied until he had secured DOS
session of it. She also said that he i'll
treated her and frequently broke up furni-
| ture and china about the house. She has
started proceedings to recover the prop
| erty decided to him and also for a divorce
| She claimed to have gone from house To
| house selling her toilet articles during the
coolest weather, though she had not cloth
| ing heavy enough to keep her warm
| Neighbors say that in the time of their
| residence on Beville avenue she has shown
herself to be a haru-working woman, and
| their synpathies are with her.
Mrs. McWhorter said that before their
marriage McWhorter was penniless and
she sent him money to pay his railway
| fare to Chicago, but instead of using the
money for that purpose he went to see a
| former sweetheart and then to see the
| woman from whom he had been divorced
| A second remittance, she said, was used In
| similar manner and after a third he an
peared in Chicago and she was Obliged tc
buy clothing for him that he might look
respectable when presented to her family
l and friends -'