The sun., 1900-11-14
SERVED HIS OWN PAPERS.
JAMES H. MRRsEREAU MADE 4 GREAT
FTsS IN NEW ROtHELIE.
Divnrc-e Takes Woman to nj, Former wife's
House and Forces Ills Way In-Pollce Called
and q trowaConts With Them lie wants
Court order to See HIS Children.

and q trowdCO:uts Win Them lie wants
Court Order to See HIS Children.
Rochcla Park In which many Of the wenl'h-
les. residents o. New Rochelle have their homes.
WAS thrown into state of arort oNcltemnnt
YESTERDAY, when James II Aesoreau, from
whom hlS wife secured q divorce in the SUI
prone Court u year ago. served papers upon
he wife. who has resumed her maiden name
and is living in Ncw Rochelle as Mr.. Clara
Elizabeth Wilder. calling upon ler to appear
before Justice Andrews in the Siurone Court
on Thursday morning and show cause Why
he lou,d not be permitted to see bis five Gill
drc1
The fuss over the service " the papers was
principally due TO Aler-ereau. hut not n little 10
the terror OF his former wife. who imagined
that he had come 20 take her children away.
blond, woman Ia n blue tsilor-mtd tde suit and
wearing q large, black picture hat accompanied
Mersere,u 20 New Rochelle. ard before they
departed the police were called 10 Mrs WilGer's
lo,i-e and a crowd assembled there to enjoy
the scene
The decree az divorce obtained by Mrs Mer-
serau gave 10 her the custody Of tho five Children
Of her marriage The ages Of the children
range from 4 TO II years. No pro-
vision was made I'm the decree for permitting
Mersereau TO see his children but hc has made
many attempts ia do 80. greatly TO the annoy
snce of his former wife. On Monday. through
Hays 4 Bitterman Of $40 Broadway. he entered
a motion TO amend the decree so as TO permit nm
TO see the children for three hours on each sun
day afternoon. Duplicate copies OF the motion
papers were given to Merssreau for service upon
h!ssformer vile Instead of turning them over
TO a sibpDaa server Mersoreal decided to
serve them himself. With his woman com
ranion he reached New Rochelle yesterday
morning. The pair then went to the Windsor
Gctel where they registered as George c.
Harrison ard wifo. New York city They
drank several milk punches and then they
went to a local newsrarer Office. Nersereau
told the editor that his name was Harri-
son, that he represented layes B!terman
lawyers Of New York. and he had come TO New
Rochelle TO serve papers on the former Mrs
Mersereau in the interest Of her husband. and
wanted TO give that fact as much publicity a.
possible lie suggested that before the papers
were -crved things would happen which would
make a good story for tho New Rochelle paper.
and suggested that a reporter accompany him
70 Alrs Wilder's house in Rochelle | ark. The
suggestion wasn't favorably received and Mer-
sereau and his companion started for Mrs.
Milders house without reporter.
Mrs. Wilder lives In handsome residence
at 80 Manhattan avenue surrounded by ex-
tensiye grounds Merscreau lett the blond
woman at the park gate and went TO the door
alone. A maid who answered LIS ring slammed
tie door In lis face as soon as hc asked 10 see
his former wife. Mersereau fingered on the
stoop and when q boy came TO deliver n pack
age at the house few minutes Later Mersereau
again attempted 10 get in. The maid pushed
<,,, and ,lnaaI IN door lin tirs
Wilder. who was IN the house. by tL!s time had
become very much alarmed She was sure
that tie object Of Sic sereau's visit was
10 abduct her children. so she sent
two servants. one TO the high school
where the two eldest are scholars.an md the other
70 the Wingate avenue school VII r. the other
three children were. 70 tell item to remain
In school until she sent for them. Then as
Mersereau was still irving 70 &c. into the house,
she e!ephone! 70 Police itc9dquarters Tat
q nan wa annoying her very much und she
wanted the police T. drive him away.
About TINS tine MersereiH started around
Edward Connor. Mrs. Merseresu's coachman.
The latter tO!d him that he could not get into
tie house and that his former wife Was not az
home TO NM na s ~ hs seDe pnpsrs
carried he would secure police ass stance and
have an arrest made Willie lie was debating
with the coachman several policemen dashed
through the park 20 the house. Nersereau
saw them coming and hid around the piazza
near the front door The blond woman remained
The former Mrs Mcrscreau opened the
door to regciye tho Eo!igemSn and & that was %
hall and pushed the papers Into Sirs. Nhder's
4 have been authorized TO serve those papers
upon you and you must obey them" he re-
Mrs. wilder. badly fri ;h,ened. ran up the
stairs leaving the papel, on tls floor. Mer.
he was an officer OF the law and was simply
carrying out III, dntyi pushed his way through
fssTea Fa sn size s hsa seen Seemed sina lake H,er
arm dowa Inc street and lie crowd followed
the procession. The neishCors assembled at
'"T The s polIceman Eert Msrsereau and his com.
house and asked MIR. Wilder what the trouble
wn SF ,WI tef Sa gy ycren s sers sd sae S
when alarm on tNeir account was over, and
she OK lained that no arrests need DO made.
OF tre afternoon. but Mersereau and his COM
la1ion DID not return They had departed To
The former Mr.. Me-.ereau was married
eighteen years ago. She IL dauGhter Of the
late JoNn Wilder. who vas oncc President OF the
Fourteenth street. Her, parents. who were
we,lthy. resided IT Fordhau, where they en-
ter, ,l1ei extensively, MeTSereau who lived
in BrOoNlyn, WAS an employee of his vifCs
fo,Nor rhe.. marriage created a stir In Ford
han because Of the difference In the social
stlrdinx ~ the pair and 1t was snid that Miss
Wider was married 10 Mersere1u despite
strenuous objections on the part Of her
rarantS. Aftor tlo MARI age Ner;areau O..
t.r med and ter1ne renber e.! several
clubs Five child:en were born and the life
of Ito couple seemed to go smoothly until
about ak Cr echt ye,rs nco. whom Mc Nereau
began to drink heavily and wGs free g.ntlv In
The company e women Il qucst'oneble cuar-
ncter fordham rcofle coss. ed pboUt him
epd he was forced 10 resign from the fordham
Club The former Mrs. Mersereuu
saws that from this time on her
husband made her lie and that
OF her oh ldrcn as miserable rs rosslh,c
The result vas tie div0r'c. bat two a.
p,ic,t.o1s for to dissp'Itio1 o. tie
,nV-il.s wre WITHDRAWN o1 M'l-sr-
anus pr1nis' t. rN.orW. No rlimouy
yn. II;si fnr. on am icGt N OF Ne, y 'rclu
frr A. n-i,- tn sa' his chi'dra has slncc hcsr
ia ,ioI by The - irt. Silcc tIen Nrs. Wi''ar
has lnovei from forih,w tn New Roche,c
on ncc,u 4, she stNS, of he" husbands thrcat'
o~i ~ ha- .hiire''S ha7'th.
In his motion IN amend hl- wife's derrre
Ncr.erear states that he Il GiSniri,ed and de-
rrcs saad and I'll ambition i token ont of li'
I,e because hos not Il! wed - >ec his t'ildror
lie also stPtcs that he has been Informed that
last Arril hi- vifa was Cl1nde n.rrr,'d
10 Fdward Kcorh, their former footnian. AVID
has since lived with him. Mrs Nersoreuu said
-l.,a a. . Ia