The sun., 1900-11-12
RAPID DIVORCE
BUSINESS EXPOSED
IN NEW YORK
How the Gang just Unearthed
in That City Did
Their Work.
W. w. MAISON THEREAL HEAD
The Man Has Disappeared, and His
Offices Have Been Searched.
Divorces Obtained Through
Him are Not Illegal.
Strange Coincidence.

New York, Nov. 11.-By forcing the
door of the offices of Royal & Mason"
ON the sixth floor of 239 Broadway and
by breaking open the desks of Henry
Zemcr and w. Waldo Maison Saturday
afternoon Assistant District Attorneys
Engpr and Gordon made Il startling dis
coytry as 10 The great number Of divorces
that have been obtained through one firm
Of divorce l5WyplS' alone. Mrs. Byrde G.
IirlTick. whose Efforts through Royal n
MiisUn to obtain Il divorce from her huS-
band lcd to the exposure of the astoniSh-
Rg hpltlncSs of ctrtuin divorce lawyers,
wjts brought from tie House of Detention
q the Office ul Assistant District Attor-
ney tngcr and there gave the fullest in
formation in her power.
AZ result of the search of the offices
aud the testimony of Mrs llerrick WAR
rants were issued for w. W. Maison.
who proves TO be no myth. but a man
who also calls himself Royal and possibly
Rothchild, and for the arrest of two other
persons whose identity is carefully con
ccalcd that their arrest may be expedited.
These persons were successful i'll hiding
from Detectives Cuff and Mcknight.
Henry Iciner. who was Alaison's part
ner, is in the Tombs, as is a man giving
his name as Frank Wilson, who is charg-
I'd with being the principal male witness
used by Maison and Xeimer in obtaining
fraudulent divorces. Neither of these
men will make any statement. Mary IL.
Tompkins, the slender. handsome young
woman who knows much about Maison
and Iemer's business, also is in the
House of Detention, where she is not al
lowed to receive visitors. Ainison has
disappeared completely. having been
warned by the disclosures of Friday.
when the four original arrests We're made.
!. was thought ut that time that Mai
son" was merely name under which
Xcimer worked. The disclosures of Sat
urday. however, convinced Mr.. tngel
that Maison was really the head Of thC
whole rapid divorce business.
Principals All Known.
Mr.. TTnger. after his examination ot
Mrs. IIerricll and his search Of Alaison Il
Xrincrs offices said hat he now knew
IN The principals and accompliccs IN Tho
frauds ami tlnt warrants had h'cn Il
suc,i for Maison, aliaS ROYAL, with poss
hIy another alias Of Rothchid. and foi
tho arrest Of several others. 1t IS sup
posed that tho others nnW sought for by
The detectives Of the district attorney,
ollire are implicated rs false witnesses
The csc Of llcrrick versus iierrirk
which led to the discovery Of the frauds
will he used ;ls the basis Of the indiet
ments which Mr.. Iinger will ask Of th'
grand jury. Il is not now the intention
0f the district attorney TO make any inoNt
to invalidatc the legal status of othc
divorces obtained by these OF other NJ
torncyS by fraudulent means.
Such dccrccs are not void unless citle
party to the divorces SO obtained Shoul,
petition the court to have the decrecs So
aside. In this event the court woul,
have no option save to declare such de
cree null.
How great the dismay this woul
cause is outlined by the hundreds of d
vorces obtained by Maison Y Ieimrr. 4
shown by the search of the offices. III
astounding disclosures as to the method
used by these men have stirred legal Gil
Giles TO the depths. 1t is openly said b
prominent lawyers that the methods use
by Maison Il Xeimer are not unknown {
othcrs of the many SO called law firms d
New York which for years have bee
doing handsome business ''obtainin
divorces without publicity"
A coincidence Of curious interest to al
timers is that Il fnur harrclcd pistol of
kind seen ortcncr - years ago than tada
was found in Ainisons desk III %
Broadway and that Maison is Frcnch T,
House" OrSon Alonzo Moore HouS'
whom his wife Irene shot with Il for
barrclcd pistol in July. 1876. was probi
bly, the most notorious Of all New hor
divorce lawyers. His offices were at T.
Broadway, whore his sign read ~
House" and under that 20. \. llous
Attorney and Counselor" II was
who got Josie Mansfield Il divorce
oblige Jim Fisk. and he boastcd that
had obtained 600 divorce decrces i'll te
years. His advertisement read no NJ
no publicity" lie got a divorce for lrei
Anderson, noe Van SAINT, and mario
her. She shot him. and then, as appea
ed at the timc but was denied on h
trial, Houses brother Brad wanted
marry her. She was acquitted of murd
and declared insane.