Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-01-22
Oskaloosa Has Unique Marriage
Annulment Case.
MAN AND WIFE ILLEGALLY Welded
Divorce of the Man From a Previous
Wife Proves to Be Faulty and the
Loving Couple Are Compelled to
Separate for Time.
Oskaloosa.

Oskaloosa.
A romance in real life, with some
unpleasant situations, was developed
IN the trial of Bloomfield VS.. Bloom
field, tried by special order before
Judge Scott, in the district court here.
The parties to the suit are Frank
Bloomfield and his wife, Mamie
Bloomfield, and tho their relations
are mutually pleasant the husband
seeks to have their marriage contract
annuled, to which the wife gives con-
sent. Judge Scott, after hearing the
evidence submitted by their attorney,
w. S. Kenworthy, issued decree set
ting aside the marriage. The strang-
est part of it all is that Mr.. and Mrs.
Bloomfield are anxious to continue as
man and wife, but are barred by pc
culiar condition
The story is best told by the petit
ton of the plaintiff which recites
peculiar tale. He says that in 1890 he
was married to Miss Augusta Reeves,
OF Monroe county. After two years
of married life the wife deserted him
and has since remained away. In
1886 he said he employed Ed. Morris
on, at that time an Oskaloosa attor-
ney, to procure for him a divorce.
MI. Morrison set about the work in
the usual way, and in the course of
few weeks he brought to Bloomfield
a paper purporting to be copy of di-
vorce. the original of which he said
was signed by Judge Ryan and was
filed in the regular order. Mr.. Bloom
field accepted the paper and paid his
attorney the fees claimed
Acting in good faith upon the au-
thority vested in this document, MIR.
Bloomfield again married on the goth
of April, 1899, the second bride being
Miss Mamie Ogden, daughter of the
late James Ogden of this city. This
marriage has proven happy one and
the parties have lived together ever
since, and are anxious to continue
their pleasant relations.
Divorce Decree Faulty.
But it now transpires that if the de-
cree was ever signed it was not filed
and as far as the courts are concerned
up to last night, Mr. Bloomfield was in
nocently guilty of bigamy. This is
was why the case was filed and push
ed thru court, as prosecution was like
~ if Mr.. and Mrs. Bloomfield con-
tinued to live together as man and
wife.
The separation will only be temper
airy, however, as new proceedings
have been instituted against the first
Mrs. Bloomfield to obtain a divorce.
The first wife lives in Boone county
and it was thru letter from her to
the clerk of the courts in this city
that the error was discovered. She
wrote asking if her husband had ever
secured divorce. In attempting to
answer the question no record could
be found, and it was then discovered
that Mr.. Bloomfield had married again
which, in the fact of the records, was
an illegal proceeding, While the di-
yorce proceedings are in progress
Judge Scott has ordered an investiga.
ton made in the case.
Mr.. Morrison now resides in Abba
and he will be summoned to prove the
former proceedings. Withal it is a
peculiar case and one filled with I'M
pleasant situations for several parties.
Hampton.
postoffice inspector ishere looking
for registered pasckage containing
$4,000 which was sent from Dubuque
to the bank at Clarksille. Ga.) Mail
Clerk II. A. Morey, who has this run,
LOOK charge OF this at Sumner, and
instead of leaving it at GAINESVILLE, he
forgot and carried it by to the end of
the run here, locking the same in the
drawer of the car and intending to
take it back on his run at night. On
returning to the car he found it miss
ing, the drawer having been opened
and locked again.
Des Moines.
The state supreme court yesterday
held that an island in the Missouri
river altho attached to the Iowa bank
eventually and thru reelection and ac-
erection belonged to the state, and not
to the owners of the adjacent proper
ty on the bank of the river. The
court holds that the title to all land
from the bottom of the river at high
water mark to the center of the chan
mel is in the state, and that inasmuch
as the island formed from the bottom
of the river the title is still in the
state. The claim of the plaintiffs to
the land, according to the court, that
they may be losers in the future be-
cause of change in the channel, and
ehoC Shio idlu ou6llL uOW " NC WIeSJ-
ed from the state to compensate them
for possible losses. The court holds
that because the state acquires title
from Nebraska because of the forma-
ton of a new channel, no reason is
furnished that it should be disposses-
ed of the title to property previously
held.
Burlington.
At a meeting of the joint committees
from Inc Burlington Business Mems
club and Commercial Exchange, the
proposed articles of incorporation Of
the Citizens Bridge company, of Bur-
lington, were considered and adopted.
A certified copy has been made and
was sent to Hon. Thos. Hedge at
Washington, and Congressman Hedge
will try to get it thru at this session Of
congress. The capital stock of the
concern is 100000 and may be in
creased to $1,000,000.
Mt. Pleasant.
Great preparations are being made
by the students of the Iowa Wesley
an university for the coming state or
atorical contest to be held on the
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