Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1902-09-26
STATE OF VERMONT,
ADDISON COUNTY, ;. 5.


Mabel Anna Haller, of Mddlebury in said
county, having filed her petition to the Addi-
son County Court next to be held ut Middle
bury, within ana for said County of Addison
on the first Tuesday of December, A. ID. 1902,
against George Christian Halter, now or for
merly of New York City in the county and
state OF New York setting forth in substance
rs follows that she is the lawful wife of the
respondent therein. and that at the City Of
New \ DIRK in the county and state of New
York. on the 10th day of March, in the year
one thousand nine hundred she was duly and
lawfully united in marriage with said George
Christian Halter by Rev. q. G. Houghton,
rector of the church OF the TRANSPORTATION,
then n regularly ordained minister of the
gospel of the Protestant Episcopal church,
and then and there engaged in the preaching
OF the gospel and duly authorized to solemn
lZe marriages under the laws OF the state of
New York. AT the time of said marriage,
your petitioner was doing business Il
trained nurse in said City of New York earn
ing from ten to twenty dollars per week with
board and the respondent was an educated
| physician and surgeon then engaged and in
practice at the Opthamic hospital in said
New York city and was apparently in flour
ishing circumstances and frequently assured
the petitioner that he was earning an income
amply sufficient for their support.
They lived together as husband and wife in
said City of New York from their marriage
until the 2Sth day of July \. ID. 1900 when the
respondent deserted the petitioner, as herein
set forth. During this little more than four
and one half months, excepting about two
weeks when they were on their wedding trip
ents, the parties lived together in different
boarding houses selected by the respondent
In said city of New York, and both worked at
their respective business, and both, until
towards the last contributed toward the gen
eral expenses. The petitioners health was
poor. and she was not fairly able to work,
but she did work whenever she had work to
DO In her line, which was nearly all the time
During said period of their so living together
! the respondent almost from the first treated
the petitioner with great and intoerabe
severity and cruelty; that she earned plenty
| OF money for her own support, sometimes rs
high rs thirty dollars per week, all which
money the respondent took from her, first
with her consent, and later by force, and
when she, being absolutely needy, finally be-
gan to secrete her earnings from him, he
would force them from her by the vilest
means, such as examining his own dirty
stockings into her mouth until she would
vomit ana faint; by this means he would get,
usually the whole of her weekly pay, some
times sparlng her very small part
During the latter period the respondent
would often be absent for two or three days
ana nights at "A time without letting the petit
TONER know his whereabouts, and as she be-
lleves and has reason to believe keeping
company ana spending her earnings with
dissolute persons of both sexes; on two oc.
casions the petitioner saw him, once on the
street and once in restaurant, in company
with woman unknown to the petitioner on
each occasion; on another occasion, in the
night time, the respondent returned to their
rooms where the petitioner was in bed, up
three Nights, and brought into their bed
room, the respondent being himself very
much intoxicated, II strange woman. During
all this time and up to the deserton the res
pondent furnished nothing toward their com
mon support, the entire expense thereof be-
ing PAID out of the earnings of the petitioner,
who was employed by different physicians
on jobs in her profession rs nurse At last,
after respondent; had been away beyond
sight or knowledge OF the petitioner for three
days, and while the petitioner was out look
ing FOR employment, the respondent came to
their rooms and took away all the petition.
ers portable articles of value, including her
entire wardrobe, excepting what she was
then wearing, and other small articles, and
carried them away. He had previously
taken. unbeknown to the petitioner and by
stealth her gold watch given her by her par.
ents and chain, her silver ana tortoise shell
toilet set and a diamond and opal ring,
present from the respondent himself; when
he went away three days before this he took
all the money in the house earned by the
petitioner. except fifteen cents. so that the
petitioner, after this last visit. was left with
out cent OF money ana without any means
to raise a cent. She had n small trunk in
which were II few articles, but the landlady
ordered her TO leave the house, refused her
break fast seized this little trunk for rent a.
she said, and permitted her to go into the
street in these circumstances of utter destitu.
tion She had no relatives in New York and
no friends nearer than Brooklyn where lived
one Miss Pierce OF whom the petitioner
thought she could obtain relief, and she
started to walk from this boarding house on
and ST. and Lexington Ave. to her friends
place in Brooklyn, distance of some ten
miles. She was utterly exhausted when she
could not cross the bridge because of the
lack of the necessary tOll of two cents, but
borrowed the same OF Il policeman, and pro
ceeded to her friends house, where she was
kindly received. After the petitioners ar.
rival at the home of Miss Pierce in Brooklyn
that lady visited the respondent at his office
I'M New York and urged him TO do something
for the relief OF his wife, who, she said, was
al her home in Brooklyn, sick and in great
distress. The respondent replied that ne
would never do anything for his wife, and
that he never wanted to see her again. The
petitioner wrote him about a week later. ut
has never since seen nor heard ANYTHING
from hi "a, and he Is now in parts TO her
wholly unknown.
That since her return to Vermont on An.
gust I, 1900, your petitioner has continuously
resided with her parents in the village of
Mtddlebury, supporting herself ana receiv
ing no support nor offer of support from the
Wherefore the petitioner AYERS that the re.
spondent has treated her with intolerabe
severity and has, while i'm possession OF sufh
Client means, wantonly, cruelty and without
cause refused to support her, the petitioner,
and praying that n decree of dissolution from
the bonds of matrimony and for alimony
may be granted to the petitioner against the
respondent; and that the respondent be sum
moned to appear and answer this petition,
which petition bears date the 1911 day of
september, A. ID. 1902 and Is signed and sworn
to by the petitioner.
And II IL appearing that the said George
Christian Halter is without this state, so that
said petition cannot he served upon him, II is
ordered that he be summoned to appear and
answer the foregoing petition on the first
day of the next stated term OF said Addison
County Court to be held nj Middlebury within
ana for said county on the first Tuesday of
December A. d.. 1902, by the publication of
the substance of said petition, together with
this order, in the hiddlebury Register. a
newspaper published at said Middlebury,
three weeks successfully, the last of which
publications to be at least six weeks before
said term of court.
Dated at Mlddlebuy aforesaid, this cath
day OF September A. ID. 1902.
LIB