Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1903-04-17
A STRANGE TANGLE.

We sometimes laugh at the stage villain
and his ways that are dark said q Chi
cago lawyer the other day. "But occasion
ally there is a villain IN real life who makes
the stage villain look cheap There is
case recorded in the New York supreme
court reports in which Young man named
Henry Reed played the role Of villain
Reed had a cousin Janet, who was mar.
ried TO man named Robinson-a salesman
for large dry goods house in New York
city-and happily married, too Reed was
Mrs Robinsons only near relative. Though
several years younger than she he had con
ceived for her mad passion which had
never been treated by her seriously but
always rather as a joke After the we'd
ding he disappeared for awhile and when
he made his appearance again he seemed
much changed and was taken into the house
by his cousin and her husband and treated
as one of the family.
Zone of Robinson's particular customers
came in from the country one day on his
first visit to New York. He wanted to see
the sights and particularly the Tender
ioin' Robinson thought il impossible to
refuse him and an engagement was made
for that evening. Reed heard the engage
ment made and went out and hunted up a
private detective. During the next "A hours
Robinson was shadowed and the report was
given to Reed
"Some months later Robinson went to
Europe on business for bis firm. This was
the chance Reed had been waiting for. He
went to his cousin and under pretense Of
doing a painful duty, told his story. Brief.
ly it was to the effect that Robinson life
N..1,s
to believe it and her woman's intuition saw
the motive underlying Reeds pretended
painful duty But Reed presented the
proofs TO her.
"She took the story to an eminent lawyer,
& personal friend Of her husbands and he
began an investigation He called in Reed.
who told his story with great plausibility
and apparent frankness, but withheld Rob
inson's motive in visiting the places in ques-
tion, the facts about the country customer
at whose request the trip was made and
failed to say that the visit had been merely
a general survey of the slums. His story
was so artfuly mixed with truth and false.
hood that the lawyer at last believed it.
"Then he sent for Mrs Robinson and told
her his conclusions. She finally accepted
mis- view of the matter. She filed bill for
divorce, notified her husband and then dis
appeared from all save her lawyer
Robinson, of course, hurried home. He
could find no trace of his wife and her lawyer
refused to see him The case came up be
fore referee, and Robinson, as If in q
dream, listened to the chain of eircumstan
tial evidence forged link by link When
woman took the stand to give false testi
mony he at last awolle to the fact that il
was all a conspiracy, but it was too late
The referees report was against him anC
the court granted a decree of divorce.
Reeds connection with the case did moi
appear at any stage. In fact, it was to hin
| that Robinson turned for comfort
"Not long after the decree both men were
bathing at the seashore. The undertov
caught Reed and but for the assistance O
the man he had so terribly wronged h,
would have been drowned At the risk O
his own life Robinson helped Reed unit
/ they were both taken ashore, nearly dead
| Reed never rallied. Pneumonia set in anC
in less than a week he was dead Before h,
/ died he tried to undo the wrong he had done
I He sent for his cousins lawyer and gasp
/ ingly told him the details of the plot.
! "A few days afterward Robinson and hi
wife were remarked by the same clergyman
| and with the same witnesses who had Of
]
where the drama on the stage would end
the villain is punished and the hero anC
heroine marry and live happily ever after
But we all know this is not the way in every
day life.
For several years Robinson and his wifi
lived happily and two sons came to bles
the reunion. Robinson prospered in busi
ness, but at last he died quite suddenly
He left no will and his wife applied for let
ters Of administration A distant cousin o
her dead husband contested the appliea
tion and the case went finally to the suprem
court of the state.
"The cousin eontended that the secon,
marriage Of Robinson to his wife was vol,
on the ground that the decree of divorce oh
tanned by his wife contained clause fol
bidding him to remarry.
Mrs. Robinson's lawyer offered to prov
the second marriage, but, fortunately ,fo
her, as you will see later, the court refuse
to allow it. In delivering its opinion tn
court said: 1t appears that the decedent'
wife had been divorced from him and he ha
been forbidden to marry, as the statut
provides in every case where a divorce
granted. Really, the prohibition was no
necessary and merely in the nature Of a,
instruction and friendly warning He wa
still a married man and incapable Of en-
tering into any save an Illegal bigamou
second marriage within the jurisdiction q
this state. If any such ceremony was pei
formed, it was void
'The cousin took all of Robinson's prot
erty and the widow and her two sons wer
left penniless. In less than a year Mr.
Robinson followed her husband and the boy
found refuge in a charitable institution.
"Now note this: Had the judge permitte
proof of Mrs. Robinsons second marriag
it would have been his duty to order he
arrest and she would have been indicted III
der the criminal code for bigamy and tn
punishment would have been five years i
the penitentiary and fine Of 81 600 Tn
laws are on the statute books Of the stat
and you cannot blame courts for enforein
then" Chicago Daily News.