Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-05-26
Supreme Court Affirms Lower
Tribunal In the Famous
Sinclair Litigation
HAMILTON COUNTY SCANDAL
Fight for Valuable Farm Grew Out Of
the Trouble of Sheriff Sinclair Thru
His Liason With the Notorious Nellie
Hand-Other Iowa News of Inter.
est.
Special to Ti,nes-Republican.

court OF Iowa has just affirmed the de-
cision of the lower cour. in the cele-
brated case of William Sinclair VS..
Elnora ID. Sinclair. This decision for
ever settles the title to The big Sinclair
farm in Cass township OF this county In
favor of Mrs. Sinclair
| The case involved the title to this
! farm and also the personal property
upon the farm. 1t had its beginning six
years ago when Mr.. Sinclair was sheriff
of Hamilton county and deals with the
disgrace and downfall of a man whose
standing in the community was SO high
that for a long time his infamy found
few believers.
! During Sinclair's second term in the
office of sheriff inklings of a scandal
began to leak out and within a few
months the affair furnished many {,
sweet morsel for the gossips. and the
worst of the whole na,iseating matter
twas that at the later trials in court all
was proven true.
1t was during Sinclair's second term
that it began to be whispered about
ing with one of the female characters
whom he had often confined in the
county Jail as prisoner. This assocla-
ton finally ripened into intimacy and
soon it became a matter of common
knowledge that the twain were living
practically in open infamy. Even be-
fore his term of office closed William
Sinclairs desertion of his family
shocked the city and community. fur
rishing the biggest official scandal in
the history of the county.
From q man who enjoyed the respect
and confidence of his hundreds of
friends Sinclair rapidly sank to such
depths that he was destised and even
lcathed by all self-respecting men and
women. The woman who caused his
downfall and permitted him to disgrace
his family was the notorious Nellie
Hand, who for several years was the
keeper Of one of the vilest resorts in tue
city. After going the DEPTHS with this
woman Sinclair finally made an attempt
to rally his manhood and leave her.
Then began an interesting run of Jus
tice court cases and preliminary hear
ings. Sinclair Went back to his wife.
who forgave him and took him 10 live
with. The Hand woman became furl-
Gus at this turn of affairs and threat
ened Sinclair's life unless he at once re-
turned to her. She drove out 10 the
Sinclair farm home and demanded that
she be given a share of the Sinclair
property. 1t was at this junctura that
the case above mentioned had it's be-
ginning. Lest the woman should thru
some legal process secure q share of it
Sinclair gave his wife a warranty deed
to the farm and a bill OF .ale to the per-
sonal property on the place. After the
matter had gone thru several justice
court hearings the Hand woman finally
regained her hold upon Sinclair and the
second fall of the man was greater than
the first. He left his wife for the Sec
ond time and again lived in open shame
with the Hand woman.
After a brief time Sinclair and his
paramour left the city together, made a
long tour thru Colorado and the west
and for time lived IN Boulder, Col.
Later they returned to Iowa and lived
went to Boone, where they now reside.
Sinclair soon began to banker for
division of the property he had decided
OF the district court held in 1901 by
Judge Kenyon. Of Fort Dodge. in this |
city he brought suit against his wife. |
asking that receiver be appointed for |
the farm and that sale be had and |
that he be adjudged half owner of the |
estate. He alleged in his petition that I
he had conveyed the property to his
wife for the reason that she desired to
manage the farm and that she be left |
free to do this as she desired he had
given her the deed in trust with a |
verbal contract that the property be
later re-conveyed to him. The deed to
lis wife had been made On Aug. 10, 1900. +
Judge Kenyon decided the case in fa-
vor of Mrs. Sinclair, holding that the
property had been given her in good
faith and that 1t was wholly hers to do
with as she chose. Sinclair appealed Il
he case and now the supreme court
has affirmed the decision of the lower
,ourt. The decision is just one in
riew of the treatment accorded Mrs.
Sinclair by her husband. and finds full
avor with people in this section of
eva who are familiar with the case
xr and Mrs. Sinclair have never been Z:
md are not now divorced She still re-
sides on the home farm north of the
;ity, while 1t is said he lives with the
Hand woman in Boone.
It's the dispenser of cheerfulness, the
of sunshine. One sees bright
rainbows across the clouds of despair
after taking Rocky Mountain Tea. 35