The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1903-02-12
Settlement of the Estate of William
Williams in the County Court Re-
calls Historic Case.
A FAMOUS MATRIMONIAL TANGLE.
Long Contest of Jane Williams Clark to
Secure the Property of Her Husband
Brought to Mind by Settlement.

A quarter of century ago Kenosha
county furnished to the courts of Wis
consin the most unusual matrimonial
tangle ever known in the Northwest,
and the historic case was recalled
yesterday afternoon when final settle
ment was made of the estate of VIM.
Williams, late of the town of Paris.
Williams, who died a year ago,
figured as defendant in the suit Of
Jane Davies Jones Williams VS.. Will
liam Williams. He was son of Lewis
Williams, one of the pioneer residents
of the town of Paris, and left an estate
valued at $4,000. This estate will be
left to the widow, and William ].
Williams and Jane Williams Clark,
who played such an important part in
the life of the deceased Paris citizen,
will receive none of the property.
The Williams case first came up in
the courts of Kenosha county in 1875,
when Jane Williams made a petition
to the County Court for her dover in
terest in the estate of Lewis Williams.
This right was contested by William
Williams, who claimed that there was
no marriage between the father and
Mrs. Williams. This was the begin
ming of the matrimonial tangle which
interested the courts of the county and
State for the next ten years, ard which
was finally settled by Justice Taylor
handing down a judgment sustaining
the claims Of Jane Williams and allow
ing her portion of the estate as a
dover. The case was such an unusual
one that it has always been matter of
reference in the statutes Of the State.
Mrs, Williams had an unusual ca
reer. She was an English woman by
birth, and when she came to this coun-
| try she was used to the hardest sort of
life, and she adopted the rather un-
usual occupation of a horse-breaker.
| She was married to William Jones, a
farmer, but after she had been married
to the man a short time she discovered
that he was not to her liking, and left
| him.
In May, 1870 she was married to
William Williams in the town of Paris.
| = AN AAoA AAo& y vas AS& uAoAAJ
and the couple lived together as hus-
band and wife, In the meantime Mrs.
Williams discovered that it was neces.
sary for her to get divorce from
Jones, and this was granted to her on
Nov. Z, 1870, after her marriage with
/ Williams.
On the supposition that the woman
had no right to make this second mar
riage with Williams the son contested
the settlement of the estate and in the
long trial it was discovered that Jones
had wife living at the time Of his
marriage to Mrs. Davies and for this
reason the court held that the marriage
to Williams was legal and that the
divorce from Jones,was an unnecessary
proceeding. Mrs. Williams was finally
allowed the dover right in the estate.
Ia the famous case the best known at
torneys in the State were employed,
as the records of the court show that
| 0. S. Head and ~. Quarles appeared
for Mrs. Williams, while John 7. Fish
appeared for Williams.
Mrs, Williams stillretains her dover
property in this county. Recently she
became the wife Of cold John Brown
Clark, a hero of the Civil war, and she
| is now living at Spokane, Wash.