The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1906-11-14
KEPT HIS CASH.
GAVE 1T TO INTENDED TO GEE A
DIVORCE.
An aged Man Who Wanted some
one to Love, but Found
it Expensive.

Ulster County, New York, begun Al
action In the supre me Court agslnst
Cornelius Du Mond, q politician, t
recover $500 which, he says, he paid
Mrs. Slater upon condition that ahs
get a divorce and marry him. he al
leges conspiracy and false pretences.
Holmes is sixty.seyen years old anG
a widower. While In sssrch of a house.
keeper a yesi ago, he Gays, be was
urged to see Mrs. Slater, who, he was
told, was unmarried and whose real
name was Gracie Ellsworth. He says
1t was proposed that II MIS-. Salte1
would marry and care for him he
should leave her 81, 900 at his death.
BE accepted.
Then he received a letter from Ora.
Gle saying that she was married. She
wanted $500 to get a divorce Holmes
says he paid the money to Du Mond,
who passed it on to Mrs. Slater. La.
ter, he says, the woman declared she
would bring no divorce action, never
Intended to bring it and that she and
her husband had the money where he
could never find 1t.
Mrs. Slater says she Is protected by
the following agreement, which Hol
mes antered into:
This agreement, entered into this
2ad day Of January, 1905, between II
P. Holmes and Oracle Ellsworth Sla'
Ter: / do hereby make her present
Of $500, which Is to be her own, to
spend or do With as she may see at,
she promising to become my house.
keeper and companion. I also agree
to furnish her With money for nice
clothes and other Decassa.y expenses,
and, providing we are both satisfied,
I promise to give her $500 more, and
If she remains with me- throughout
life I promise ber sitter my death al
that I own. In case Of any dissatis.
faction, then I demand this agree
ment and nothing more, she to keep
the $500, but make no further de
nands."
She went to work for Holmes &C
January IA, and within ave minutes,
'he says, discovered that the aged
nan possessed more than platonic
# ;csiol TO; her. Bus she admits she
.greed to marry him, provided she Do
:ained q d;7orcs. She still is willing
TO carry out her contract, che declar.
as.
Previous to the agreement there
was much correspondence. Holmss's
first letter to Oracle was addressed to
Kind Lady" II am all alone" be
arote, land I an tired OF doing my
own cooking. am . good and kind
man, no bad habits, living Christian
life. I will further say that II you
wish to make s change and be true
and faithful to me, will make over
20 you over 81. 600 In cash sfGer get
shrough with 1t"
G1acie replied that she was "sur
2rised." But she continued. ut would
seem awful nice to have Mica cosy
home Of your own and some one to |
love you. AS Tor cooking OF baking
you can ask my Missus. She tells me
am Al, and / think myself am
very good at it,
Mrs. Slater can neither read nor
write, and the letter was written bY
Du Mond at her dictation.
Holmes got down to busiDess In bis
uext letter, which is addressed to my
Dear Lsdy Friend,'' and continues:
You ssy before you will consent to
CONS I must promise to give over to
:cu $500. When I told you what yol
will get. when get through with it,
certainly cannot draw out my money
TO give to any one to spend before uy
ayes. It is my honest dollsrs that /
have saved. You say your age Is
twenty. nine. You wanted to know
my age. I am twenty two years oldar.
(In his complaint be swears to bsing
si1ty-seven years old.) Ny age does
aot hurt me. I feel just IS good as Il
I was twenty years.
''Why, dear lazy, I am very tenoer
over a wife; do anything to please
her. The one lost almost killed me,
and II can accomplish getting anoth'
az one, why I would almost think you
we're an angel Of heaven come unto
me-"