The Washington times., 1906-08-14
DIVORCE SECRETS
IN GIRLS HANDS
Census Clerks Delving Into
Mysteries of Society
People.
, LAWYERS ENTER PROTEST
Afraid Family Skeletons Win Begin
to Rattle if Sealed Testimony
Is Examined.

NEW YORK, Aug 14-Twelve Of the
brightest and most skilful women clerks
in the department OF commerce and
labor. of the bureau of the census. in
vaded the county court house yesterday.
marshaued by William H. Jarvis. and
installed themselves in the surrogate 3
court. They will hold possession every
day for some eight weeks, when the
room is not needed by the surrogate,
In that time they expect TO go over the
divorce records of New York county for
twenty years. Examinations Of similar
records viii be made simultaneously In
every principal county of every State in
the United States. for the purpose Of
coiIating Information. which viii be used
in framing a bill for the federal super
vision Of divorces. just as there is
federal supervision of bankrupts-
Attorneys Are Alarmed.
When the news spread TO the offices
of lawyers who have been counsel In
divorce proceedings IN which the evil
denCe was sealed. after the granting of
the decree. there was a general inter
rogation as 10 how far the Federal
Government would go In it's researches.
The head of the clerical force expressed
the opinion that as a matter of courtesy
the county would permit the examina-
tion of the sealed bundles, which no
man outside of the referees and the
judges had seen.
Although Mr.. Jarvis made it clear
that no names We're to be- Capied ia
the compilation of the statistics. the
mere announcement that the arcana ct
divorce secrets were 10 be thrown open
10 twelve women created CONSERVATION
The men ana women employed in the
Census Bureau are required not only
TO possess Intelligence, but good mem
Ory. Every cmDiUye is UulDr bond not
10 reveal information, under uaiu OF
500 nue or term of Imprisonment.
or both The twelve women and
eight mea brought IN from Washing
ton were selected with especial refer
en0e 90 their fitness and Iheir loyalty.
Most of them are from SOI-h-rn states.
and are especially jealous ~ their rep
uratious for being able TO kCe0 secrets.
Nevertheless. the ATTORNEYS who have
family skeletons locked up were aycFSe
TO any secrets being distributed among
twelve women, even it no names should
be placed on record
Belmont Case Opened.
The making mp of the statistical table
viii necessarily bring out Of the secret
vault where it was locked up by order
of the court the evidence in the case OF
Mrs. Perry Belmont formerly Mrs
Henry T. Sloane. bv whom she was
divorced i'm April, 1899. She was mar
ried five hours after the decree. The
evidence in the case never has been
made public. Neither was the evidence
made known in the famous AznaEa case.
nor I'm that of Mrs. Reeve Merritt. born
Roosevelt. who was Mrs. Schuyler. The
papers are as inaccessible as If buried
In the CatuCOmbS of Egypt.
There are a dozen other cases, among
which Is that OF Mrs. W. T. d. Stokes.
who was Miss Acosta, noted for hen
dark Portuguese beauty and symmetry
Of figure. the wife of Capt. Phillip
Lydig In her case society was eager
90 hear particulars. but not one syllable
leaked out