Los Angeles herald., 1906-08-01
PITIsBURe,s MOsT REMARKABLE DIVORCE sun
Case Of Hsrti Millions Money Perjury
Many Wel-Known
From the Louis Post Dinatch

/ tion to this. At any rate. he allowed it
to continue year after year. and the
longer II continued the wider grew the
breach between these two
Hartje has not many friends In Pitts
! burg He was always i'm the tight
! wad' class, and there is nothing that
VIII gather a man fewer friends, par
ticularly In this city, where millionaires
! spring up In a night so to speak His
wife had many for she was of a sunny
cheerful disposition, well read and edu-
Gated. They belonged to the Allegheny
| Country club, which was the chief So
cial enjoyment Hartje permitted. But
his jealousy took the pleasure out of
! that diversion IF any male member of
the club spoke pleasantly to his wife
or engaged her in conversation for
few minutes at n time. Hartie imme-
diately formed the opinion there was
| something back of It ALL He never
made any direct charges of ill-doing
against his wife during these years. Tie
just allowed them to tester inside of
him until the break came.
The day Augustus Hartje and his
wife returned to Pittsburg after their
European trip the same amiable rela-
tions seemed to exist between his wife
and his brothers and sisters. But a
few days after their return another
quarrel took place between Augustus
Hartje and his wife. She announced
that she had been insulted by him for
the last time She took her children
and went TO the home of her father
Hartje did not believe she would stay.
Soon he sent his brother. Edward
Hartje. an attorney, to intercede Mrs.
Hartje told Edward her mind could not
be changed. She had left her husband
forever. He went a second time no
change. Her husband sent a neighbor,
Mrs Slocum but the wife's determina-
ton could not be shaken. She an"
nounced she was going to sue for di-
vorce.
When Augustus Hartte finally be-
came convinced his wife would not re-
turn to him he filed suit for divorce last
October, and the charges made startled
the country. He accused his wife of
intimacy with Clifford Hooe, a negro
coachman who had been employed by
Hartje. He also named Tom Nadine,
their white coachman, as co-respon-
dent. Hooe, 1t was announced, was
preparing to leave the city and his tes-
timony was taken. His deposition was
the most hdeous story ever spread
upon the records of a divorce court. If
it's averments are true Mrs. Hartje
should lie in an insane asylum.
That evening Hooe was taken to a
little town in New Jersey by an agent
of Hartje. John F. Scott employed de-
tectives to trace him. so he was hur-
ried to Maryland, thence to West Vir-
ginia and then to Ohio where he was
arrested last January and at once con-
fessed that he had perjured himself
He said he had been hired by Hartie
to make the deposition and was then
hurried away from the city and kept
in hiding by Hartje. He returned to
Pennsylvania without requsition pa
pers and was kept in Jail for his hear
ing, after he had pleaded guilty before
the grand jury.
The arrest of Hooe and his confes-
sion was terrible blow to Hartje. His
made strenuous efforts to Sc
cure the negro's release on a writ of
habeas corpus. 1t was at the hearing
on the application for this writ that
Assistant District Attorney John S.
Robb, jr., walked into court and made
his startling announcement that he |
would prosecute Harteje and his agents. |
Failing to receive the release of the
negro, Hartje dropped him out of the
case altogether. The attorneys on his
side have been exceedingly careful to
exclude every mention of the negro in
the trial of the case. The defense
laments this sorely, as Mr.. Hartjes at
torneys would have found their case
easier if they had been able to bring
in this negro and have him tell his story
of how he was paid to make his deposit |
ton. Hartje admits having paid him
money. He cannot help admitting it, |
for the defense has the applications for
money orders filed at the Pittsburg
pos toffice for money sent him while he |
was out of the city. In all, the negro |
says, he got about $500 from Hartje. He
was to get $4,000, he says, to help secure
the divorce.
After the negro's perjury had been
exposed, Hartje presented a supple
nentary petition to court. He alleged
his wife had. on several occasions, Wis
ted the Hotel Lincoln in company with
a man whose name he wouldtprove at
the trial. He also alleged his wife had
for years visited a disorderly esta blish-
nent in Watson street. this city, where
she entertained her admirers.
The managers of the Hotel Lincoln, =