Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1907-11-22
SUPPLEMENTAL PETITION GIVES
PHOTOGRAPHS OF WRITINGS
TO coAcHMAN's MOTHER.
EXTREME ILLITERACY
SHOWN IN WORDING
Attorneys for Woman Lay Stress on
Fact Of Bad Spelling as Proof That
Missives Were Not Written by the
Millionaire's Wife.

tional Hartje divorce case in which n.
Augustus Hartje, a wealthy Pittsburg
manufacturer, is seeking to have the
proceedings under which he was re-
fused divorce by the Pittsburg
courts from his wife, Mary Scott
Hartje, reopened by the state superior
court on the ground Of newly discov-
cred evidence came before the SD
perior court again Friday when attor-
neys representing Hartje presented a
supplemental petition to the one now
pending before that tribunal. Accom-
panying the petition were photograph
ic copies of letters alleged to have
been written by Mrs. Hartje to Mrs.
Mary Ann Nadine, mother of tom
Nadine, the family coachman, who
was named correspondent and let
ter written by Nadine to his mother
in which he requests that number of
letters and kilograms alleged to have
been written to him by Mrs. Hartje be
returned to him from Ireland where
he had taken them. The letter alleged
to have been written by Mrs. Hartje
to Mrs. Nadine is as follows:
Praises Coachman to Mother.
my Dear Mrs. Medina: Know doubt
you viii be surprised to hear from
me, some one you don't know, but it
is with me your boy Tom is with, and
am the mother of small boy &
just know how you must long for
him & to wonder if he is all right.
Now dear Mrs. Medina / want to say
Tom is fine fellow and has not one
bad habit, we have nice place with
good horses. am gooa to him ana
try to make him at home, the other
day he took cramps looked after
him myself and as long as this damp
weather lasts will have him wear a
warm bandage around the bowels-at
times he wants to go home and some
day soon / will send him home but
you must promise him back to our
family. ff f oisi this little note OF
mine will be comfort to .yop ta a.as!
yours-always remember as long as
he is with us he will be cared for.
Hoping your family are well and will
live long to enjoy life. am sincerely
yours. MARY SCOTT HARTJE.1 /.
Affidavit from Mrs. Nadine.
The letter was undated, it is al
legged. but the envelope. it is claimed
bears the post mark sPittsburg, Jul.
13, 1904
The supplemental petition also con
tains an affidavit from the mother o
Nadine in which she is alleged to tel
how she found the letters which hav'
figured in the various proceedings Q
the case. and which the lower court a
Pittsburg disregarded. Mrs. Nadine
the affidavit says, not being able t
read, placed the letters away SO tina
her daughter Minnie could read then
The latter, according to the affidavit,
refused to disclose their contents an
advised her mother to burn them. TIL
aged woman, the AFFIDAVIT continues
did not burn the letters but place
them in an old clock. Tom, accordin
to the mother, returned to Americ
in July, 1905. In July, 1907, the aft
davit says, she received a letter fro1
Tom asking if she knew of any le
fers and kilograms which he had i
his clothes at home, and if SO, to n
turn them to him. In answer to thi
letter, the affidavit says, Mrs. Madin
got friend. Bella Savage, to write
letter to Tom and to state anon
other things that Il inclose the letter
and papers which he asked for.
Madine's letter which is attached I
the supplemental petition contains tn
request FOR the return of the letter
Letters SHOW ignorance.
During the divorce trial at Pittsbur
Mrs. Hartie's attorneys in their SUI
cessfui battle against the various lie
tiers alleged to have been written b
Mrs. Hartje TO the coachman lai
stress on the fact that the letter
which We're produced were evident
from the pen of an uneducated persol
In the petition filed Friday Hartje,s a
torneys claim that the letter sent /
Mrs. Hartje contains some evidence
that the letter was the work !,
a person not versed in lett,
writing. The petition calls the S
perior courts attention to certa
nlisspelled words, particularly IL
word Know" used in both the lette
alleged to have been. written
Nadine and Mrs. Hartje.
The court took the papers in II
ease and made no comment