East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1907-08-26

Edward Addicks, ex-republican
boss of Delaware, ex-gas king and
particular enemy of Tom Lawson, is
up against It,
At the age of &C he stands facing
divorce suit brought by his third
wife, is almost penniless and has
debts aggregating millions. Poor
| Old Gas Addicks!" Time was and
that not long ago when he could, by
the power of his checkbook, COM
mand an entire state to do his bid
ding. When Delaware refused to
send him to the United States sem
ate he was sufficiently strong to
deadlock successive legislatures and
for five years keep the state out of
a representative in the upper house
of congress. AS corruptionist he
has had few equals in the history of
American politics, but his reign is
over and now on top of his other
troubles comes his divorce suit.
Mrs. Addicks No. 8 has about
three-quarters of million dollars in
stocks and bonds, settled upon her by
her husband in a period of infatua-
ton, and about 100000 worth of
jewels bought from the proceeds of
big sale of Amalgamated copper
stock some years ago on a tip from
Tom Lawson, his quondam friend and
! present enemy. Besides this, she is
in possession of the homestead at
Lynnwood, Del, which is worth $780,
900 more. This is all out of Addick's
reach. /
Coming simultaneously with the an
nouncement of the estrangement with
wife No. 8 the fact is made public
that the daughter of wife No. is her
Administrative and heiress. Her es-
tate amounts to 100000, all of which
Addicks gave her to divorce her and
marry his third wife. He can't
touch any of that either.
So Is now presented the pictures
que spectacle of a frenzied financier
and political czar, at one time worth
$40, 100000, broke flat, wife No. 3
rich with money he gave her and
about to sue for a divorce; wife No.
2 dying rich with money also given
her by him and leaving it all to his
daughter by his first wife.
Addicks by the way, did something
unique in the history of American
politics in regard to his daughter by
wife No. /. 1t is part of his damn
ing political record that when he
controlled the legislature and shortly
after he married the present Mrs.
Addicks he had a special bill passed
disinheriting the first daughter and
making the two children of wife No.
1, who was a widow when he mar
ried her, his heirs-at-law.
Another fact that adds interest to
the story Is the fact that Addicks'
| two first wives were sisters. No /
was Florence Butcher and No. 2 was
| Rosalie Butcher, daughters of .,old
Washington Butcher, one of the early
\ | millionaire packers and an associate
of Armour and Cudahy.
1t has been about five years since
Mrs. Addicks No. 2 began divorce
\ proceedings, naming the present wife
as correspondent. Frank K. Hipplt
the suicide president of the Real Es
j tate Trust company of Chicago, wa:
the go-between and paid over $3.50,
900 in cash and as much more ir
property to Mrs. Addicks No. t.
gain her consent to withdraw hel
charges and file a new petition nam
ing desertion as her grounds for seek
ing diverse, thus hushing up a mast,
y scandal. When this concession wa
secured and the divorce obtained
Addicks married wife No. 8, who wa
Mrs Martha Wilson, widow of an in
fluential Philadelphian.