Los Angeles herald., 1908-05-14
WIFE DIVORCES
WEALTHY SPOUSE
MRS. MARY V0GEL Is GRANTED
DECREE
SHOCKING TALE OF BRUTALITY
UNFoLDED
YOUNG Woman Asserts Husband
Threatened to Tie Her to
Bed and Set Fire
to It

Seldom in the history of the superior
court of this county has such story
of i'll treatment of a wife by a hus-
band been unfolded than was drawn
out yesterday by Judge John D. Works
from Mrs. Mary L. Vogel of 1889 Or
ange street, as she told Judge w. r.
James the reasons why she sought a
divorce from her husband Herman o.
Vogel, formerly a jeweler of this city
and now a real estate dealer at 124
West Sixth street. The wife was
granted an interlocutory decree of
divorce.
That he had threatened to tie her
to O bed and burn her alive and even
went so far as to set fire to the carpet
under the bed in which she had been
sleeping, was one of the charges. 1t
also was alleged, without contradiction,
that he had set fire to the curtains of
their home; that he had forced her to
jump from a second-story porch to
the ground after she had tried to save
his life when he was thought to be
dying; that while out on a duck-hunt-
ing expedition he had forced her to
row the boat back to the channel at the
point of a gun because she had neg
lected to go back and get a knife that
she had forgotten.
Member Of Well Known Family
Herman o. Vogel is a member of a
we'll known Los Angeles family, his
father having at one time been the
owner of the old Vogel place at the
southwest corner of Seventh street and
Broadway, the property on which 1t
stood having been sold by him for
several hundred thousand dollars, 1t is
said.
Prior to the final separation between
the couple H. o. Vogel was said to
have been worth $150,000. According
to Judge Works yesterday, after days
of hard work by the attorneys, a
settlement was. effected, by
which the wife was given the home at
1929 Orange street, where she now re-
sides, and about $4,000 in cash and
securities.
When Mrs. Vogel took the stand
yesterday morning she appeared but a
frail bit of a woman to have been
subjected to the series of brutalities
to which she testified dispassionately
later and which were not contradicted
or denied by her husband, who was
present throughout the hearing. He
litddt IiO 0ClCllSC WlatNNCis
Mrs. Vogel wore a Merry Widow
hat, trimmed with big brown feathers
and blue silk; a light gray gown and
a white shirt waist. Although she had
an unusually harsh story to tell she
told 1t all without showing anger and
without breaking down and resorting
to tears, as many women do when re-
verting to their troubles. She said
that she and Mr.. Vogel were married
here June 10, 1898, and that they went
on a honeymoon. Then she told q
straight story of her married life.
Says He Threatened Her Life
at was not long after we returned
from our honeymoon" she declared,
that my husband came home one
night / was in bed and he told me
hat he was going to kill me. He set
ire to the carpet close to the he'd and
.old me that If l got out he would tie
ne in and burn me up where 1 lay"
Later her sister, Mrs. Rose Eastman,
estified that she saw the bedroom the
next morning and that there was
circular burned spot in the carpet
about three feet in diameter close to
he bed: that she asked her sister;
Who was crying. what had happened;
md that her sister replied that her
had burned the carpet when
lie dropped lighted match while try
ng to light a cigar.
Continuing her testimony Mrs. Vogel
said, when Judge Works put the ques-
ion, what else did he do?"
HE used to stay away all night
He stayed away from me five nights
n succession, and when / asked him
where he had been he would tell me
lie had been out in the country and
hat it was none of my business.
IN. 1904 he left me with a home
partly furnished and with little money
had to take boarders to get along.
lie paid my grocery and butcher bills
or about five months and then he
old them that was to have no more
,redit. He even had the gas and the
electricity and the water turned off"
TN 1904 what did he do?" queried
Judge Works.
zone night he came home intoxi-
,ated." was the quiet reply. "At first
thought that he was having sort
If spasm and that he was going to die.
went to an old man who lived in the
house and we brought him to. after
ubbing his hands and his legs and
lead Then he seemed to get into a
it of anger and rushed downstairs.
rhe old man followed him and I could
lear a scuffle downstairs over a gun.
81 was terrified and locked myself
n my room. Then I heard him rush
Upstairs and he tried to break through
he door. 1t was on the second story.
md afraid that he would get in and
kill me- / rushed onto the porch and
Jumped. / hurt myself and he heard
ne cry. Then he came out on the
porch and said he hoped had broken
ny back.
Says He Broke Dishes
1.-THE day before he left me I pre-
pared dinner. He was angry, as
Knew from his voice over the telephone.
went to see my sister. When we
rot back he had dumped the food on
he table and the garbage in the kitch-
n all over the floor. He had broken
he dishes. The telephone had been
orn down. He was upstairs on the
Jed, apparently drunk. 1t was the next
morning that he went away and stayed
way a year.
"After he shut off my credit I went
O Father Vogel and told him must
AVE a way to live, and asked him If
lie would finish furnishing the house.
lie did and gave me an allowance Of
25 a month"
How did he happen to return?"
T..1