Los Angeles herald., 1910-09-21
CLAIMS AFFINITY
DESTROYED HOME
Mrs. BoWden Declares Husband
Waxed Eloquent Over His
Angel Birdie
WIFE Is GRANTED A DIVORCE
Says Spouse Was Cruel in Effort
to Make Her Give Him
to Another J
WIFE IS GRANTED A DIVORCE

"I love Birdie Meyers. cannot give
her up. She is an angel"
AZ cannot help the thoughts God gives
me. He gives me those feelings toward
Birdie Meyers and am not responsible
for them"
"When Birdie Meyers husband went
with another woman she left him. Why
don't you leave me?"
Mrs. Ottillie K. Bowden was granted
a divorce yesterday in department four
of the superior court after she had told
the story of her husbands alleged
affinity and given the above aVerred
quotations from his statements regard
ing the woman who had replaced his
wife in his affections.
Mrs. Bowden told Judge P. e.
Unangst of San Luis Obispo, who Is
sitting for Judge Hutton, that she and
Rolandus K. Bowden were married
September 4, 1890, in Columbus, o., and
for eighteen years lived happily.
They came to California more than a
year ago, and 1t was since their arrival
in Los Angeles that Bowden went one
day to Venice, where he met Mrs.
Meyers, it is alleged, and fell desper-
ately In love with her.
The wife declared that then his af-
fection for her began to die and his
acts of cruelty began. She asserted
that November 16, 1909, he choked her
until she could neither breathe nor
speak. She testified that December 13,
nearly a month later, her husband
seized her by the throat and threw her
TO the floor so violently that she was
rendered both breathless and uncon-
scious, while her back was so bruised
that it was necessary for her to have
the attention Of a doctor, to call whom,
she averred, her husband finally re-
luctantly consented.
HOPES ARE BLIGHTED
These acts of cruelty, the wife said,
occurred while they were residing at
I'll Hartford avenue, and she had
hoped they would be ended when they
removed to a home in Hollywood. Her
hopes were blighted, however, for she
stated that March 1 of this year he
seized her by the throat with one hand
and beat her face, head, neck and
shoulders with his fist.
March 29, she alleged, he threw her
down, and seizing her by the throat
beat her head up and down upon the
floor.
All of these acts, Mrs. Bowden as
serted, were the results of her hus-
bands infatuation for his reputed af-
finity and his anger at her for not leav-
ing him to enjoy life with the woman
who had supplanted her in his love.
His cruelty reached it's apex, according
to her idea, April 23 of this year, when
he decided to leave her when he con-
cluded she would not leave him. In
saying farewell to her he beat her over
the head several times, she stated, with
a suit case filed with heavy toilet
articles.
Mrs. Bowdoin's testimony was given
more weight by a deposition of her sis
ter, Miss Minnie Fraas of S7S st. Clair
avenue, Columbus, o., who lived with
the Bowdens for a short time in Los
Angeles. She asserted that she had
heard the husband state his preference
for Birdie Meyers.
Mrs. Meyers, whose name is said to
be Rachel and not Birdie, is known
also as Mrs. A. d. Meyers. She re-
Gently tried to obtain a divorce from
her husband, who is a San Francisco
business operator, but was refused a
decree by Judge Hervey. She is sis
ter of Mrs. d. p. Doak, who formerly
was the wife of the president of the
an-American Railway company.
Mr.. and Mrs. Bowden have effected a
property settlement, the wife obtaining
their Hollywood residence and about
$50, 900 in cash.