The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1917-08-03
Love Notes Were Brought Out
In Trial For Divorce
AGGIE MAN HER IDEAL
Mrs. Blanche Artz Infatuated
With Young and Handsome
Professor


Letters that breathed a woman's
love words in every line were read
in the district court at Jackson last
week. They were written by Blanche
j. Artz to Arthur J.. Bovay, former
Instructor, in agriculture in the jack
SON high school. Mrs. Artz is the wife
of Dr.. H. l.. ArtZ, a prominent phy-
stefan that has won for himself an
enyiable reputation as healer OF the
sick in the southwestern part of the
state. :, ~.
A correspondent of The Fairmont
Sentinel sent that paper a story OF
the trial for divorce an dthe prelim-
inaries which led up to it:
Jackson Mimi, July 2S.-The
torrid temperature of the past week
failed to keep a great crowd of swell
tering humanity, mostly women, from
thronging the Jackson county court
room to hear the sensational testi-
mony in the divorce action of Blanche
J. Art against DIR. Herbert Lloyd
ART.
The prominence of the parties and
the character of the evidence caused
the trial to attract greater attention
than any action tried in this county
in recent years, not excepting the
famous Solem murder case. Jackson
society was prominently represented
at all the sessions, fashionable women
Of the village vieing with one another
for the front seats where every word
of the testimony would be most GER
tain to reach eager ears. Both Mr..
and Mrs. Art have large following
socially and their friends were con-
spicuously present throughout.
Sued Four Times For Divorce.
The domestic affairs of the ArZts
have been on the rocks for several
years. On four different occasions
Mrs. ART has brought suit for divorc
against her handsome and popular
doctor husband, with sensational
charges in each case. The first action
was settled on terms with which the
public was never made acquainted.
In the second case reconciliation
was effected by the doctor deciding to
his wife their lovely $4,000 home.
In short time new difficulties arose.
Once more the wife took her troubles
10 court, and again financial consid-
creations temporarily bridged the gap.
DIR. ART decided to his wife 240 acres
of valuable J aekson county farming
land and they lived together until the
1ring Of 1916.
EXAMINATIONS and Recriminations.
In the fourth case Mrs. Art
charged her husband with habitual
drunkenness. The doctor answered
alleging cruel and inhuman treatment
at the hands of his handsome wife.
This was the action which went to
trial before Judge Nelson on Monday
and was concluded Friday morning
Mrs. ART was represented by Knox &
Faber of Jackson and H. L. Schmitt
of Minneapolis. E. H. Nicholas of
Jackson and H. H. Dunn of Albert
Lea were counsel for the DOCTOR
The sensation of the trial was a
cross bill filed by the doctor in which
he accused his wife of adultery and
asked that he and not the woman be
granted the relief of divorce. Arthur
Bovay, single, aged thirty -one, former
Iy agricultural instructor in the Jack
son high school and at present county
agent for Jackson county, was named
as correspondent.
Mrs. ART replied with counter
Clld1 6CO VI d0ulICly ny IuC uOCIOl Will
Mary Jeskra, who had been employed
as domestic in the ART home, and
Mrs. Clara Santee, a divorced woman
residing in Jackson. Mary Jeskra
was one of the doctors principal wit
nesses and testified to having caught
Mrs. ART and Bovay in the act of
adultery at the Art home.
The Fatal Love Missives.
The adultery issue was tried to a
jury and both verbal and documentary
evidence introduced in support there
of. The testimony of the domestic,
Mary Jeskra, and Alice Ricketts,, a
normal student who lived in the ART
home, was especially damaging to
Mrs. Art but the great blow to the
plaintiffs case was the following let
tiers from Mrs. Art to Bovay, possess
sion of which had been procured by
the doctor and which were admitted
as evidence:
Thursday P. NJ, Dec 80, 1915
dearest boy:
'Dr. ART leaves for st. Paul next
Monday morning. He probably will
not return until Wed. night at the
earliest.
81 think it will be Wed. for sure.
Can you come Arthur to see me
next Monday night or at the latest
come Tuesday night?
Either night will be safe.
= IL don't know when this chance will
come again.
"You see Miss Stenson will be away
also.
81 am wondering If you went to
saltwater this week as planned and if
you will have returned by the first Of
he week. 1t is so hard to find you
low.
= Now please call up our house by
1hone next Monday or Tuesday even
ng at supper time. If the girl should
answer the call be sure to ask for
ne. Then when you get me on the
ine-say to me If DR.. Arzt is here.
i by any possible chance he has not
one, then W.. tell you he is here
tut if / say he has gone to st. Paul
hen this will mean that you are COM
ng that same night between $3.50 and
200.
sWill you come-sweetheart? love
ou so much and l am so very lonely
md blue. 1 need you Arthur the very
yorst way. Think over my last let
err Dear.
with fondest love, Blanche.
Lloyd has been quite sick for a
yeek but he is beginning to feel bet-
pr now OF know when you are
oming in this way-I have every
~. 49,. .as, a yasl u. ss<S<2X