South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-02-26
SUIT FOR HEART
BALM ON TRIAL
Sensations Are Promised Dur
ing Hearing of Case
at EIkhart.
News- Ilmes Speclal Servies

court at Elkhart this morning and.
1t is expected, will be the most SEN
sational litigation heard in this sec
ton in a long time.
DR.. Kreager, who has practiced
medicine in Goshen for about 30
years, is wealthy and known
throughout the northern part OF In
diana and in southern Michigan. Her
domestic career has been extraor-
dinarily telnpestuous. she having had
three husbands. viz:
Al Kaufman, now resident OF
Chicago, where he is employed in
the United States customs depart
ment
George w. Hattie. (Mr. Hattie was
a wealthy Goshen business man and
heavy owner of real estate).
William Henry Kreager Of Crom-
well, former saloonist and extensive
farm lands owner.
The long and varied list of cpl
sodes that wrecked the happiness
of the DIR. Kreager's household fol-
lowing each matrimonial union has
for many years filed an amazing
Big Legal Host Ready.
Very elaborate preparations have
been made for the trial which is to
start tomorrow. 1t will be heard by
Judge Hartman of the superior court
and jury. Many witnesses have
been subponaed by each side. Legal
counsel employed is as follows:
For Helen Kreager: Church and
Chester and Proctor and Cawley Of
Elkhart and Atty McNagney of
Columbia City.
For DR.. Kreager: Deahl and
Deahl and l.. L. Burris Of Goshen.
The doctor will to "A great extent
direct her defense. She was grad
uated from law school and all
though not in active practice at
any time has found her personal re-
quirements for legal advice so
numerous that she concluded to
equip herself and thereby meet any
emergency.
Nearly 90 Years Old
DR.. Kreager is approaching so
years of age and has several grand
children. In addition to practicing
medicine, in which field she has
specialized in treatment of cancer.
she has found time to devote some
attention to politics and is the orig
inal Goshen suffragette Each day
there is hung upon the veranda at
her hospital a yellow banner. upon
which are black letters reading:
Votes for Women"
After having divorced Kaufman.
the father OF her two daughters. DR..
Kreager took George w Hattie as
her husband. The alliance created a
great sensation and was short lived.
Much property became involved and
the amount Of publicity that re-
suited from a series of emotional
displays surpassed anything of the
kind ever recorded in this section
A divorce decree was obtained by
the doctor, and i'm 1910, she took
her third plunge into matrimony
and became the wife of Kreager. It
was this union that brought the
$4,000 alienation case TO be started
on trial tomorrow and which was
filed by Perry L. Turner. an Elkhart
lawyer. now deceased, several years
ago. For various reasons the suit
has been often all but smothered
to death and at one time il was
thought il had expired
Cause Of Suit.
William Henry .Kreager. husband.
No 3, resided at Cromwell with his
wife. Helen Kreager. who seeks the
s25, 900. DR. Grover Hattie
was called into the Kreager home to
treat Mrs. Kreager. The outcome of
this was that the Kreagers were
divorced and Mr. Xreager became
the husband Of the physician. Mrs.
Kreager asserts Kreager's affection
was captured by DR.. Grover-Kauf-
man-Hattle using unfair means. Like
the preceding alliances in which the
doctor was a part, No. ,. was stormy
At frequent intervals Mr.. KreageT
/ disappeared from Goshen and final
! ~ went 10 Cromwell TO stay. His
wife began two suits against him
one alleging larceny (she says he
stole her jewelry. valuable papers
and her suffragette fag) and an
other praying for divorce. Both are
pending in the Elkhart circuit court
Mr.. Kreager is being defended by
| F. ]. Lewis Meyer of South Bend
and Lou ". Vail of Goshen. Direct
! ing her defense the doctor has the
/ assistance Of Deahl and Deahl
Husband i'm Fight Too.
Mr. Kreager is offering stiff de-
| Tense in the divorce proceedings
: He says in a cross complaint that
I when ne married the doctor she
| agreed TO pay him one-half Of her
net earnings from the Kreager hos
pital. Claim is made by him that
she has failed 20 keep her pledge
and that financially a large sum j:
due him for services he gave wher
! he donned a rubber uniform and
appeared in the role OF a trained
nurse and expert assistant in sur
| gerry. In addition he acted as hel
chauffeur.
On the criminal charge Oarceny
Mr.. Kreager promptly furnished
bond and has had his liberty. Their
have often been reports OF a pend
ing reconciliation between tn
| Kreagers. but they were not. wei
founded. Today. it is limited that MI
Kreager has signed his eagerness L
take the stand and testify in be
half OF his first wife in the S25. 90