Norwich bulletin., 1918-03-07
MATTERS INTERESTING WESTERLY
Marion Long Granted Decree of Divorce In Probate Court From Geuge ". vas-Bosrd of Trade Hears Letter Concerning Pswcatack River Improvements F Funeral uf.JolmsA.- -CxmdzA

0so<xessyE. Vars, whose aecspades hsYe been given much punlicity inl pUhlsc rwaxs7rscsnEty, resided fov years fn Pawcatuek and was known as -Tubby" Vars when he attended the old Palmer Street school He mar riaa a Pierce street girl who was sub usruertfy freed from him by dyorce. He was recently sentsnced to year h flye Connecticut State prison by the Ur.ftsd States district court for a vi- ols+for of the Mann white slsve act following his arrest in New London.
 Marion Long. the fifteen year OH wife of Vars was granted a decree on Tuesday by the municipal court oI Providence vacating a decree or adout5on entered April H. 1916. where by she bacame the adopted cnliG oI Vars. Aftsr adopting the girl. Vars hnoh- her aboard vessel he owned and for several months traFeled along the coast from port to port with her. He married her in New London, and aft ervard was arrested for violating the Mann law. .-t.
 me decree is regarded as of un- 1euai interest to the legal profesSfoTi fn Rhode Island, because. through if. .r1dre Stone vacates 8 decree enter ed by himself, long after the 40-day Emit fixed by the statutes for the taking of an appeal had expired.
 Under the laws of Rhode Island the iudgs of a probate court cannot over urn his own decrees except within the time specified for an appeal but in this case the court takes ths ground that in reality. the decree was never entered because of gross fraud perretra.ed upon the court by Vars and a wornan who posed as his wife, brit tc whom he was never married. Under ths circumstances Judge Stone Secfdes that the decree was never a votdaf1e one; but was really void from chs beginning.
 Vars and the woman who uOsed as rss wife petiticpsd for ft.s a9cSkton of the girl then thirteen years c!e, on Aprif ii. 1916. Sidne.F Jonr. father CT the chId. gave his assent to ths3 aFur lion. On February :, 1918. the girl .Hrough Henry S. Proctor. agent q tue Rhode Island Society for the proven lion of Cruelty to Childran, appesrei before the court and asked that the original decree be set aside.
 At the hearing which was held of February 18th, testimony was ad- vanced intended to show that the wo- man who appeared as Vars wife was nsver married to him ard that the court had been imposed upon. Judge Stone was asked to vacats the Gecres on the ground of frand
 fn entering his decision Tnesday morning the court says: Tt being 2 fraud of such a fragrant nature. going directly to the very foundation of thf matter, being against public policy against moral decency, placing 2 vcunt giri of that age in the control of { man and woman of such chara ctef being directly contrary to the intent 0 the legislz<ure. a decree which 1t woult have been impossible for this court u have entered if the rue facts hal been presented before ,t at the tim such a nature would be illegal an void ab inittp. A decree win no7 Se entered to that effect.H
 Charles ]. Butie~. secretary of tn Westerly Board of Trade, subniitted a the regular reting. a copy of the let ter to be sent the Rhode Island dele Eation Tn congress, concerning i'm
 Eovements in the Pawcetuck river I ss pfsnned to ask for a channel 1o' teet wide from Stcufngton din1inishinl tp a width of forty feet along tn Westerly water front IL was Sug Eested that before the letter is for Nar6ed it received the approval 0 xzmg M. Psnd1eton, the retiring pres sdent-
 President Arthur L. Perry presided md tkere was general urfavurabz comment on the part of abutting prop erty owners along the PSucatuck riv x, above the dam, for using it as
 pubIc dumping place
 President Perry announced that h plan to lcsietraEe the two hundred azs hftigth sTtntvsr<sxy of the town. i May, 1912, had met with popula- "a Vor, ard he i1sd nanre6 as a c0-nraittes Do make the preliminary arraDS eDaers The foiioEfTsg ger tSemen: Albert E Stirlman. Everett E. whipple, Irwin