Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1919-02-27
DEER PARK WOMAN
WINS DIVORCE AND
FARM LANDS BACK
MRS. LILLE COONCE, WHO SUED
SPOUSE AND CORRESPONDENT
AS JOINT DEFENDANTS GIVEN
DECREE BY JUDGE ELDREDGE.

Lille t. Coonce, middle-aged Deer
Park woman, is no longer unhappily
rettered to Josiah r. Coonce. the man
she married many years ago and was
forced to sue for divorce because OF
his conduct with other women Judge
Eldredge in the Circuit Court this
morning gave Mrs. Coonce a decree
eltecting her marital and property
rights at the same time.
With her liberation from the ties
that bound her to Josiah Mrs. Coonce
obtained a decision returning 10 her
an eightyacre farm she says she
decided to Coonce at his suggestion
and which he refused to return to her
after their marital relations became
strained and a separation followed
The case, which closed with Judge
Eldredge's decision in favor of the
complainant, is one of the few on rec
ord in La Sale County where an af.
Unity WIS whipped into the proceed
inSs as Il party defendant with the
actual defendant. Josephine Lombus.
a former Peorian, was sued with
Coonce. While she appeared i'll court
he did not testify in her own behalf
Mrs. COonce alleged, and later proved
her allegation, that the Lombus wom-
an was brought into their home under
a on i.ya. ,uf u ii
housekeeper, While in reality she
served as a cOncubine for the de
fendant.
Because Of its many angles the case
eXacte6 more than its share of inter
est from lawyers. while the snappy,
peppery testimony introduced proved
attractive to an audience OF that eIe
ment that always takes keen peas
IRE out OF suits Of this nature
On the stand Mrs Coonce told how
Josiah had inveigled her into giving
the farm, eighty acres of good La
Sale County land, to him under the
preteXt he could better look after il
ana safeguard her interests. Woman
like, she placed confidence in him ano
TUNED the property over as directed
As soon as he became the rossesso1
Of the farm there was a marked diff
terence in Che hu bands attitude to
ward her. He became distant in his
relationship. Little things the wifi
did incensed him, and then came the
Clapping climax with the importation
Of the LOmbuS woman. Once she
caught them in bedroom of theil
home together Even after that the
Illicit relationship between the pain
continued and they brazenly carried
on their c.andestine meetings with
out any respect whatsoever for Mrs
CoOnce's feelings. The divorce Dill
came after all attempts to break III
| the hold Mrs Lombus had on her hus
| band failed
Coonce nearly collapsed while on
| the witness stand ana made an excel
| lent witness for the prosecution. He
| could not cover up his relations witt
the Lombus woman. His hands shook
| perceptibly as he was seized wild
paroXisms Of nervousness. He ad
mitted that thirty years ago lie was
the victim OF the most violent form
of social disease known to science
He said Mrs. Lombus suffered from
the same malady. YHe denied the dis
ease was communicated from him t,
her, for fear, he said, the affinity nigh
sue both him and his wife for dam
ages.
After all the testimony was pre-
sented the facts were clearly agains
COonce. He was accordingly diveste,
OF all his rights in the farm which b.
was directed 10 return 20 the com
plainant. without job or money, h
was not ordered to pay alimony.
reservation being allowed in the dc
cree giving Mrs. Coonce the right Il
collect alimony in case he should eve
become able to pay.