The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1920-03-25
GRASS WIDOWS
UNDER FIRE NOW
Judge and District Attor-
ney Order Inyestiga-
ton Of Divorces.

Grass widows in Kenosha are under
investigation Not one or two but
a score of them as Deceive Charles
Rock of the Kenosha police department
acting under the direction of Judge
James E. Tully of the municipal court
and District Attorney Peter Fisher,
Jr., is investigating the lives of them.
Those who are still living in single
blessedness have nothing to fear but
1t IS intimated that those who have
violated the orders of the court by
re-marrying within year after the
divorce was granted are liable to pro-
secution. Men who have been granted
divorces or who have been divorced
by their wives, are similar to the ex,
act kind of treatment.
Clerk of the Municipal Court John
L. Wattles on Monday, afternoon search
ed the records of the court and turned
over to the district attorney for the
purpose of the investigation all infor-
nation in regard to divorces which
have been secured in the municipal
court during the past twelve months.
1t is understood that Clerk of the Cir
cult Court Benjamin M. DeDiemar will
furnish the district attorney similar
list.
Law Provides Against Remarriage.
Every time a divorce decree is
handed down in the courts, the judge
from the bench makes q specific warn
~
order goes, and it is made part of
the record, chat under the law you
are not permitted to re-marry within
this state or any other state within
a year from the granting Of this de-
cree" 1t is admitted that this order
of the court has been held lightly in
the past. 1t is also admitted that
some Divorces have remarked in
other states. In this county no license
would be granted to person who had
gone through the divorce courts with
out it being conclusively shown that
the divorce had become effective by
the year elapsing. A number of the
cases have come to the notice of the
officials where women and men have
asked for licenses for remarriage with
in the year. They were refused, but
in some cases they went to other states
to marry. A few of these have return
ed to Wisconsin to make their home
and it is declared that the marriages
so contracted are void
Not Just Sure as to Future.
"I am not just sure what Is going
to be done with this evidence we are
collecting" said the district attorney.
81 am acting on the suggestion of
Judge Tully and it is my plan to make
the facts in these cases as clear as
possible. We have been advised that
the order of the court has been violat-
ed in several cases. If such is the
fact that person SO marrying is guilty
of contempt Of the court and may be
punished accordingly. I am not sure
that they are guilty of the more ser
ious offense of bigamy. l am not pre-
pared to say how far these prosecu-
tions will be carried. l suppose that
they will depend a good deal on the
circumstances surrounding the various
cases. undoubtedly some OF THESE
women have. ignorantly gone to other
states and married without waiting for
the year after the divorce DEGREES.
These women are going to be advised
that such marriages are not recognized
under the laws of the state.
Must Protect Children.
The officers let it be understood that
they were particularly concerned with
the protection of the rights of chill
dren of these divorced people. Under
the marriages outside the law, these
children might lose valuable property
rights by the marriages being declared
invalid by the court.
The last strictly provides that no
divorce decree handed down in Wiseon-
sin become absolute until after the
year has elapsed and the ignorance
of the man or woman of this fact
does not change the law.
1t was stated that three cases had
been brought to the notice of the
district attorney in which women d.