The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1922-11-24
WIFE CONES BACK AFTER &c
YEARS
TWICE 4 WIDOW. SHE FINDS
FIRST HUSBAND HAS NOT BEEN
DIVORCED

DIVORCED
Alma. Neb.. Nov. 11.-AIrs William
Shipman. Of Alma. got mad ut her
first husband. William G. Muntgome-
~. Of Ouuawka. Henderson County
Iowa, 46 years ago. and left him. Two
weeks ago. after wait Of 10 years.
they We're divorced. Now they plan to
remarrv. In talking over the divorce
they decided that 10 years OF Separa-
ton was enough. During those 10
years Mrs. Shipman has had Two hus-
bands and Mir. Montgomery has had
one wife. Both of Mrs. Shipman's nus
bands are dead and Mr.. Montgomery
has been Il widowcr for 10 or l. years
Montgomery is 81 years Old. Mrs.
Shipman is Is. After their marriage
they Will reside in Burlington, Iowa.
according TO Mrs. Shipman.
The Montgumcrys were married in
Oquawka in the spring of 1873. They
lived together Il year or so. Then they
had Il family "spat" and Mrs. Mont
@omerv got up and walked out OF the
house. Montgomery never SAW her
again until two or three months ago.
when she came to Oquawka to get a
copy OF the divorce decree which she
thought was issued back in 1877.
Montgomery waited two wears for
his wife to return. She not only did
not come back. but he did not know
where she was. Then he brought suit
for divorce. Some years later he mar
ried again and continued living in the
same house in Oquawka to which he
had taken his first wife as Il bride.
Ten or j. years ago this second wife
died.
After walking out of her home in
1876 Mrs. Montgomery went West
went to Nebraska.
Her sister. Mrs. james Morris. OF
Oquawka. wrote her of the divorce pc
tiiiun filed by Montgomery. y lew
years afterward she Remarked Her
second husband died and later she
married William Shipman. 4 Civil Var
veteran. living al Alma. y year ago
Shipman died.
In Ouuawka Mrs. Shipman was not
even memory. She had been forgot
ten by everybody. unless ii was her
first husband and her sister. None had
heard from her for quarter o. Il
century or more. II they thought OF
her at al. ii was with the belief thar
She was dead.
But two or three weeks ago Mrs
Shipman got oil the train at Oquaw-
ka. She was Il girl about ~ wears old
when she left Cquawka. She was an
cid woman ot 81 when she returned.
She went to the old home of her
sister. Mrs. Morris. from whom she
had not heard for nearly forty years
Mrs. Morris was still living at the
old place.
The next day Mrs. Shipman explain
ed the object of her visit. She had APP
piied for pension as the widow OF
Shipman. the Civil War veteran. And
she needed Il copy of the divorce de
cree from her first husband. William
Montgomery.
by the way. whatever became OF
WHIP" she asked her sister.
"Oh. he lives just across the street
in the same house" Mrs. Morris All
swcred. His second wife died"
That afternoon Mrs. Shipman went
to the little old red brick Court House
. in Oquawka to secure a copy OF the
divorce decree issued more than 80
years ago.
They couldn't find it. They couldn't
find that Il decree had ever been en-
tered. They found Il record of The suit
fonnd the original petition, musty and
dusty But there was no record show
ing the case had ever been tried or
that any decree had ever been enter
ed.
In the eyes of the law she was still
the wife of William Montgomery. al
though she had had TWO husbands and
he had had one wife since they sep
arated
The next day she called on Mont
gOmery and explained matters She
just must have Il divorce decree in
order 10 get that pension.
MONTGOMERY was affability itself.
Certainly Mrs. Shipman should have
Il divorce. \ new petition was nrc-
pared and fled in the court. Last week
the decree was entered and the two
became legally separated.
While attending to the divorce mat
ter Montgomery and Mrs. Shipman
found it necessary TO have a number
of conferences. They raked uD odd
time" affairs and in the telling of old
stories of each other they revived
their interest in one another
Mrs. Shpman came back to Alma.
Some DAYS ago she went over to
( Hastings. Neb., ION business"
! Montgomery. over in OQuawka. told
his folks he was going hunting. Co
ing IN North" he said
/ But he came to Hastings. Neb, in
stead.
Now the two are getting ready for
their marriage They are getting Il
new home in Burlington ready for oc-