Evening star., 1924-12-07
WOMAN IS PER|L|NG
RENO DIVORCE MILL
State Supreme Court May
Decide Fraud InvaIidated
Thousands of Suits.
By Consolidated Press.

BY Consolidated Press.
| RENO, New, December G-Several
score Reno lawyers, who derive most
of their income from guiding tender
| foot divorce seekers over Nevada's
J famous easy divorce" trail are COM
mencing to wonder If the jubiant
| celebration staged here two weeks
ago wasn't a bit premature.
! Likewise, some $4,000 once married
| couples, who. in the last Is years,
have come to the legalized parting
! of their ways in the sage brush
! Stationary of them to promptly
| take on new marriage vows-are re-
sumlng a lot of worrying over the
situation and the possible predica-
ment which they thought was all
settled in the District Court here
November 81, last.
Doubts about celebration of the
victory, which may turn out not to
have been a victory at all, and re
| sumption of worrying by those who
| think they are divorced--but aren't
| sure-are both being occasioned by
| the refusal of a determined little
| woman to let her husband have diyorce
| decree, which she thinks she ought
| to have herself.
"Gray Mouse" With Fighting Jaw.
! The determined woman who may
| throw disastrous legal monkey
| wrench into Nevada's s smoothly func-
| tioning six months" divorce mill, is
! Mrs Emma T.. Confers of Hamburg,
Pa. from whom Nathan a. Confers,
| a wealthy Pennsylvania merchant,
obtained a divorce decree early last
| October Mrs. COnfers measures
| feet and does not weigh over 12j
pounds. She is the proverbial Lit
| tie Gray Mouse" type of woman, ex-
| cept that she has lighting jaw. And
| she declares she hasn't commenced
! to fight yet"
| Mrs. Confers first threatened to
| gum up Nevada's famous divorce ma
| chine here five weeks ago. She
| brought suit to have her husbands
| divorce set aside on the grounds that
! in applying for it he swore falsely
! he intended 70 become a permanent
resident of Nevada. thereby commit
| ting both fraud and perjury.
| Thousands Are Threatened.
Mrs. Confers' suit did not threaten
! her ex-husband alone 1t threatened
| about 80 per cent OF the $4,000 di-
vorcss which hav" been obtained un-
der Nevada laws in the last Is years.
Tho petition to which Confers swore
regarding his plans for permanent
Nevada residence is the same, identi-
cally worded petition TO which the
! pl2intiffs In all the other $4,000 di-
vorces have been swearing.
Mrs. Confers' suit was thrown out
of the District Court here. which sits
in all Reno divorce suits. three weeks
/ ago. The court literally was asked
to invalidate all Of the thousands of
| divorces it already had granted.
| Three of the ablest divorce attorneys
in Nevada were hurriedIy summoned
by the court to furnish all the pos
sible legal reasons as to why Mrs
Eonfers' suit shouldn't be granted.
She lost
Then Mrs Confers commenced to
! Tight She appealed the decision t.
he Nevada Supreme Court. And it
is in the final decision Of that august
body that even the able divorce at
| -orneys who advised the District
Court admit the danger lies. In rem
d"ring its decision. il seems that the
District Court overlooked one legal
bet. 1t held that the Nevada law
stipulated six months residence in
order to qualify for divorce. and
that Mrs. Confers couldn't go be-
hind the law. Nothing was men
toned about allegations falsely
sworn of the Intentions of the ex-
husband to live in Nevada for the
rest of his days
"ihihE Ebint seen.
Upon this neglected point in The
/ lower court decision. the Supreme
! Court, it is admitted. may render an
adverse decision. Members of Nevada
! supreme Judiciary. it is also pointed
| out. are not confronted with the neces-
| slty of sustaining themselves-as the
district court was-for with the ex
! cepuon of the Mary Pickford-Oven
Moore divorce tangle members Of the
highest tribunal have always, kent
raear of divorce case niX-uDs.
Even If the Supreme Court shouId
see fit to rule against Mrs. Confers-
which isn't at all assured-Nevada's
| easy divorce" laws are menaced from
another direction. In the last two
years there has developed a rising
sentiment in favor of wining the
six months" divorce measure off the
Nevada statute books, and the new
legislature shortly to convene NAV
| do that very thing
should such thing come 10 mass
there viii be one name which will bn
anathema to a lot of now prosperous
divorce specializing lawyers. 1t win
he that of the little woman from,
Hamburg, who did not know when
she was whipped. For she started
the whole thing.