| OCR Text |
Show ABE HUMMERS DOWNFALL. Lawyer Abraham H. Hummel's trial is ended in a verdict that convicts him of the crime of perjury in the now notorious Dodge-Morse divorce-marriage. The verdict was not unexpected, but it will be a long time before New York gets over talking about the details of this case this case which began in San Francisco, at the Palace Pal-ace hotel, almost thirty years ago. For Abe Hummel is one of the best known characters in America. Years, now, he has been the "theatrical" "theatri-cal" lawyer, and nothing so serves to keep a man's name and personality before the public as to be concerned in about every noteworthy theatrical lawsuit that comes up. The history of the divorce suit which resulted in Hummel's indictment for perjury brings in the names of Charles W. Morse, the iceman and I ' bank president; Charles F. Dodge, well known ' as a hotel man in San Francisco in the first years j'j of the Palace hotel; Captain James T. Morse, known up and down the Atlantic coast as a big man in the Eastern Steamship company; and others oth-ers of respectability. It was in 1877 that Charles F. Dodge was employed em-ployed at the Palace hotel in San Francisco. He was acquainted with Clemence Bowles, and married mar-ried her. The marriage was happy for some years, but the Dodges finally agreed to disagree, and separated. This was in 1889, and Dodge went to Atlanta, Ga., and his wife came to New York. While there was some talk of divorce, it wasn't till 1897 that husband and wife met here in New York, found their differences to great to be made up, and agreed on a divorce. Mrs. Dodge was to get the decree, as Dodge's life was notoriously that of a loose-fish. In June, 1898, the final decree was granted, everything being in order, apparently. In 1901, Charles W. Morse, then a wealthy widower, met Mrs. Dodge, fell in love, and married her. Morse's wife was then dead four years, and he had several sev-eral children. His position being rather one of prominence, the second marriage was not hidden under a bushel by any means. Now, Captain James C. Morse, sea-dog, Maine man, and sectarian, heard that his nephew's" bride was a divorced woman. There was language from "Captain Jim" expostulation, objurgation, and malediction. Then "Captain Jim," finding his ful-' ful-' minations vain, bethought him that there might be some way to break up the marriage legally. He went to the office of Howe & Hummel. Abe Hummel decided that "there was a good chance." He drew on "Captain Jim" for a few thousands, and started in to reinstate the original marriage made twenty-five years before in San Francisco. He found Dodge in Gainesville, Ga. The hotel man seemed satisfied, but is reported to have changed his mind when five hundred dollars dol-lars was offered him to come to New York. Hummel, Hum-mel, as the evidence showed in court, induced Dodge to sign an affidavit that he had never been served with the papers in the divorce suit. The date of this affidavit was September 8, 1903. On September 10, 1903, Charles W. Morse got a letter from Hummel, in which the lawyer told him he was liable in heavy damages for alienat-u alienat-u ing Mrs. Dodge's affections. Morse, naturally, I went straight to Hummel's office, had some heated : I words, and was leaving, vowing to Hummel that ' of money he wouldn't "get a red." Then Hummel quieted the banker down, talked of restoring a wife to her husband, and so concealed the fact that he was acting, not for Charles F. Dodge, but for "Captain Jim." In October, Dodge was induced by an attorney attor-ney named Steirihardt to sign an affidavit that he had not been represented in the divorce action. For this, the ground of an order to show cause why the divorce shouldn't be set aside, it was testified tes-tified in court that Dodge was paid five thousand dollars. |
