Jasper County Democrat, Volume 14, Number 32, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 August 1911 — MRS. HUBBARD WANTS MONEY [ARTICLE]

MRS. HUBBARD WANTS MONEY

Former Wife of Roycrofter Chief Begins Suit. “FRA” HAS FAILED TO PAY UP Mrs. Bertha Crawford Hubbard, Mother of Four Children, Seeks Twelve Per cent Interest on Her Roycroft Stock. ■ Buffalo, N. Y., Aug. 11. —Mrs. Bertha Crawford Hubtard, first wife of Elbert G. Hubbard, head of the East Aurora Roycrofters, is suing him for breach of contract since 1902. It was then she started the divorce proceedings that ultimately were successful. Mrs. Hubbard has been living away from East Aurora. The agitation As now over the alleged failure of the “Fra” of East Aurora to make good on a contract whereby he agreed to give Mrs. Hubbard annually dividends of 12 per cent on 400 shares of Roycroft stock having a face value of SIO,OOO. Mrs. Hubbard alleges that she has never received any money under that agreement The amount involved including the interest is between $15,000 and SIB,OOO. The contract was made in June, 1902, six months before the divorce proceedings were begun. In return for the stock Mrs Hubbard claims that she turned over to her husband her dower right in their property. She alleges that he agreed to he personally responsible for the payment of the dividends which were to be turned over yearly.

The Hubbards have been married since 1881, and there were four children when the divorce proceedings were started. Mrs. Hubbard named an East Aurora woman co-respondent. The litigation continued for about two years, a decree finally being entered in favor of the two women. Hubbard afterward married Alice Moore, an East Aurora school teacher. The court oirected Mr. Hubbard to pay his first wife (1,500 a year alimony and he was to pay two of their children, then under age, (sflo a year each until they attained their majority. The allegation is made that the Roycrofters company is capitalized at (300,000 and that the corporation is now worth considerably more than that sum.

Francis Buys St. Louis Republic. St. Louis, Aug. 11.—The St. Louis Republic, the oldest Democratic newspaper in Missouri and one of the pioneer journals of the middle west, has passed into the control of David R. Francis.