Democrat and Chronicle/1897/Her Husband A Hypnotist

Her Husband A Hypnotist. Peculiar Troubles Of A New York Woman. Deeded Away Houses. The Marriage Arranged By A Schatchen. A Series Of Lawsuits. A Matrimonial Speculation Which Apparently Resulted Only in Profit to the Odd Job Tailor Who Possesses a Strange But Effective Influence. Special Dispatch to Democrat and Chronicle. New York, January 20, 1897. Adelheid Lowe had an action before the supreme court to-day to set aside a conveyance of a half interest in two houses made by her to Ira Lowe, immediately before her marriage to him. She alleges that he exerted a mysterious influence over her, and also that he failed to keep promises made to her, and had misrepresented his financial condition. Mrs. Lowe had six children living of nine by a former marriage, and his promises were to care for all the children until they reached their majority. Two grown girls testified today that, from very soon after the marriage of their mother to Lowe, he had been making desperate love to them, and that he had told them that be did not love their mother, but had married her for their sakes. The Lowe marriage was the work of a schatchen, who got $50 for bringing it about. At the time Lowe was shifting about at odd jobs of tailoring. The couple were married on August 31, 1894. The two elder daughters are Rosie, 19 years old; and Lena, 17. They described their life at home as almost a constant dodging of Lowe, when their mother was out and only one of the girls was present. Before Lowe would marry the plaintiff he insisted, so he says, that she make an ante-nuptial agreement, by which he secured a half interest in two houses she owned worth $30,000. Mrs. Lowe says she let him have large sums of money, and set him up in the business he now conducts. She paid all the expenses of the wedding and of the trip they made. They separated in the fall of 1895, but since the separation he has continued to hold the property, claiming that it was given in consideration of the marriage. Mrs. Lowe said she would never have deeded him the property unless he had exerted some influence over her which she does not understand. A multitude of legal proceedings have followed their separation. The daughter, Lena, who had called on Lowe after the separation, had him arrested twice on charges of attempted assault, but he was discharged. The mother sued for money loaned, and replevined fittings in his shop. She had him arrested several times for abandonment, sued him for slanderous statements made when she brought another action for absolute divorce, which she lost, and she now has an action pending against him for separation. The case went over until tomorrow.