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Judge Oa, who dccioes halt
Of TUB Q VOfiCC 5uirs
FNO, Nev. The popula
tion and Eocitil life of Re
no, Nev., nre undergoing a
great change. Where a
year or bo ago the opti
mistic mining promoter,
In his corduroy or Uiiakl
and his high russet shoes,
was wont to disport him
self, to-day may be seen
men ot the east Hashing
by In high powered auto
mobiles. Where Washoe
squaws would a year ago sit and play
cards at tho corners of the public
squares may be seen to-day handsome
women in Pnrls gowns sauntering In
the aiternoon sun. On the veranda
of the leading hotel where a year ago
were tho silence and desolation that
the panic of 1907 produced, Idly sit
and fight with ennui groups of men
iiud women, who look forward, in
mental vision, to the time when they
will be able to forsake this frontier
post of civilization and whirl an eager
flight back to their homes in the east.
Hut they are looking for divorces at
present, and so they must stay here
for at least six months from date of
arrival to satisfy the requirements of
the Nevada divorce laws with regard
vantages of the town over any other in the state. Nevada Is prhnarily a
mining state, and n.iture usually hides her precious metals in dllllcult
places. Heno Is not a mining camp, and Is not only centrally situated
from a railroad point of view, but has scenic attractions rarely to be
found in any American commui'lty.
It Is located In the heart of a rich agricultural region, and through the
center of the town runs a beautiful mountaiu stream, the Truckee river.
Surrounding the town., at n brief distance, are snow capped mountains,
and the winds coming from over their summits keep the air cool on sum
mer nights. It Is never very warm In Heno. On the other hand, the win
ters are comparatively mild.
An altitude of 4,500 feet makes the atmosphere somewhat trying on
nerves that are not robust to begin with, but nervous affections are the
only complaints to which the climate is unfavorable.
For the cure of other ailments hot mineral water springs abound In
the vicinity of Iteno. Twehe miles away are the famous Steamboat
Springs which Comstock millionaires wore wont to patronize 40 years
ago. Three miles from Reno 4s Moana Springs. Five miles from Keno,
to tho west, Is another famous medicinal resort, Laughton's Springs, the
road to which runs along the Truckee river, making a beautiful driving
boulevard. Half way to Laughton's on this road Is n magnificent edifice
JvogbPjah, who Decwts Halt
or THt Divorce Suits
"IgaB?gram MIMH llll Illilll
SJVTit II fyMl ifV known as "Rick's,"
fsT' " i H.fJml TiVV7 which is the local
NVU? , H : lEgG 1 1 J.!J "Monte Carlo." Rick's
T . I 5 V ? i't r SI li I i I ence8 for ,,10f,e wh0
0 m a , IV lt IrZJ til! ti'la desire to make a stay,
JU V il ft tJfi W 111 and frequently parties
"ill mim & A S "TT r1' nm " 1 ' ' ,M V ' " -fT- - i fl
t LjrsT r J ! S
the very near future for the next
legislature does not meet until Janu
ary of 1911. There nre others who
point to tho experience of South Da
kota, which for 20 years fought the
evils of lax divorce laws before a re
peal was secured, and say that the
moralists of Nevada have an equally
stubborn task before them. Hut Ne
vada Is cleaning house. In tho last
session of tho legislature, nfter gam
ing being permitted for 40 years with
cognizance of law, a bill abolishing
gambling was passed the net to tako
effect In November of 1910 and It Is
believed that If that could bo done,
the slack divorce laws can bo moro
ea-lly repealed.
In the meantime the hotel men and
cottage renters of Heno and the di
vorce lawyers will continue to flour
ish. Faiislan toilettes and GO horse
power automobiles will Hash and dart
through tho quiet thoroughfares at all
sorts of hours. Men and women will
continue to become "citizens" of Ne
vada on a six-months' residence nnd
leave the state forever the day after
seeming their divorce decrees.
tif'X HrV
Frolics of a Real Queen
6tS7AUflIHT-4
to residence. For Heno has succeeded to the eminence
formerly occupied by Sioux Falls as the divorce center of
America. Some faisighted lawyer got Into the Nevada
legislature several years ago. and when ho got out again
there was a divorce law among the statutes of Nevada
that for length, breadth, height, elasticity, and all other
qualities that commend themselves to the seeker after
nsy mntrimonial freedom, could not be surpassed any
where in tho union. It was equaled by the South Dakota
law, though, and so Nevada and the Nevada lawyer se
cured no results from it for the time being.
But everything comes to hlin that waits, nnd
when the neoplo of South Dakota arose In their
wrath last November and, by a referendum vote,
declared that any one who desired to get a di
vorce in South Dakota would have to live there
a year Instead of six months, as had been tho re
quirement previously, the seeker of relief from
present matrimonial ties began to take the long
journey westward to Nevada, where It takes but
a six mouths' residence to bo in a position to go
before the courts of the state as plaintiff in a
divorce suit.
W. 11. Schnitzer, a Heno dlvorco specialist, has
written a treatise on divorce practice and pro
cedure, In which ho throws an Illuminating ray
on the wherefore of the popularity of Heno as a
divorce center, lie says:
"While the laws of the eastern nnd middle
western states generally contain rome provision
lor tho dissolution of the marriage tie, It Is ob
vious to the render that In cases where extreme
cruelty, desertion, and lallure to provide form tho
basis of tho grievance, the law In such states of
fers no substantial relief to the aggrieved party,
because tho requirements of proof, duration of
offense, corroboration of plaintiff and procedure
under court rules arc so exacting and Irksomo
that tho desired relief sought by the'npplicant Is
rendered Impossible of attainment,. Summing up
the situation ns It exists In tho eastern states
respecting the domestic relation law, the client
when consulting local counsel Is almost invari
ably advised that upon the facts submitted he or
:he Is without remedy. Hero in Nevada tho ap
plicant, without deception or fraud, upon
almost any charge from which lack of harmonious
relations may bo reasonably Inferred, may npply
to our courts and cecum prompt results by de
cree of absolute divorce, valid and binding In
law."
While there are about 54 cases now on tho
docket or the district court, there are In Heno
lo da over 350 individuals establishing a resl
lenre for divorce purposes, a majority of whom
ire women.
The charms of Nevada as a divorce center
have only Just begun to percolate Into the con-
clousncss of the outsldo world.
Keno has no objection to the present status
f affairs. It la estimated that the revenue of tho
;. v. n from the divorce colony at present Is close
to $1,000,000 a year, and that It will rapidly In
crease from this on. To a community of but 18,
onn population this Is no small consideration.
Why Reno Is preferred to any other communi
ty In the ftate as a place of residence by those
cklng divorces Is because of the nienltold sd-
come back for several days. It might be men
tioned In this connection that the divorce colony
has brought to Heno over loo motor cars.
The lending hotels nre always crowded, and
the rents for cottages have appreciated, on the
average, to the extent of 50 per cent, in the last
six months. In some instances the Increase has
ben much greater. One cottage that rented for
$ii0 n month In January last, now returns Its own
er a rental of $100 a month.
Perhaps tho one thing that endears Reno to
the visiting divorcee more than anything elso Is
Its proximity to San Francisco. One may board a
train In Reno nnd bo In the I'acKic coast metrop
olis iu ten hours. Despite its manifold attrac
tions, life In Reno Is likely to wenr Irksome upon
those who have been used to existence In larger
centers, nnd tho visitors, to a great extent, soon
er or later during their stay, take a trip or half
a dozen trips, over the Sierras to the city by the
(lolden fiate.
Such visits, while affording relief from the
monotony of life in Reno, do not Impair the resi
dence qualifications necessary to the obtaining
of a divorce. To again quote the Nevada divorce
authority already mentioned:
"Under the provisions of Section 22 of tho
Mnrrlage and Divorce act, the plaintiff must re
side In the state for a period of at least six
months. This Is not construed to mean that In
order to fully comply with the statute tho party
must remain here continuously for said period.
So, if a party comes to Nevada, and, in good faith,
takes up n residence, tho party mny leave tho
stato at any timo nfter establishing residence,
may go and travel when and wherever the party
chooses, and may return to the state whenever In
clination prompts, and yet such temporary nb
senco would not In any wise affect the legality or
the residence established, but the party would be
entitled under tho Inw to bring suit any timo
after the lapse of rlx months from the date resi
dence was orlginnlly established, notwithstanding
the party's absenco from the stato during snid
period."
Wnsed somewhat by the lluandal seductions
of tho situation, nnd yet to learn tho lesson that
such a state of affairs enn only result In the mor
al degradation of tho youth of the community a
lesson which caused South Dakota to reform her
dlvorco laws Heno appears to be perfectly con
tented with things as they nre.
Hut Heno Is busily engiged In ( leaning house,
and it Is felt by tho most rc-flcctlvn observers that
the dls-nrce laws of Nevada as now written will
b a thing of th jant In the Dsr future. Not In
BIS
IK
$ ik XT; Mi v?i
7 -
That queens are very human be
ings after all Is evidenced by their
delight in tho outdoor pleasures
which even their humblest subjects
mny enjoy. The royal lady of a European court
no longer sits in regal splendor.in her palace, sur
rounded by ladies In waiting ready to minister to
her most languid wish, but you may meet her
motoring In the country or riding horseback In
the park. It Is an excellent example they are
retting for their countrywomen in this respect.
Queen Alexandra Is a devotee of outdoor life. In
deed, she attributes keeping young and enjoy.
Ing good health to
uns xaci. wnen a
young girl she was
fond of swimming,
rowing and driv
ing, and even now
she never permits
a day to go by
without taking
some exercise. If
the weather is too
bad for walking
the passes several
bonis at billiards.
She is wonder
fully skilled with
the cue nnd Is
proud of her game.
But In nice weath
er her favorite ex
ercise is walking.
At Snnd ring
ham Ehe visits
nil parts of her farm at least once a day. This Is
more of a pleahiire than a task, because she usu
ally amuses herself on the way by taking snap
shots with her camera or playing with one or
more dogs. Fond though Hie queen Is of outdoor
lile, ihe avoids bard exercise. Yachting nnd driv
ing she enjoys, but she never has played golf or
put a ball over a tennis rt.
Persistent automobiling, she believes, offers the
quickest means known for getting rid of a nice
complexion and gaining 10.0UO wrinkles.
Queen Alexandra believes so much In fresh air
and exercise out of doors that she has sometimes
slept in a lent she had put up for her at San
diinghnm. Once, asked how she managed to
keep young, she said: "Fresh nlr and exercise are
the best elixirs of youth."
Queen Alexandra's particular hobby is photog
raphy and that takes her out of doors a great
deal. She U said now to possess albums contain
ing over 10,000 photographs, all taken by her own
hands, ropi renting royal nnd Important person
ages, places nnd festivals in all parts of Kurope.
For a period of 16 years now the queen has been
a devotee of the camera. Sho possesses five cam
eras. Wherever the queen goes bovlt a cruise In the
royal yacht, to her home In Denmark, or a rldo
across country In the Highlands she Is never
without her camera. That she uses it well Is evi
dent when it Is stated that during one of her Med
iterranean cruises she pocured 1,400 photographs
In six week x. Then It Is very seldom, too. that
the queen throws out a picture or destroys a neg
ative because the subjed Is not up to tho mark.
In her way of going to work she Is most method
ical. Her photographs fill many albums nnd un
der each photograph her majesty has written a
description of the picture and tho date when taken.
They Include u great variety of subjects, from the
king's stud horses taken in the old days at the
annual f ile at Wolferton to portraits of her
grnndchild.cn on the lawn at Snndrlngham. and
the mlns of the Parthenon. Tho photographs of
her grandchildren fill three albums alone and now
amount to several thousand. They depict thctn at
their gatnoi:. romping with each other, nnd one,
that made th king roar with laughter when he
saw It, has caught two of the younger sons of tho
Princess of Wales, each endeavoring to exert his
right to a certain toy by tho free use of his fists.
What sl; regards ns one of her best photo
grsphs of itw king U that which depicts him talk
iti2 to Lo'd Saflield lu the grounds of Marlborough
bonce.
OrjUAMCATLAN m m a
pelves. In following his directions,
they took the right fork of a danger
ous looking road and went hub deep
In adobe mud Block and tackle,
which was part of their equipment,
rniiie Into play, and the car came out
backward. They started around this
n iid tho car was bucking the pann
nobly, nlthougn tho men often had to
get out to cut sage brush fniu the
way and dig snnd from under the
wheels before they could make head
way. Finally tho car went down over
the hubs In whnt proved to be quick-
pnnd, and refused to budge.
Tho block nnd tackle proved of no
avail. They saw that It was a case
of camp and writ for relief. This was
their first taste of the bitter of path
finding. They later found that they
were stranded In n desert 46 miles
f i oin a railroad, without food and wa
ter. They finally decided that Billy
Knlpper, the driver, and F. Ed. Spoon
er would stay with the car and Mc
Carton and Howard, the guide, would
walk until they found a ranch house
or some other place where they could
get aid. The place where they were
stuck Is known ns Tlerra Blanca, or
White Karth, so called from the Rand
composing it. Here tho sand drifted
like snow and they Eeemed to be In
tho midst of great oceans of sand.
The wind heaped the snnd through
tho wheels of the cor like a cyclone,
and ns fast as they would dig the
snnd from under the wheels more
would blow In.
The hardships of the two men left
with tho car were even greater than
those of the relief party. The sun
was broiling hot nnd they mado ft
caver, throwing blankets over two
poles lying against the cor. Their wa
ter bngB wero empty and they
squeezed all the water from the rndl
ator of the car. This water they
mixed with some powdered peas and
ninde n mixture which they called
cold pea soup and which they said
tasted like cough medicine. They
were there for three days subsisting
on this fare with no solid food.
At tho dose of the third afternoon
they saw Howard coming over the
sands holding n water bottle toward
them. They rushed from their Im
provised tent with a shout of Joy and
staggered ns drunk for the precious
liquid.
Tho first relief party that was sent
out from Fl Paso were unable to lift
the car from Its bed of sand, and they
had to return for further assistance.
Six men went out In another car and
by means of 380 feet of rope used as
a block and tackle placed around the
relief car they were finally able to lift
the car from the snnd. After taklnrr
on supplies they again plunged Into
the unknown country.
One time during the last lap the car
slid on the edge of a cliff nnd hung
there on such a fine point that a baby
could have dumped It over. It was
only by two of the members of the
party sprluglng from the car and
holding to It that the car and two of
Its occupants were saved. It was
finally swung to safety by block and
tackle and proceeded on its way.
The dangers that these men met In
going through this practically un
known country would till a book. The
car was met at Tula, 2" miles out of
Mexico City, its final destination, and
escorted Into the city with great pomp
nnd ceremony. President Diaz wel
comed tho pathfinders. Now the car.
followed by a large number of others
filled with local motorists, paraded
tho streets of the city, which was ban-r.er-flmig
with welcoming words. They
were given a dinner that night ot the
Hotel Oenevc and a ball on the same
evening. On Sunday the party was
entertained by a bull fight of real
Mexican style nnd the pathflndlng
crew was given the honor of carrying
Harper Lee, the greatest American
bull fighter. Into and around the ring
reveral times to be reviewed by Presi
dent Diaz by his arrangement. He
was present In full uniform.
The car was the object of great
curiosity, ond ninny of the native
Mexicans, who had been following Its
progress through the republic south
ward, knowing the condition of the
Mexican roads, declared that such n
trip was Impossible. This was also
said In the western states through
which tho cor passed.
Motorists say that this Is one of the
greatest feats brought to the notice ol
H.'tomnblledom in years and will pave
used leagues as measurements, others j lC way for a great automobile Indus-lii-pd
kilometers. iry in the southern republic. The
It was proven that the guide w hich I friendly Invasion of the cars that
they had taken on nt Kl Paso knew I cover tfcu course nevt October will
little more about the mad, or pre add to the amiability of the two great
tended to know lefn, than they tliein j American iepuMic5
Ji CMPULTCPtc mkx, crry or
Standing on the stops of the state
cnpltol at Denver, (lov. Slinfroth of
Colorado smiled nnd waved his hand
to n scout car that was quickly speed
ing nwny from the capital bearing tho
flags of Old Mexico nnd tho United
States and followed by a dozen well
filled cars.
This wns the final farewell to the
car and Its crew of four men who
were going to make a trip from Den
ier to Mexico City, n dlstanco of al
most 2,400 miles, the greater part of
which was unexplored.
Tho trip was being taken to map a
routo between Denver nnd the Mexi
can capital over which an endurance
contest will be run next October.
George A. Wahlgreen, a leading citi
zen of Denver, last fall offered n
hnndsonio trophy to the car that
would cover this distance with the
best endurance record.
Four men undertook this trip In a
30-horsepower car, which had nlready
quite a full experience. For the past
30 days this car has been drhiiiK
through Old Mexico and the men have
iieen naving strange experiences in a
country w here automobiles have never
been before nnd the Amerlcnn never
before set hla foot. This path was
laid over miles and miles of sandy
desert wastes and rock strewn plains
nnd parched sands. They traveled for
days without the sight of a bird, wa
ter, a human face or even a human
abode. At nights they slept by the
side of their car, with revolvers In
hand, and were sung to sleep by the
wall of tho coyotes, which broke the
awful stillness of a semi-tropical dosi
ert. The party consisted of Billy
Knlpper, an experienced driver of
racing ears; F. lid. Spooncr. newspa
per man; W. R. McCarton of Denver
and James II. Howard, a guide.
This parly left Denver May 1 and
arrived In Mexico City June 3 at mid
day. The trip from Denver to El
Puso, the last stop this side of tho
Mexican border, wns full of pleasant
driving, soon to he forgotten when
the car got Into the unexplored coun
try. The trip was made literally
along mountain tops. The car start
ed at an altitude of 5,173 feet above
sea level and ended In Mexico City,,
which Is 8.000 feet above sen level. At
no time was the route below 3,500
feet.
In every town they stopped at they
met a lively reception.
The party arrived In F.l Paso Mny
12. The pathfinders took on a great
coat of tan during the eight days of
traveling over tho mountains and des
erts. The party spent one day of rest In
El Paso and this time wns spent In
generally overhauling tho car aud get
ting additional supplies for a dash
Into a country In which they did not
know when they would meet ninn
again. The crew found here that the
trip of the American car into Mexico
was being accepted as of much greater
moment than they had anticipated.
They were Informed that down In
Mexico, all along the line, prepara
tions were being made to receive the
tourists nnd extend every courtrsy.
They left VA Paso with light hearts,
not knowing that it was theirs to re
turn again.
It was here, though, that they had
some tried dlfllcultles in getting
through the customs on May 13, but
finally the car was passed and the
members received their passports car
rying the additional rights of ex
plorers. They passed the Mexican burros
drawing wood nnd water nnd the Mex
ican drivers were found to bo very
apathetic. Inquiries of these Mexi
cans by Interpreter James Howard
led to plenty of replies. One said It
was "dos clgarros" to Gunrfalniipe,
meaning that two cigarettes would be
smoked during the dhtance 0t rrs
