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- from "The Detroit Free Press", 2 Feb 1896 (newspapers.com) [high profile case that someone tried to suppress from the the newspaper]
Hibbard Baker was a promising young lawyer in this city when he was nominated for congress by the Republicans and defeated by the late H. Logan Chipman. The bill for divorce was filed and suppressed on October 23 last, and it alleged non-support and desertion. With a few day of that date the appearance of the defendant was entered by Bethune Duffield, and two weeks later the answer, which was also suppressed, like all the records in the case. At the hearing Mrs. Baker and her father, L.S. Butterfield, testified that for a number of years after the marriage, which place about ten or twelve years ago, Mr. and Mrs. Baker led a happy life together, but that Mr. Baker's attitude toward his wife changed when he went south to look up lands for speculators, in the summer of 1893. The complainant stated that after her husband had been absent a short time she visited him in the south at his request. After awhile he asked her to return home, agreeing to send for her if he made up his mind to stay in the south, or else he would come back to Detroit. Mrs. Baker declared he did neither, but that instead he went to New York city, where he is now engaged in the real estate business. The desertion took place in August, 1893. At that time the Bakers had one child, Harold, who will be 7 years old on the 4th next month. Another child, Grace, was born on October 2, 1893. Mrs. Baker introduced proof that her husband had not supported her or their children for more than two years. Judge Donovan called the attention of the lawyers to the fact that the statutory four months from the beginning of the suit had not elapsed and that he could not grant a decree on that ground. However, as desertion for more than tow years had also been shown by undisputed evidence, a decree was given on the that ground, the law allowing a divorce for that cause in less than four months from the filing of the bill.
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1858 -
