from The Republican (Danville, Indiana)—issue of Thursday, September 22, 1898—page 8, column 3:
Medsker vs. Medsker
A sensational divorce case involving parties well known in Lincoln township was filed this week. Mary Ottie Medsker asks for a divorce from Alpha Medsker. The latter will be remembered as a candidate for the nomination for commissioner last spring. The complaint sets out that they were married January 4th, 1888, and alleges that since the second year of their married life he has treated her in an inhuman and cruel manner in that he would strike, beat and choke her. This treatment continued until Sept. 14th, 1898 when they separated. Since the first year of their married life she alleges that the defendant has frequently been morose and sullen and has for days wholly ignored her paying no attention to her, whatever; that he refused to go into society with her and has almost cut her off from society and association with her friends; that he has cruelly treated her in such a multitude of instances as to make it impossible to present the same in this complaint. They have two children and she alleges the defendant is not a fit person to have charge of them, that she has always had charge of them and supported them. She claims that they have a real estate worth $6,000 in this county and real estate worth $12,000 in Marion county and that defendant is worth $3,500 in personal property. She wants a divorce, custody of children, one-half of the real estate and judgment for $3,000 and $150 a year for each of the children.