Category Archives: Sharon v. Hill

The Wasp delighted in lampooning the Sharon trial in cartoons. There were far more than it is worth showing here. So — one more cartoon, probably the last, showing what the principal players would look like if the trial dragged … Continue reading →

“The trial of Althea’s divorce suit began in March of 1884, without a jury, before Judge Jeremiah Sullivan of the superior court of San Francisco. It continued, off and on, until September. In court, Althea told her story with a … Continue reading →

Legal loose-ends remained to be tied up in the various cases brought forth by Sharon v. Sharon and Sharon v. Hill. Sarah Althea was still trying to establish that she had been married to William Sharon, so as to inherit … Continue reading →

Justice Stephen J. Field had earned the undying enmity of the Terrys when he ruled against them in September 1888, and even more so when he sent them to jail for their violent antics in court. David S. Terry, who … Continue reading →

Sarah Althea Hill, now Mrs. David S. Terry, along with her attorney-husband, were back on court on September 3, 1888 to hear the decision in one of the appeals. The California Supreme Court had supported the lower state court ruling … Continue reading →

The most famous duel in California history took place in 1859 between David S. Terry, Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court, and U.S. Senator David C. Broderick. David Smith Terry was born in Kentucky in 1823 and moved with … Continue reading →

The trial came to a conclusion on September 16, 1884 and after due consideration, judgement was rendered by Judge J.F. Sullivan on December 24th. He concluded that under California law a marriage contract such as Sarah Althea Hill claimed she … Continue reading →