Sharon/Hill Divorce And Terry/Field Affair: 1883-1885 & 1887-1890 - A Secret Marriage

Soon after Hill and Sharon met, the senator asked Hill to let him "love her" and offered $500 a month (equal to over $5,000 today) for the privilege. She refused, so Sharon doubled the amount. Hill said no again. Then, according to Hill, Sharon declared that what he really wanted was to marry her. Hill was agreeable to that, but the senator wanted to keep the marriage a secret for two years lest a pregnant woman he once dallied with find out and try to ruin his chances for reelection. The solution was a marriage contract that would, under California law at that time, legally bind Hill and Sharon together in matrimony if they subsequently lived together as man and wife.

Their liaison lasted for about one year, but then the senator tired of his bride and had her evicted from the hotel suite he provided. He also gave her $7,500 for which she signed a receipt indicating that the amount was "payment in full" for "services" rendered.

For the next two years, Hill consulted with fortune-tellers and used various potions and magic powders to win her man back. They briefly reconciled in 1882, but Hill eventually realized that nothing was working and, on September 8, 1883, she had the senator arrested for adultery with another woman. Sharon vehemently denied the allegations, said that he never signed the alleged marriage contract, and claimed that Hill was only trying to blackmail him.

The affair created an immediate sensation, with the public eagerly awaiting every word. After settlement negotiations failed, Sharon filed an action in federal court on October 3 to have the marriage contract declared a forgery. In response, on November 1, Hill filed suit with the California courts seeking a divorce and a division of community property acquired (mostly by Sharon) since the date the contract was signed.