Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-06-13
From the Kansas City Times5
A Western rieh5ernc.

From the Kansas City Times.l
A Western Tseh5oruc.
| A ROMANTIC AND SINGULAR sUfT-A Syn
sATIoN IN HIGH LIFE-A sox AND HEIR
OFFERED To TEE KING EsTATE-BOTu
FATHER AND MOTHER DIsowS THE 10Y
WHOSE CHILD Is HEP
General interest has been created in
Kansas City by the approaching trial of
the suit of Beverly jackson and wife
against Hezekiah H. King. a wealthy
and prominent citizen of this city. The
case was called up for trial Yesterday
before the Circuit Court of jackson
county, Judge 5. l.. Sawyer presiding.
A large number of spectators were N
hand, and appeared TO be deeply inter
ested in the suit. The case was tried
one year ago in this city. when the Jury
/ failed to agree upon a verdict. nine rem
/ dering for the plaintiff and three for the
4 defendant. At that time. as now. the
| liveliest interest was manifested In the
suit, but from some reason no report
was published in the city papers. A
brief synopsis of the case is presented
this morning TO our readers.
In 1865 Mr.. ii. H. King, the defend
ant in the case, met, at a noted pleasure
resort in the East. with a brilliant and
beautiful lady. a daughter of one of the
first families of the Bluegrass regions.
Handsome, fair, and accomplished. this
young lady won the heart and affections
of Mr.. King, and in due time became his
wife. The newly welded pair removed
to Kansas City, where Mr. King owned
some landed estate They resided in
this city about two years. and as far as
the outside world is concerned. their
honeymoon may be said to have passed
quite happily. During the month of
March, 1867, or about two years after
marriage, Mrs. King suddenly and Sc
cretly packed up her clothing and eff
fects, and, accompanied by her colored
maid, Mary Banks, left her husband and
went to st. Louis, where shortly after
wards, according to the statements
sworn by her waiting maid. she gave
birth to a son. This child, il is claimed.
was sent out to nurse and placed in the
care of the wife of the plaintiff, Beyer-
" Jackson, as wet nurse. 1t is here
where the mystery and interest in the
case centers. The plaintiff produces
positive evidence that Mrs. King brought
the child TO his house TO board, and that
she worked hard day and night. and
wrote for the ST. Louis Times and other
papers for the means 10 maintain the
child Mr. King refused to have any,
thing to do with his wife while she own
ed and supported a child which he
claimed was not his. But this did not
deter Mrs. King from supporting it and
working hard for its living She finally
moved to New York, and while there
e -
produced in court, renting money to
her child. These letters contain the
most endearing expressions when refer
ring to the child. Suddenly, and without
explanation, the letters and money remit
tances ceased to arrive The child was
kindly cared for and raised. Mrs. King.
for some reason, gave up the child. dis
owned il. and became reconciled to her
husband and lives now surrounded by all
that wealth. station and influence can
secure at such fashionable resorts as
Saratoga and Long Branch. The suit is
brought for expenses, sustained by Jack
son in taking care of the child since
1867, period of five years The child
is produced in court, and is handsome,
sad-faced, interesting boy, with faxen
hair. blue eyes. clear skin, and is said to
wear the family marks and features of
the wife of the defendant, who left him
in March, 1867. When she left her hus-
band she was supposed by her hus-
band and her physician Or. Milligan,)
TO be near her full time in pregnoncy.
The girl, Mary Banks, who accompani-
her to st. Louis, is positive that her mis-
tress gave birth to the child.
The defense is based upon the assump-
ton that Mrs. King had no child, and
that the one produced in Court by the
nurse jackson is fraud is a child taken
from a hospital in st. Louis. for the pur-
pose of matchmaking the defendant and
obtaining money, or foisting upon him a
spurious heir to the King name and
estate. The defense produce witnesses,
one of them an attendant at the hospital
and the other a nurse, who each swear
that the child was a founding in the
hospital, and is not what the plaintiffs
claim ii TO be.
The child seems to have received every
attention at the hands of the colored
people. If any fraud has been practiced.
it was done by the nurse herself. The
plaintiff, Beverly Jackson, was raised
i'm the Blair and Brown family IN Ken
tucky. Gen Frank Blair and Gov
Brown are interested in seeing their old
servant receive justice. Jackson is at
present employed as janitor in the St
Louis Custom House, and has nine chill
dren of his own. He is represented in
the suit by Gen. John W. Noble. late
United States District Attorney of ST.
Louis. Col J. V. G. Karnes and H. NJ
Ess of Kansas City. The defense is be-
ing conducted by Messrs. Trefen &
Thompson and J. K. Hale. The testi-
mony, or a large part of it, was taken
last summer in ST. Louis. The exami-
nation of witnesses occurred yesterday.
To-day and tomorrow the case viii be
argued in Court. The interest manifest
ed in the case viii no doubt draw large
crowd to hear the arguments on each
side. The suit is one of the strangest
and most interesting ever tried in this
county. If the child is a King. the con-
duct Of the parents is inexplicable, and
cannot be too severely censnred. If, on
the other hand, the child is a fraud, and
the suit a conspiracy on the part of the
plaintiff and wife, IT is one Of the best
laid plots ever brought into modern
courts, surpassed only by the great Itch
borne case in London.
A verdict has been rendered for the
defendant.
FoUYD.-The Barton Monitor says:
n T.