, 1876-10-04
THE LIGHTFOOTS.
A Curious Case Of Marital In
felicity Before the County
Court.
Witnesses introduced to Prove that
Mrs. Lightfoot Is Of Unsound
Mind.
What the Head Of the Family
Promises TO Do for Her.

A., t..,,.s. IN, - s...,,,, .,t
as WIN sc.y 'soussa.'u ~. ~ au1e'so
" W!nese tno tElat OF Inc san1ty OF Mts. MARIA
F. Ltghtfoot, residing at tho corner Of Indiana
avenue and TvcntY-third street. A menrro
history Of Tho clrcunstances Of tho caso 6us
alrcauy becn e,Ven ont IN view OF aho COM
mcncemcnt OF tho trial yesterday wilt bear
brief review. A week ago Thursday tho de-
fcnlant filed btll for divorce In tho Superior
Court, setting up ~ tue cause Of The proceed
H'Gs hi-t1eAtment, ncs!ect, anu lhiuenty. Ing
following Saturday her husband, Daniel N. Light
street, tlled In tho County Court a petition usk-
Inn That lila ,v,fc .hnn1d hovn tho oncetIon NJ
w s"u1 ,io "no enuuio nase ."o qaes''oh VI
her sanity 1udiclally settled, whoroupon
summons was Issued for her appearance few
days later. The summons was returned at tue
appointed time indorscd unot founi,n ami, nm
aiIaa summons ,ra. ,asro1 viii, tho .nmn ~.
a..e .,. ouon0 s.no "as isou'u, VIII tns eano ~
Into court and signincdher readiness to bo tried,
| and yesterday afternoon was fixed rs tho time,
In advance Of the hour for the commencing Of
court vc,tcr1ay oftcrnoon. aha accordro1v como
vsseAeA. u..s'ae'D, ~ aeeo1o"SJ eten4o
mto the courtroom leaning on tlse arm
OF her attorney, being closely followed
by her husband and long trail Of
asto, anu to ali appearances Is Of sound mind,
educated, refined, anl has seen better Jaye,
She was 1en1ly attircd In suit OF black, lier
lclncanor was lady-lke and rational, and bo.
| vantage. Willie her appearance was ttdy, Ills
was slouchy, and whtle she was active and
bright his movements were sluggish and awk-
| ward, Further than this, she had the alya1t-
their personnel, but III Intelligence as the eyl-
dcllce when all In must Illustrate. The tcsti-
mony 50 fur taken, all in tho interest, Of tho
establish her insanity. wIilc on ii Tho 90 9TH.
CT hand 1t makes for her husband m
uncuviabo character, II II does not intimate 10
Tho candid and impartial observer that tho
petitioner and tho Intrigue OF designing aud im-
1 pecuniouB attorneys. But let tle eYilcncc
speak for itsoLf:
- DUNCAN M'KAr,
| MI attorney. WINS tho first witness. Ho wns a
practlcing attorney; knew tho defUnJant slight
~, md w1s asked by her 10 prosecutv d suit for
divorce. From, her conduct be was satisfied
as to III 3ustify him. IN tuknr sG Lsr caan wit.
out more critical examination OF lor
scsscl OF high moral principles but during The
eutlrc interview she feared that witness thought
hcr Insane. Ho did not regard her as Insane
exactly, but thought she was sufferlnE from
| great nervous excitement, and wDujd mt tnkn
Charge of her case. She oftan asked lin, - DO
| you think mo crazyi" IIo advised her To 70
protected; she WIS laborine under tic fmpres- mn res.
sion that her h.s1a.ld was going to impovcrlsh
| 1Gft klQt lG l4u Ills llC jU8UfCtl 6Uf NrnnH5nl
to gct rid Of her, With Mr. Lirhtfoot,Ms f. nerIpjs-
| tiun he drew up q deed to lcr 81 a farm Of iGO
acrcstn Missouri, which pleased her. Sho fold him
that liglltfoot hau bccii brutal to her wanted
| To get ner to q ad-Autlse, md was In leapue
| with another woman whom abe met Mt Ria
store, and who resided at No. lis5 Indiana avc-
nue., and whose Jealousy would cause . green
spots !" to appear In her fare, etc. On tbs
She had told him that her husband had bcotcn
her, cllokcd her, knocked her down, and taken
$500 III money from her. Such treatment would
was. She gave Ills partncr sid to cover costs w M OF
suit, aud ll0 led her to bollove that he would
commences suit at once, but lid not, neither did
he know whether tho money Ind been rcturncI
| to her or not, He did not know whether Mr. Mr.
Clannllan, his partner, had after taking the $40
from her gone to herh husband and soIrited lis side
Of tho case; II he had, he knew nothing Of It.
He knew that divorces proceedings had been
subsequently commenced by another attorney,
and she had told llm that lier husband had &c.
| duced girl In Missouri, and TINT she was ma
bic to kGep servant girl on account Of bis a.
often get up Ia tho middle Of the hight, leave
her, and 60 un to sleep with other women, and
cote bac1 In tho morning and tcll her nlout il:
TINT l,e had to leave Missouri on account Of liz
friends, cte,
] CALVIN aAnyEE
ueposcl and said that Mrs. Lightfoot had been
Mt lla house several days ago, and she conducts
| Cd herself all right. uer speech however was
curious and at .flncs tiighty, and bo thought
sllo was OF unsound mii1tl. sLe stajd several
| days aud told him that shc was about to pnuiv
| for u divorce. LtghtfUot had told him to takn
carc Of her, and size loft On her own accouut,
Mrs Gurycn testified that tbs dcieniant WINS
ut ller house aud acted fliThty: that at times
sic would say that she InyGd Lirbtfnot anG
then again tllat she cared nothing about him.
| Had bsen On tic atrcct with hcr hut nSyer no
| tircd anythiuy pcerliar fn ber con,imrt. aho
ieft her house bccauso Of some iniimotions
from llcl Of Undue tntI,nocy between Mr. Iieht.
foot aud witness, Mrs. LiTbtfoot's servant nasl
como to her house at 1liefIt on acc0,tnt Of i'm
led WITH lcr, ''>>> ~ "'''A N'' s'''A' ~
| MIS-, BADGER
testified TINT tho dclendaAt had acted Irrational
spirits. and her h,lsbanf1 was e,gin~ nwav "1 liz
| prnnrrty tn fmnovnTisI hcr en.frS"ni has
beat at bcr housa seycrai timss. ami had tnid