The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1880-05-04
A REPLY TO RILEY,
The statement of theAlIeged Big"misf
Contradicied by Judge wyley, OF
MaysviIIe, ArkRnsas-Rilsy's
Marriage and Life I'm
the Territory.

The following letter WAS received yesler-
day from Judge Wyley, of Maysville'
Arkansas. 1t will be seen that'it corroborates
literally the bigamous charges preferred
against II. p Riley, who in 1877 married Miss
Annie Fleming, of this county, and is now in
in the county Jail. ltsays
70 the Editor of the Herald.
| have been handed copy Of your paper
containing a statement made by r. Il, Riley.
to HERALD reporter, If he is reported
correctly he says, toward the close Of this
statement "Mr Trimmings daughter is the
only wife | now have or ever had" am
truly sorry Mr.. Riley made this statement,
and nothing but sense Of justice to the
cause of truth and to prevent an unjust inn
putstion upon the character of his wife and
child, living near me, could induce
the writer to give II plain statement
of facts in relation to the matter.
Mr.. Riley came to Beaties prairie
some time in May, 1878, and stopped Mt MIR.
Abel Dials, in the Cherokee Nation, one
mile from Maysville, Arkansas
II was soon understood that Mr., Riley pro-
fessed to be school teacher, and, Mt the close
of the session o: our public schools, he went
to TahleQuah to be examined and procure
school for the ensuing term. In this, how
ever, no failed returning to Mr. Dlals, rs it
seemed he had made his home II stopping
place for the time. In few weeks il was
rumored that Mr. Riley and Miss Lucy Dial
we're soon to be married. This rumor
quickly ripened TO u reality, and after
complying with the requirements prescribed
by our laws regulating the inter-marriage of
whites with citizens of this naten, they we're
duly married some time in the month of
August, lS7S-the exact date | have not at
hand. | was then, and am now, the Judge
of this district in the Cherokee Nation, and
did at tho time above specified unite in
matrimony the parties named. | attached
my certificate to is marriage license, and
sent the same to the clerks office, where it
now appears on the record. Shortly after
marrying, Riley, with his wife, went to
Southwest City, Missouri, eight miles from
Maysville, Arkansas to teach school. After
teaching short time he was taken sick, gave
up the school and again returned to Mr.,
Dials. In the spring of 1879 he rented land of
his wife's father and made an excellent crop.
In the latter part of the summer of the same
year, Riley took sudden notion, rs |
thought, to leave the country. He soon dis
posed of his crop, took his wife, and ostensi.
bly, started to Kansas. Nothing more was
heard of him. when, after an absence of some
four months perhaps, he Unexpectedly re-
turned to his lather-in-laws. have known
his wife almost from her childhood; is of Il
respectable and well.to-do family, has u
liberal common school education and
perhaps about one-siXteenth part Cherokee.
thought well Of Riley, for no is II hard
working man, but truth beats anything, and
this he ought to have known, for had lie not
ignored his wife and child, thereby casting a
stigma upon fidelity and innocence, he would
have, to some extent, retained the sympathieS
of his friends in this country. 1t is due to
Riley to say he conducted himself, otherwise,
in an exemplary manner, SO far rs is known.
The young ladies of this nation,
many of them, are as educated and refined
as are to DO found in the adjoining
States; skin as fair, eye, us
blue, if you please, md the color of their
hair sufficiently varied to meet the approba-
ti)n of the most iastidious almirer of female
beauty. But when fascination tedglies,
gay Latharios, or those even of honest inten-
tions come into this nation and marry under
the sanction of statutory law, that is n
marriage in law and in fact and it is time for
them to learn that they are not taking up
with blanket squaws on the plains, from
whom they can eight out" deny the
validity of the marriage and palm oil their
Soiled and second. hand merchandise upon
innocent women elsewhere. Il. +. WHY.
NASHVILLE, Arkon'as, April Is. lsSO,