Los Angeles daily herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1884-1890, 1886-02-09
HUNTING FOR FACTS
In the Great Breach of
Promise Case.
TESTIMONY OF MRS. HUNTER,
what Mr.. Perkins Knew in the
Prsmises--A Bad Memory
For Dates.

In the Superior Court yesterday
morning, before Judge Hatch, after the
other cases set for the day had been dis
posed Of, the great breach of promise
case wherein Miss Louise Perkins sues
Mr.. e. J. Baldwin, the millionaire, for
an even half of one Of the millions FOL
breach Of promise to marry her, came
up.
Mrs. Emma Hunter was put upon tne
stand, being the third witness introduced
by the plaintiff. She has figured IN TINS
case heretofore in the testimony Oh sne
other witnesses as Mrs. Level ana a .h.
Laird. Her testimony coversu ns:.e
ground Of her acquaintance WIZ s'
Perkins at Cotton, where she KEPT res
tanrant or hotel, her invitation 70 Mr.
$4,000 bouse in San Francisco, given
hv Mas Perkins, her arrival there and
;.trodnct ;on to Mr.. Baldwin BY Miss
PerLins her stay of some days IN the
house that she accompanied MIR. Bald
III. md Miss Louise on their trip TO
saoramento, when they put up at the
Gcldep EARLE hotel. In the testimony
she narrated two or three conversations
she had with the defendant 10 relation
to tho alleged intended marriage with
the fair plaintiff.
The Ct oss .examination brought out the
fact that Mrs. Hunter had been four
times married and three times divorced.
Colonel Wells followed the witness very
closely through her checkered career
from the time when she was born, the
daughter OF a Judge In Missouri, through
her many marriages., her keeping rest
aurant, being a dressmaker, ETC., etc.
The plaintiffs attorneys now and then
interposed very positive objection a.
the Colonel ungsliantly attempted to
drive her into some unfavorable corner,
where Miss Louise was thought to be
concealed. The Stoddard episode was
touched upon, but they failed to hunt
her INTO the outbuilding where the plain
till alleged she slept one night. The
subject OF Mrs. Hunter's many divorces
was probed, but the PLAINTIFF lawyers
brought up the Judgment roll OF her suit
against one Of them-Collier. This
yoiuminous document, in the usual legal
tautolsgy, showed that suit was brought
by the wife on the ground OF cruelty.
that the husband put in specific deniais
TO sl the criminal counts IN the case
alleged as reioinder to certain strong
facts in which q man, Kirk and the plain
tiff were concerned. The trial showed
that Collier did not further
contest the case, and that the wife got
her divorce, she and Kirk being the
only witnesses. The Judgment was
compromise, the mother getting control
Of one child and the father the other,
and this alimony asked for not being
granted.
The examination OF this witness occu-
pied the greater part OF the day and is
very wordy, but the above contains all
there is of Importance in it all.
THE PLAINTIFFS FATHER.
Mr.. Thomas e. Perkins, then took the
stand. The examination first went into
the time and place Of Miss Perkins
birth. The witness on this point pro-
duced an account book, going back to
q date anterior to that given as Miss
Louise's birth. As no connection with
that happy and important event was
found on the pages Of the old book the
defense interposed an objection: L. was
allowed to be filed ss exhibit IL of the
plaintiff, for the purpose, probably, OF
establishing the general trnthfulness OF
the witness 10 the matter. The whole
history of the witness was gone into,
and then his story OF his daughters &C.
ousintance with Mr.. Baldwin; of his
knowledge Of the engagement. In
the whole story the only new
matter ELECTED was that Miss Per-
kins had told him and his wife to-
gether Of the engagement the day after
her first return from San Francisco.
This was looked upon as news inasmuch
"a both Mrs. Perkins and Miss Louise
had said the first conversation on this
heed was . week after her return and
that then the father was absent. In
other matters there were wide discrap-
ancies as to the dates given by the ladies
and thoss given by Mr. Perkins. He Is
by no means 80 good witness as the
young lady proved. He falls far below
the mother also in this respect. He al
lowed the attorneys for the defense to
excite him very much. and his memory
was very bad on nearly all points, ex-
cepting one or two. He made mp lost
ground, however. in his positive manner
Of stating those facts.
The plaintiff here intimated that their
case was probably in. They have more
witnesses but the testimony of these is
probably properly rebuttal. The Court
assemblies tomorrow at 9 A., NJ, and II Is
probable that night session win here
after be held.