St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-11-25
SOME RACY DETAILS.
Sensational Evidence in the Suit by J. B.
0ysrton Against Charles Gravius,
Charged With Adultery.
Mr. 0verton Testifes to Having Witnesse
Improper Actions Between His
Wife and GraYius.
He Cut a Hole Through the Floor Of
the Room Above His Wife's
and Looked.
A General Denial on the Part ef Grav.
tus and Mrs. Overton--Grav-
ius Held.

The seats reserved for spectators in the
police court room were filled yesterday
afternoon by an audience which reminded
one forcibly of the attendance at free lee
ture to ''men only" The crowd appeared
| to be expecting something particularly in
! teresting. and each time the court room
door opened everybody looked that way.
! Shortly after o'clock a female, neatly
dressed and heavily yelled and accompanied
| by a gentleman. entered. and the hum and
buzz of whispered conversation in
creased. As the clerk called the
name of Charles Gravius there was
deep silence, and the audience to man
| stretched and craned their necks to catch a
| glimpse of the prisoner. Gravius was ar
rested last Saturday night at the residence
| Of j. B. OvertOn. superintendent of water
works, On Grand avenue, under rather pc
culur circumstances. The arrest was made
| by two private detectives and the charge
| was that of adultery with Mrs. Overton.
| County Attorney Egan appeared for the
state and E. G. Rogers for the
defendant. The attorney for the prisoner
announced that they were ready to proceed,
and J. B. Overton was called to the stand.
| AS the witness was being sworn those in
| the audience settled themselves in comfort
able positions and the majority of them
| placed their hands to their ears so anXiou
| were they that none of the testimony
should escape them. Mr.. Oyerton said he
was married to his present wife, Annie G
| Overton, in the fall of 1870, at Portland
Me-, and they had lived in st. Paul seven
years. About four years ago his wife be-
came acquainted with defendant (Gravius)
at TaylOr's Falls. Shortly afterward
| Gravius came to st. Paul and at the sug-
gestion of Mrs. Overton rented a room at
| the Overton residence on Grand avenue.
The first time the suspicious of the witness
were aroused to anything irregular in his
wife's conduct was in September 1856. One
evening he saw his wife go into Gravius'
room and remain inside few minutes. He
became suspicious and as he occupied a bed
room on the second floor directly over the
| parlor he cut a
hole IN THE CARPET
| in his bedroom over radiator, so he could
| look down into the parlor. On the night of
! the 14th he saw Gravlus and his wife go into
| the parlor and on going to the room and
raising the flap of the carpet looked down
| into the room. At this point in the testi-
mOny the silence in the court room was
| painful and the spectators, il they breathed
at all, did it in a way that caused not the
| least sound. Looking through the radiator
| the witness said he saw enough that his
wife was rot acting as a true wife should,
and few minutes later Gravius kissed
Mrs. Overton two or three times, rubbed
his cheek against hers and left the room.
| The next day he ordered Gravius to leave
| the house, and week or so afterward he
sent his wife to her home in Portland on a
visit. He allowed her SO month during
| her absence. and it was not until August,
1886, that she returned to st. Paul. On
! her return to st. Paul she promised, rather
reluctantly, the witness said, to have moth
| ing more to do with Gravlus, but in Octo-
| Der last he discovered that she was taking
walks and buggy rides with him. One
night she returned home and COM
planned of feeling tired and that
| her limbs hurt her. An examination led
him to consult his lawyer and also to EN-
ploy a detective, who discovered further
evidence eliminating her as to the offense
committed On Nov. IA, and under which
the charge is brought.
J. r. Cleveland and D. c. Campbell.
private detectives, who were hired
| to watch the Overton house. were
sworn and testified to Gravius
entering and leaving the house. Campbell
testified that on Oct. 81. Gravius entered
the yard surrounding the house by side
fence, and was let in the front door by
some one at 9 o'clock. He came out at
o'clock in the morning On the 18th Of
November he went in the house at 9 o'clock
and staid about an hour. On Sunday. Nov.
IA, he entered the yard through the
fence and going into the house at $50 in the
evening, remained until o'clock the next
morning. On last Saturday night Gravius
ran out of the house in his stocking feet and
without his overcoat or hat. He was ar
rested by Officer Palmer and turned over to
| the detectives who handcuffed him and
| brought him to the station.
THE DEFENDANTS.
| The defendant Gravius, who is small
and effeminate-looking man and not in the
| least prepossessing either in dress, m anners
or general appearance, was called to the
stand by his attorney and entered a general
denial of the statements made by Overton.
Mrs. Overton, who is about 35 years Of
age, petite and with pretty face,
was much embarrassed on taking tho
stand. Her face was flushed and she gaTa
her testimony IN weak voice, keeping hel
| eyes fastened on the floor during the tims
she was testifying. She denied the state
ments made by her husband as regards hel
| intimacy with GraviuS The witnesses fol
| the defense were not cross-examined. and
the court held the prisoner to await the ac-
| - fbn i1ru 6yinn hic h01lhS al