Telegram-herald., 1888-01-07
.CLAY'S DAMAGE SUIT
TIE PLAINTIFF on The STAND.
n0sL john q Blanchard OF Isais. Appears
IA the C~s- for clay ci-y's fssti-
aasay Objset.d -. bat Admit
ted - ths Coart..

A
aasas Objssssd -. sas Admit
ted ~ ths Ceart..
When Qficer Cook raped the Superior
Court 70 order yesterday morning the lobby
OF the room sss comfortably nliet
wiih the citizens Of Grand Rapids. There
thsir teens. and srey-hzirei Old men who
haze aotning slss - 10 % while away their
islsars hsurs than listen 10 trial for cause
IN tas various courts Of Justice. Long be-
fore noon standing room Was 81 premiun.
besides all0 siaS al ne available space in
| sids The railing for the visiting ladies', court
1 officers. attorneys ia the case. mem bars OF
| the bar anu the pfsss. the Officers had
/ strict orders 10 allow nOne other within the
| enclosure and mzny found out that these
| rules were being 0bsyea. It DccoIses more
| apparent every d4y that there is not room
| enough in the court rooms of this city; but
when the new City Hail is occupied this
viii DC remedied In measure. The jury
| were found IA their places on call and Mr..
/ Adslt one OF tue counsel for the plain
| sif, opened the case by detailing at some
length the grounds of Mr.. Gays complaint
against the defendant, Enos Putnam. assert
| ing that the iattes had in various ways ana
l DY divers means. ceUAuEtu the ElcCttOns Ol
1 the plaintiff wife, which resulted IN q sep
aTatlOn. he said they proposed. by the
evidence 10 be introduced, 10 prove all that
/ they asserted III the allegations, To the full
satisfaction OF the jury. Seated st the table
| beside the large torn OF w. W. Mitchell, OF
Ionia, also counsel for the plaintiff. sat
| Hon. John Z. blanchard, OF lonia. whose
/ appearance in court IS very familiar to the
| bar OF many county in the State of Michi-
| gan. His appearance IN this trial was some
| what OF q surprise TO the public, for he has
| a great reputation as lawyer OF ability and
shrewdnsss. he sat there very calm aud
| quiet, but busiiy engaged in taking down
notes as the case proceeded Messrs. Smiley
/ and Earl, two able attorneys of the bar OF
Kent county, occupied the table at the left.
nearest the jury, and behind them sat their
client, Enos Putnam. The only two ladies
within the enclosure were Mrs. Eaglesfield,
| the attorney, and Mrs. Lizzie Locke. sister
| OF Ar. Clay.
| Alter Mr. Adsit had commenced his
| opening address be called on Mr.. Clay whe
| took the stand as n witness in his own he
half. the examination being conducted by
| Mr.. Mitchell. He briefly recounted the
circumstances attending the illness aud
death OF his first wife. which occurred in
1915. He then said: Il have resided in
Grand Rapids siuce the Fall OF 90. am 45
| years of age. have been twice married first
| vile died IN 1876; had two daughters by my
| first wife; Anna WAS L. years of age aud
| Maud Z al the time of the death OF their
mother, who died of consumption. / first
became acquainted with DIR. Rutherford in
| the Fall OF 70, when my wife consulted her
in regard to her sickness. Then DIR. Ruth
| erford used TO visit my wife frequently,
coming as physician aud as friend. Sac
became acquainted with my children during
these visits. Ii was in the early Fall of '76
or early in II when | first paid any at
tentions to DR.. Rutherford; visited her Of
| fice TO pay installments on her bill; she re-
| quested that allow the children to visit her
office; she seemed TO take an interest in the
| children and they seemed fond of her. i
| PAID my attentions 70 her after this visit
4 down TO the time of our marriage, August
20, 1873; we were married in Corey. Pa
When the question had been asked why
| he went TO Pennsylvania TO get married, The
defendants attorney objected, stating the
question had nothing 10 do with the facts
| In the case.
AIR. Mitchell. in defending his point. told
the court that he proposed to show by the
| witnesses on this question. that Mr.. Clay
| went to Pennsylvania to De married at the
residence of DR.. Rutherford Clay's brother
| in-lsw, because her brother-in-law in this
| city, the defendant. Mr. Enos Putnam, OBJ
| iected 10 the marriage and would not con-
seat to it IN his palatial home in this city
| IL was natural for DIR. Rutherford TO wish
10 be married at the residence OF some rel
| ative; Mr.. Clay and DR.. Rutherford were
| both axious the ceremony should take
| place at Mr.. Putnams but Mr. Putnam, be-
| ing displeased with the alliance, would not
| permit il. Dr. Rutherford had resided With
| Mr.. Putnam for years, and it was only nat
| ural that the wedding should take place at
that home.
Considerable time was then spent in dis
| cussing the admission of the evidence
sought, occupying nearly an hour.
Judge BHrliDgsme ruled that the
answer might be taken. and
Mr. Clay proceeded by saying: "Mr. Put
nam objected to the marriage, did not wish
il celebrated at his home; my own people
did not fully approve of the marriage and In
difference to Mrs Clsys wishes we went to
Pennsylvania and were married; my wife
was upon the most intimate terms with Mr..
| Putnam and his family at the time and
prior TO the Wedding, after the marriage we
took trip around the lakes, returned TO
this city and took rooms and boarded with
Mrs Smith, on John-st. In May, 1850, we
went to house keeping at the corner OF
Island and Sbeldon-sis. and lived there
until June, 1882, when we broke up house
keeping. during the time from our marriage
and up to June, 1882. my family and the
family of Mr.. Putnam were upon intimate
terms members OF the famliy visited back
and forth; don't think AR. Putnam ever
came TO our house, I went to his house at
the solicitation Of Mrs. Clay, Mr. Putnam
vas cold and distant in peafipg toward me
bat treated nnedsIy when
was under his roof. in 1SsI
Mrs. Clay took Mr.. Psinsm's daughter
Helen to Ann Arbor, 10 attend commence
ment and wished her 70 take my daughter
Anna with her. did n0t.object 10 her taxing
Miss Putnam. but thought she should take
our daughter too"
| The noon hour having xrrived
| Court adjourned until O'Clock
| On ressssmeiing. the same number OF
| listeners were present. among those there
were those wao had tailed 10 get a reserved
sssf at the forenoon session. Mr. Clay vas
again placed on the stand, bat before any
! questions OF interest had been pus the
attorneys got into long argument over
allowing the testimony 10 BE faken The
| counsel for tie defendant moved as basfs
Of bis remarks that the last answer be
/ stricken ont Tnis cTested another ienx
discussion. which occupied the tins uaiil ,
o'ciocx. both sides beng determines 70 zin
their point
The Court ovzrrulsd TIE motion and the
witness proceeded, ana daring the remain
/ der Of the afternoon related the dong Of
/ his wife Fatnsm and himself r e sai8 .
Ia June isS2 ws nreke I'D kssPiax house
1 procuring a cutie of rooms. az Nrs Csv
w2s About % 20 70 Cory, Pa. on vfsfs
! Eev Dr. Grzvss gave her q istter Of RECON-
uendzlon, ss plaintiff supposed. brl< -kieh
/ had soaething shors Il east did not ioak
/ lust rixhE the 5sT shs was to ieare NJ