Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-04-28
FIGHTING FOR HIS RIGHTS.


yesterday afternoon the charges against DR..
Geo s. King. growing out OF alleged assaults upon
MS wife, Mamie King; his sster-h-law Miss
Ruth " Ford, and Policeman Madigah, were tried
In the Police Court and he pleaded not guilty.
King remarked that he knew the old adage: "He
VINO Is his own lawyer has fool for Client and
ne would be fool and act as his own attorney.
MISS FORD testified that King told her In the hall
tnat she had better wait and see him trash his
wife. She said that he struck her. He locked the
ooof, and not knowing how she could defend her
sell she raised the window and cried "murder."
ON cross-exam1nation Miss Ford said after he had
or six blows.
Mrs. King, who appeared with a black eye, tes-
tIned that her husband struck her with the whip |;
she said she was sick. He then attacked her,
striking her several times with a whip. On cross
Wrs RI Dr. King TO show that
was who was the head OF the family, but the
court ruled against him.
Onlcer Madigan testified that when he went 70
serve the warrants King got a pistol from under
the pillow, cooked IL, and aimed IL at witness
witness seized the weapon with one hand ana
neid King down with the other. The prisoner said
that II was for principle OF law he was nghting
him.
The ofIicer," said DR.. King, behaved with the
greatest cooness. He was credit to the force for
he acted bravely and did what not one man In
twenty would have dared TO do"
Dr: hing then proposed TO address the court, tax
ing from MS pocket some manuscript, but at the
suggestion OF counsel walked to the witness stand
and was sworn. He began 70 read paper giving
an account OF his domestic troubles.
Mr.. Shepherd here objected to the reading Of the
statement and asked about the charges under
consideration.
Dr. King admitted striking his wife, stating that
ne used whip because she refused TO obey him.
He struck Miss Ford also, he said but did not point
the pistol at the of1icer and did not intend to shoot
him.
Dir. King then reading again from his piper, said
ne slapped his wffeS face in 1854 because She had
a ha oil 10 yNi 70 al
that sne had left him but returned, resumlng her
marital relations and consenting that on disobey-
ing his vows, she should be whipped. After men
tioning incidents that he thought showed his
WleS disooedlence, King said that on the 25th he
determined TO make q test case, and called TO the
sister and son to witness her disObedience, and
whipped her on her falling TO obey him. He used
the cat-o-tails which had been In use on the
years. When the officer came he resisted on prtn-
c1ple and took elaborate pains not TO hurt the In
nOcent Oncer. In conclusion he asked the court
10 instruct him as TO what recourse he had TO COM
pei his wife 10 obey her marriage vows.
Inc court said he would not now deal with the
assaults on the wife and her sister, but con-
slider that on the officer. The defendant seemed
TO have been laboring under misapprehension as
10 the rights OF man in his castle.
Dr. King called attention to the concluding
clause Of his paper, remarking ~ am fighting the
woman's rights convention"
The court declined to give any advice on this
point, ana continuing, remarked that as IL had
been suggested that the defendants mental condi-
tion was not sound he would suspend judgment
and hear testimony on that point.
Mr.. B. W. Lacey, neighbOr for eighteen months
testified that the defendant had been acting not
altogether as rational man.
The court said he would continue the case for
week that the mental condition OF the defendant
could be INQUIRED into.