The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1890-08-22
BRENT VS.. BRENT
q
THE TESTIMONY is ALL IM
80
Al LASl.
INTERESTING WITNESSES TESTIFY,
A letter from .LucnIe'-whnt was
Brought Out in the Testimony-Mi.
Templeton's Compromising Letter
A Decision Looked for To-day.

The interest in the Brent case con,
tinues to increase, and yesterda
morning quite o crowd had assemble
in the court room.
G. a. Woolford, Jno. H. Kelly, j
T. Snoot and Lycurgus Blair test
fed to the good character of tn
Bowles family.
Mrs. Edgar Davis testified tina
plaintiff had made improper propos
ais to her, and her husband corrobor
ated her.
DR.. 4. u. koiner and E. H. Stewar
testified that they had had dealing
with plaintiff, and had found him I'm
reliable in his business transactions
and his general reputation was bad
William Miles testified that he ha {
seen Miss Templeton at plaintiff.
house. Colonel Hanshrough handed
the witness a letter which he said HI
had seen in the possession of Brent
A marriage contract was drawn vi
between Brent and Miss Templetor
and witnessed by him (witness), an(
u similar contract was drawn up be
tween himself and Miss Templeton.
All the contracts were maize in fun.
Witness had seen two letters to plain
tiff from Miss Templeton within the
past six weeks.
J. B. Powell, of Salem, testified
that Brent said he was drunk wheI
he wrote the Templeton letters. He
saw letters in which Brent said as
soon as the suit for divorce by his
wife was decided he would sue for q
divorce and marry Miss Templeton.
w. H. Bowles said he had eleven
houses. with monthly rental of 800
He said his daughter was afraid to
STAY with her husband in his drunken
sprees, and that plaintiff had deceived
her in many ways, representing be-
fore marriage that he had a home and
property, which she afterwards found
to be untrue. Witness had written
to the postmaster at Paris, Texas, to
know if Brent had married there. He
received a reply that man named
Brent married there several years
ago, and that his wife is living at
Coal Hill. Ark The reply was signed
Postmaster. The court then took q
recess of an hour.
After the recess Mrs. Bowles corrob
arated her husbands testimony and
said Brent and his wife had lived with
them fourteen months. Brent frc-
quently came home drunk and hi
violent fits. She had never refuses
plaintiff permission to see his child
when he asked respectfully. He had
once threatened to kill them all o.
have the child.
Miss Vaughn, of Texas, had written
q letter threatening to sue him for
bigamy if he did not write to his wife,
Lucille.
Mr. Bowles wanted to give h.
daughter house and plaintiff ours L
witness because she would not sign u
deed as he wanted.
The plaintiff then introduced re-
butting testimony. Mrs. Harvey tes-
titled that the Templeton marriage
contract was in fun.
Miss Vaughn said the Lucille letter
was joke and known by all parties
to be a joke. She was present when
the Templeton contract was made and
knew it to be in fun. A letter was
produced which she said was in the
handwriting of the postmaster at
Paris, Tex, denying that he had ever
written to Mr. Bowles, as was stated
by witnesses for respondent.
NUiiliay,ci nrocc n 10
brought out the fact that Miss
Vaughn was divorced woman, her
husband having left her three years
ago. The Lucille" letter was pro-
duced, and she declared it was merely
a joke understood by all parties.
She has been here since April. She
was at the Brents for three weeks;
Miss Templeton was there three days.
Josiah Calvert testified that Mr..
Bowles' reputation in Bedford county
was bad, but it was discovered that
he had been a tenant of Mr.. Bowles,
and he had been elected for non-pay-
ment of rent.
Miss Templeton next took the stand
She is young, pretty and jaunty. IT.
terest reached high pitch. She said
that the marriage contract between
herself and plaintiff was made in fun,
as was their correspondence. In be-
ginning the cross examination Colonel
Hansbrough said that it was a task
that panied him. He showed witness
letter which she acknowledged to
have written to Brent, and which
Colonel Hansbrough read. The let
ter was dated May 26, 1890, and across
the top was written in large letters,
"Strictly Confidential"
The writer began by saying she
wanted to ask plaintiff one question;
she had trusted him as she had no
other man and wanted to ask if he
had kept his promise and applied for
a divorce. If he had not, she urged
him to apply at once. She said il he
had come to agreeable terms with his
wife size would brave everything, but
she never intended to marry another;
if net, she entreated him to be true to
his sacred pledges, and not bring
upon her great disappointment.
The letter was written in a very en-
treating and serious style, and after
Col. Hansbrough had read a few SEN
fences and asked if they were jokes,
witness said portions of the letter
were in fun. Finally, as Col. Hans
brough would read clause and ask:
sis that a joker she remained silent
but firm uni / the last line was read
Two more letters were shown which
she said passed between her and .;e
plaintiff. The letter from witness t.
plaintiff was dated June 5th, 1890, and
the Que from plaintiff to witness was
dated June 10Th, 1890. These letters
were read by counsel Lockett, and
were ordinary friendly letters. Coun-
sci for respondent claimed these let
tiers to be manufactured for the oc-
casion, the ink having the appear
ance Of being freshly written. TIE
envelope in which one was sent could
not be found and the other one We:
an old one.
This closed the evidence. Mr.. Lock
EFT addressed the court for several
minutes. He said the evidence pro
duced by the respondent showed deer
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