Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-06-04
welded At TWELVE,
And Then Twice Again Before
She Reached Fourteen
Years of Age.
BEAUTIFUL, BUT IGNORANT.
After a Lapse of Some Time She
Tried Matrimony Again, and
THEN WAS ARRESTED FOR BIGAMY.
Her Lawyer Made an Eloquent Plea and the
Jury Disagreed.
ONE OF THE HUSBANDS STILL FAITHFUL
THEN WAS ARRESTED FOR BIGAMY.
Her Lawyer Made an Eloquent Plea and the
Jury Disagreed.
ONE OF THE HUSBANDS STILL FAITHFUL
ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO TIE p1spAroH.J

ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO TIE DIsPATCH.l
NEW YORK, June 3-Marriage at the ag
of u years is an unusual thing Still NOR
unusual is it for a girl to be married thre
times before she attains the age of IA years
Such case exists on Long Island. TIL
story was told in the Court of Sessions a
Riverhead to-day on the trial of Kate Mot
Nugent for bigamy. The tale was simpl.
told and every man in the court room felt
keen sympathy for the unfortunate victim
of so many unnatural alliances
This GIRL" said Counselor Wilmo
Smith, who defended Kate Mott Nugent
Twas born to misfortune She has beauti
ful, sweet face, but her early training wa
neglected. She never knew the kindness o
amothel's care and guidance How littl'
she knew of the world or of the right anC
wrong Of social laws, may be inferred from
the fact that she was married at u years O.
ace.and was married a second time before sh,
was Il years old. The third husband aban
doned her and said he was never married t.
her. She is very ignorant girl and her
Beauty Made Her Target
for designing, cruel men. She married {
fourth time because she thought she had {
right TO. Her husband was Oliver w
Petty. Of Port Jefferson, the son of ricl
father It was this marriage that led to hel
arrest for bigamy''
Mrs. Petty was indicted as Kate Mot
Nugent. Her family name was Mott She
came into the courtroom from the jail be
cominglv attired in an old rose silk robe
Her cheeks were rosy without resort to ar
tifcial means. Her eyes are brown and hel
features oval She is every bit as handsom
as her counsel's description painted her
She was not at all nervous, but she wa:
moved TO drop a tear when Mr.. Smith mar
rated the story of her checkered life.
She said she was 21 years old, and she did
not look a day older Two of her former
husbands were in the courtroom, and both
We're under the influence of liquor. The
more drunken one interrupted the proceed
ingS twice, and was taken in charge by
the Sheriff They sat for half an hour
at the accused woman's elbow, but she -
took no notice of them.
Expects Prompt Conviction.
In opening the case to the jury, Dis
trict Attorney Reeve said it was plain
case OF bigamy, and he would expect
prompt conviction. Lincoln Nugent
was the first witness. Heresides at Bay
Shore He could not say that he was
married to the girl. If there was a
marriage, he performed ii himself He
had no recollection of having been
married bv the Rev. S. Fields Palmer
Mr. Reeve said it was plain that Nu-
gent would not testify to the facts, and n
he would take another way of proving
the marriage. He called Sarah Mapes
To the stand. She resides in Patchogue.
She was a witness TO the marriage of
Lincoln Nugent and Kate Mott, the ac-
Cused. The ceremony was performed by |
the Rev. Mr.. Palmer at the Congrega-
tional parsonage. The bride was not
more than II or - years, she thought
The couple lived in the house of Nu-
gents father, "and," said the witness,
''Mrs Nugent behaved like a little
lady" The other witness to the mar
rage was Mortemus Baylis. He said
Miss Mott was in short clothes when
she was married to Nugent, and did not
appear TO be over 13 or II years old.
The Rev. Mr.. Palmer is not preaching in
Patchogue now.
Oliver W. Petty testified to meeting
Mrs. Nugent in Patchogue and marrying
her ten DAYS later. The ceremony was
performed by Rev. John Q. Archdeacon,
rector of the Episcopal Church at st.
James. The Rev Mr. Archdeacon tes-
titled to performing the cere mony He -
asked the bride the usual questions, and
she said she had never been married be-
fore.
The Only Witness for the Defense.
This was the case for the prosecution
Mrs. Nugent was the only witness for the
defense. She said she was born at Bay
Shore. She will be % years of age the 14th
of next November AT II wears of age she
was married to George Gregory She was
compelled to marry him to escape being
driven from home She was married to
Frank Fox at the age of 13 years. Fox got
a divorce from her She had not lived with
either Gregory or Fox, and the latter got a
divorce from her because of her youth. She
was next married to Lincoln Nugent when
she was Il years of age. She was abandoned
by Nugent. who claimed that he had not
been legally married to her. His ground
for SAYING so was that the law did not per-
nit girls Of her age to marry. A child was
born 10 her
Before consenting to marry Mr.. Petty,
who is but 20 years of age, she consulted
counsel as to her right to marry and was
advised that neither of her marriages was
legal and in law she had never been a wife.
She did not tell the Rev. Mr.. Arehdeacon
that she had never been married. He swore
her and when the question was asked, she
replied: 'Idon I think 1 was ever married" "
You believed you had a right to marry?''
asked Mr.. Smith.
The District Attorney objected. Mr..
Smith said it went to the question of in
tent If there was not the intention to
break the law no crime had been committed.
Judge Young said it was a prosecution for
violation of the statute and sustained the
objection. As Mrs. Nugent stepped nimbly
down from the stand she exchanged a
smile with Mr.. Petty He was perfectly
willing, he told a friend, to acknowledge
her as his wife and live with her The
jury could not agree and were dismissed.
The woman went back to Jail.