The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-06-27
CORT CASE ON TRIAL.
Habeas Corpus Proceeding Oc-
cupies Another Evening.
IMPORTANT TIDE LAND CASE.
Judgs Humes Decides That the United
states Patents Must Be Dehnite-
Three Divorces Granted.

Three Divorces Granted.
The habsas corpus case to determine the legal
possession OF John Corts children was con-
fiuued at q special session OF the equity depart
meut Of the superior court last evening. John
rort. or John White was the first witness called,
and his evidence in its effect was q direct con-
trsdiction of the story told by his supposed
wife. He testified that he first met Mary Louise
Deverchers in Philadelphia in 1883. Prior to
ahst time he had secured q divorce from his
erst wife In Chicago, which afterward proved to
Be Illegal
AZ this juncture John 8. Crockett. who for
mefly prsctised law in the state of Virginia,
where Mary Louise Deverchere was married to
tsenerosc Lapier, was introduced to give expert
tntimony concerning the Law in that state gov.
srning the age OF consent Mr.. Fishbaek OBJ
jected to his testimony as not the best evidence,
and Judge Lichtenberg ruled that the statutes
Of sister states cannot be proven by parol.
Cort's examination was resumed and he
swore to being married to Mary Louise Dever-
chers on October 20, 1854, at the house of Rev.
TT. Wheeler. In Minneapolis, MINI. He was
ct the time one of the proprietors OF travelling
troupe, and there were present OF his employees
the Dean sisters. NJ. J. Murphy, his partner;
David Miller, his treasurer, and others. He did
not know whether there was any license, as the
details had been left to Miller. After
the ceremony, which took place In the
afternoon, the party returned to the hotel, and
he treated the whole company. They came to
Seattle in June, 1887. He first heard of Generoso
Napoleon, or Lapier, his wife's first husband,
about four weeks ago. She had known OF his
former wife, who was known as Mollie Rice, be-
cause Mollle had been with the show about a
year before. Six months after the marriage he
learned through q newspaper that the Chicago
divorce, with hundreds of others, was void.
He was married to Mollie Rice in 1882 before
justice OF the peace In Chicago and didn't re-
member whether or not he had secured MARI
ge license.
The certificate of his marriage with Mary
Louise Deverchere he had first seen in Mime
spolis when the minister filed 1t out. D. j.
Miller and A. d. Somers, OF his company, had
signed 1t as witnesses. The Johnstown story
told by his wife, to the effect that while living
there he had gone to Pittsburg and had false
certificate made out, was q barefaced lie. He
knew nothing of an erasure made at the bottom
Of the certificate, where the name of the printer
should appear. He had secured q divorce from
1ollie Rice at Tacoma in 1883.
Mrs. Cort's attorneys introduced Q certified
copy OF Corts testimony on that occasion, which
made him swear that he was resident OF Pierce
county. He denied that he intention
ally swore that he resided in Pierce county.
he was doing business in Seattle,
Portland, Port Townsend and Tacoma and his
attorneys told him it would be all right to get
divorce in Tacoma He had gone there to avoid
publicity.
Charles Glidden, the treasurer OF cort's thea
ter at Victoria, testified that he was travelling
with Cort's company in October, 1854, and was
In Minneapolis when the wedding took place.
He did not see the ceremony. but was one OF the
party whom Cort had treated at the hotel after
the wedding was over. He had seen the mar
rage certificate.
Joseph Deverchere, the father OF Mary Louise,
swore that after Corts marriage to his daughter
the couple had visited him in Memphis in 1885.
His daughter had shown him the marriage GER
tificate. which had pictures of herself and Cort
in It. She had torn the pictures out, and given
them to him. He had asked her about the mar
rage with Generoso Napoleon, and on her ask
ing, had promised to say nothing to Cort
about 10. He Is now locksmith, with q shop at
the corner of Third and James streets. About
four weeks ago he first told Cort OF Napoleon,
after his daughter had gotten into trouble over
improper relations with Charles Thorndyke.
He had watched his daughter go to Mrs. Thorn
dykes house when she was away, and enter by
skeleton key borrowed OF himself. Not long
afterward Thorndyke went into the house ALSO
The pictures OF Cort and his supposed wife,
which the old man brought into court, were in
troduced as evidence.
c. III. Kittinger Yves called a. an expert in
handwriting and testified that the signatures OF
the clergyman and the two witnesses, which np-
pear on the marriage certificate, were written
by three different persons.
Mrs. Josephine Deverchere, the wife OF Joseph
Deverchere, was called and testified to practi-
cally the same thing as her husband.
Mrs. Eagles, the sister of John Cort, testified
to visiting her brother and his wife in Johns
town, Pa, but that she had not seen the certif-
cate there. Mrs Cort showed il to her since she
came to Seattle in 1889. She had talked to Mrs.
Cort about the truth of her AFFIDAVIT fled in
court and her testimony and Mrs. Cort had re-
Piled that she must have her children. Her
brother and his wife had visited tho
family at Madison, N. j., in the summer OF 1885.
She had not heard of Johns divorce from Mollie
Rice, and supposed that the woman, brought
home and introduced as his wife, was one and
The same Mollie. She had first learned the
facts through letter written her by Molie.
During the visit Mrs. Cort had
told her the particulars of the marriage and had
given her piece of her wedding dress. When
she received the letter she went TO New York to
see her brother, and thought he ought to get an
other divorce and clear up matters. Recently
Mrs. Cort had told her that she would never con-
sent TO have another ceremony. Her brother
was willing to have another marriage
Mrs. White, the mother of John Cort, gave
practically the same evidence as that of her
daughter. She had also been given a piece of
the wedding dress. Mrs Cort had come to see
her since the trouble began, and when ques-
TONED az 10 why she swore az she did had re-
piled that she must have her children. She had
also said she was afraid that if she lived with
Cort she might make away with him.
The case was continued until Z O'Clock this
eysning