The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-11-08

NEW YORK, Nov 3.-The papers OF
Mrs. Christine Lathrop Cunning. niece
Of the late Senator Leland Stanford
Of California, and corrobOrative aft
davits, together with the statement of
her counsel, in supreme court chambers
today developed one Of the most remark
able cases of cruelty on record. Mrs.
Cunning recites numerous acts on the
part of her husband, now dead. that
make him appear in a most memorable
light.
Cunning ran away from his wife ana
his creditors in November, 1883. with
$4,000 Of her money, after squandering
her fortune of S25OOO0 He was lost in
a snow storm in the Andes mountains
on May, 1889.
judgment on one Of the notes for
$1,000 obtained from her by her husband
led to yesterdays proceedings before
Judge Barrett. Lawyer Joseph B. Bar
Gus appeared for Mrs Cunning and
moved that the judgment secured in
Connecticut by the Lincoln national
bank of this city Jan. ,, 1889, and
also at Saratoga on Feb. 9, 1891, be
set aside
Mr.. Barcus argued that the judgment
could not be collected as an of Mrs.
Cummings money was gone. Supple
mentary proceedings in the suit were
| subsequently brought to recover on the
note and Walter p. Butler was ap-
pointed receiver Of Mrs. Cummings
property. 1t was TO prevent the receiver
from getting at the legacy Of $1,000
left by Leland Stanford, her uncle. that
| Lawyer Barcus moved that the iudg-
ments be set aside in order to let his
client TO come in and defend the suit.
! Her defense is that the note was OBJ
tanned while she was under duress and
that the bank had been notified before
the note in question was given that
| notes were being obtained from her by
force
Mrs. Cummings moving affidavit stated
that after her marriage with Cunning
they went TO Mt Vernon to live and four
weeks afterward he began threatening
her and despoiling her of her property.
He made her an inmate of an insane
asylum for six weeks in Hartford, Conn,
! beginning in May 1889. Since she was
removed from the asylum she has lived
with her mother and two children in
Saratoga. Mrs. Cunning relates that on
one occasion when he wanted her to sign
note her husband presented a Ie-
volver at her head.
At another time he choked her until
she tainted and once he knocked her
down with his fist and injured her spine.
To save her life she signed notes in
those instances. On a cold night in the
winter of 1887 Cunning wanted her to
sign another note and because she re-
fused he dragged her out of bed and
forced her to sign. On still another oc-
casion when she protested against sign
ing any more notes Cunning knocked her
down and grabbing her hands bent her
fingers back until the flesh was torn.
Scars are now visible on her hands as
the result OF the injury thus inflicted.
Mrs. Cunning says he made her sign
another note on Sept. %, 1888, when she
was about TO become a mother. He
drove everybody from her room and told
her that she must sign note for more
money. She protested and fetching pen
and ink to the bedside he grabbed her
hand and held it so that he caused her
to trace her name on the note.
In October. 1887, Mrs. Cunning says
that her husband leased a farm of his
brother near Norwalk, Conn. and
stocked ii with thoroughbred horses and
called it a scientific stock farm" He
added 200 acres TO it and sunk 5000. 900
Of her money in It. On oct. -, 1891, he
induced her 10 come TO this city. When
on the train he told her to sign more
notes and when she refused he threat
ened TO put her in an insane asylum.
He took her to the Chemical national
bank and she there signed several notes.
including the one that figured in the
suit against her. Mrs Cunning says
that she notified William T. Cornell.
cashier of the Lincoln national bank, OF
the duress she was under, and that she
would not be responsible for the notes
thus extorted. Mrs. Cunning secured a
separation from her husband in Con-
necticut in February, 1889.
Ex-Judge Noah Davis and lawyer
Daniel Gerber. in opposing the motion,
submitted an affidavit Of William T.
Cornell in which he denied that Mrs.
Cunning notified him that she had
signed the note or any notes while under
duress. 1t was shown that the bank
had discounted many notes Of the couple
previous to the one involved i'm the suit.
officers of the Lincoln national bank
denied that they had any knowledge Of
the quarrels Of the Cummings
MURDER WITH 4 MORAL.