The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-08-01
HAD FOUR HUSBANDS.
Loduska Watkins Made Bargain
With the Last
WHEREBY SHE WAS TO HAVE $4,000

But He Changed His Insurance Policy
and Now the Family is "Lawing' It
All Away Toying 20 Find Ont who
shall Have H.
Mrs Lodueka Watkins is suing the
Masonic Mutual Benefit society of Kan
sas for the value of life insurance pol
icy held by her husband James Watkins,
of Hiawatha, who was a Mason of long
standing up to the time of his death in
April, 1894 The case is in the Shawnee
district court.
Mrs Watkins has had four husbands.
In the fall of 1898, in response
to an advertisement in a Kansas City
newspaper, Mrs. Watkins who was
then Mrs. Westlake applied at the Wat
kins home near Hiawatha for the position
of housekeeper. Mr.. Watkins wife had
died some months. before, and house
keeper was needed to take charge OF
their invalid daughter, who has since
died The applicant was accepted, and
within five months the housekeeper be-
came MRS. Watkins
Mr.. Watkins had three sons, Ezra,
Will and Charles. Their fathers mar
rage did not meet with their approval, as
usual in such cases, and the boys and the
stepmother never got along we'll to-
gether.
Mrs. Watkins says one of the terms
of the marriage contract was that Blr.
Watkins was to insure his life in the
Masonic Benefit society for $4,000 in
her favor.
In the spring of 1894 partly to get away
from the boys, it is said, Mr. Watkins
sold his Hiawatha property for $4,000,
and went with his wife to Oklahoma
In short time they returned,
Mrs. Watkins going to Kansas City
and the husband went to Central
Missouri with about $4,000 on his
person. When he returned he hadn't d
cent left Mr.. Watkins first story was that
he had been robbed, but he afterwards
admitted that this was not true. What
became of the $4,000 in cash is not ex-
planned. On April 10. 1894, he and his
wife returned to Hiawatha.
About six o'clock one morning Mr.
Watkins entered his wife's bed room and
shot her three times. once in the arm,
once on the left breast and once in the
back. She was not killed but tainted,
and when she regalned consciousness
her husband was dead, having ended
his own life with poison.
In time Mrs. Watkins recovered and
then she learned that the life insurance
policy for $4,000 had been changed, so
value of the policy was to go to his sons.
On the ground that the life insurance
policy was a part of the marriage con-
tract Mrs. v atkins is suing the Masonic
Benefit society for the value of it. The
suit is really between Mrs Watkins and
the sons, Ezra, VIII and Charles.
Before marrying James Watkins the
plaintiff was Mrs Westlake. She WAS
divorced from Wesrlake. Prior to that
| she was Mrs. Greene. Her husband
| (Greene) disappeared and she did not
see him for fifteen years. She supposed
| he was dead and even received news
paper clippings to the effect that he was
! dead After marrying Westlake how
! ever, she saw Greene once. He told her
| he had secured divorce and married
again. Before marrying Greene she
was the wife of a man named Wright,
| from whom she was divorced. Her
maiden name was Loduska Earl.
The sons claim that the plaintiffs mar
riage to Mr.. Watkins was illegal, as she
married Westlake supposing Greene to
be dead, whereas he was not They
| claim it was a case of involuntary biga
my, invalidating all subsequent mar.
riages. The plaintiffs are fighting this
| on a novel law proposition. They say
that marriage is supposed to be Iega
| until proven otherwise, and this being
the case the fact that both Mr.. and Mrs
Greene married again warrants the
| presumption that they were properly di
vorced.
1t is said that the case may eventually
hang upon this one point of law, and i
is entirely case of presumption.
Mrs Watkins is a fine looking and
stylishly dressed woman of middle age
In court yesterday she wore black veil
black skirt and heliotrOpe checked sill
waist with large sleeves. Her daughter
81 years old, by her first hus band, Wright
is pretty, young woman, and sits beside
her mother.
Many of the best lawyers in the city
put in yesterday and today listening tt
the evidence and the arguments.
For Mrs. Watkins, Herrick & Lynch
of Topeka are the attorneys. The Ma
sonic Benefit society is represented by
L Seabrook, and the interests of the son
are looked after by james Falcon o
Hiawatha.