The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-05-11
She FELL In A FAINT
Mrs. Blums Took q Tumble During
the Progress Of the Trial.
1T WAS AGAINST VIRGINIA
The Jury Decided That She Had
Been Too PromIscuous In
Her Habits and Blume
Got a Divorce.

Duttcs may 1u.-Ine Irldl OF the
Blume divorce case was concluded late
tonight at an evening session of court
and resulted In a general verdict for
the plaintiff. Henry j. Blume. The jury 1
got the case about $50 O'Clock, and az
ter being out about half an hour re-
turned with a lot of special findings de-
claring that Mrs. Virginia Blume had
been guilty of repeated acts of adultery
with L. Van orion. covering a period
or years subsequent to 1884, and that
she had been guilty of repeated crimi-
nal intercourse with Fred Bowen dur
ing January and February, 1894. The
jury. however. found that she had not
been intimate with DIR. Hall. This last
ind was In accordance with the prac
teal request of the plaintiffs attor-
neys. Judge Stapleton telling the Jury
that he would .candidly admit that
Trey had failed to make out a case
against the doctor.
A general verdict was also returned
for the plaintiff. and as soon as 1t was
read Judge Mediation adopted both
findings and the verdict. and ordered
n decree of divorce to be entered for
the plaintiff awarding him the custody
OF the minor boy and decreeing the
plaintiff to the owner absolute of all
property now In his possession without
any claim on 1t by the defendant.
On demand of Mr.. Haldorn the Jury
was polled and stood 10 to 2, Patrick
Doyle and William McGuigan voting
In the negative, and Patrick O'Far-
rel. Hiram .Graehl. Seth Smith, ]. r.,
Robinson, Morris Power. N. Gene
reaux, Richard Payne, A. j. Daum, N.
p. Dryden and Daniel Zimm in the at
firmative. rs
David Meikeljohn, detective for the
defense. was first called to the witness
stand this morning, but was not per-
mitted to testify.
Mrs Virginia plrv,a x.,as 49,, ..uos
and testified that she was married to
the plaintiff in 1881 and lived with him
as his wife until Jan. Is, 1894. She said
she started to go to Orton's skating
| rink, out of which the trouble grew,
| with her husband in 1888 and at his re-
quest and they learned to skate to-
| gether. The following year Mr. Blume
went to the Occur d'Alene country and
she kept on going to the rink. The best
| people OF the town went there, and
| Van Orton learned her to skate. Sew
eral times he escorted her home. He
corted me home" she said. The first
time she had orion escort her home
was during the Ben Hogan temperance
meetings, some time prior to the skat-
ing rink visits, and then Rev. Mr.. Ship
pen was responsible for it. When Mr.
Blume returned from the Occur
d'Alenes he told her she should not go
to the rink so often. but he did not for
bid her from going entirely. Mrs
| Blume said she never threw a kiss to
a man in public in her life, and then
she looked contemptuously at her hus-
band. who had testified that he saw
her throw kisses to orion at the skat-
ing rink one night. He never told her
about IL and the first she heard of IL
was when he told the story on the wit
ness stand. She fatty denied that she
ever received the famous Van" let
tiers addressed to my Dear Wife," and
testified to by Governor Richards and
others. She declared she never heard
of them until some friends told her
that Mr.. Blume had them. She never
distracted the letters from his bank
box. She never used the name "Rhoda
Clyde" She denied the foot prints in
the snow and never told Mrs. Ward
that the prints were made by Van Or
ton. She denied that she ever boosted
to Mrs. Ward that she had lover and
said that the first knowledge she ever
had of any such thing was when Mrs
Ward told it on the witness stand
She neer spoke of Van Orton's quail
denial the tears flowed again. she said
no charges were ever made against her
by the Humphreys or anyone else al
any time, and she never said TO any
one that she loved Van Orion. He es-
corted her home probably three or -four
1
entered the house. 1T was too late to
ask a gentleman into the house." she
said. She never was alone with Orion
in any room. She never talked to the
Humphreys about Orion and they
never accused her of intimacy with
him, and the first she heard about such
a thing was when the Humphrey boys
was on the witness stand. Mrs
Humphrey was a lady and would no,
have permitted. in her house, any such
language as testified TO ~ the boys.
Mrs. Blume left the stand Temporal.
rily to permit the examination of Mrs
! Mira M. Bell, a sick witness, who had
just arrived from the Jefferson valley
in Madison county. and while she tes-
| titled Mrs. Blume cried some more and
her pitiful sobs touched many hearts
and some of the jurors looked at hel
with glances of pity. Mrs. Bell testi.
fed that she lived with Mrs. Biums
from Jan. IA to Feb 3. 1894. and selpi
with her every night during that time
This was during the period in which
she was, according to the testimony OF
Mrs. Berry, supposed to have visited
the rooms of Fred Bowen at night
Mrs. Bell appeared so Ill at the con
clusion of her direct examination thai
she was taken from the court room fol
the time and Mrs. Blume took the
stand again and resumed her genera
denials. She said Mr.. Tebo. the cit,
l>mdfSudi, never at ntI louSt ib1
Van Orton and never found the lattel
there. She never admitted to any on.
that she had been guilty of crimina
conduct with any one. More tears.
The first time her husband ever ac
cused her of being criminally intimat'
with any one was in 1894. She denieC
IL and he tried to force her to admi
| IL and tried to bride her to admit II
| and when she refused he slapped her
additional tears) He said II she did
not do as he wanted her to he wouls
disgrace her. He drew up a contrac
of separation and agreeing TO PERM
} him to get a divorce and she signes
il. Mr. Blume never objected to he
visits to DIR. Hall. On the contrary. n
had often escorted her there and calles
for her at her request. at which time
his conduct toward the dentist wa
most friendly. She never was alon