Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1897-10-21
The Case of Mrs. Atkinson.

In the circuit court lot UllueI Couu-
ty, at Glenville, W. Va, the jury IN
the case of Mrs. Atkinson, the wife Of
the Governor of this State, on trial for
forgery, disagreed. After several
hours deliberation they returned to
the courtroom and announced that
they stood FIVE for conviction and seven
for acquittal. They were dismissed.
The defendant was continued under
bail for new trial. The Governors s
wife testified that her first husband
Judge Gideon Camden, authorized her
to sign his name to the receipts which
she is accused of forging. Mrs. At
kinson was accused of forging the
name of her former husband, Judge
Gideon D. Camden, of Clarksburg, W.
Va, to several receipts for money al
legged to have been lent by her to
Judge Camden. Testimony was offered
at the trial to show that the receipts
were written and signed by Mrs. At
kinson after her former husband $
death.
Certain lands owned by Judge Cam
den were found by the executors Of his
estate to have been stripped Of valua-
BILE timber by Joshua P Owens, of Gil
mer county. Owens had disposed Of
the timber. Suit was brought by the
heirs to recover the value of the tim
ber. Owens in his answer set up a
claim to the land and produced Ie-
ceipts in the handwriting of Mrs. At
kinson for money alleged to have been
paid for the land. An examination of
these receipts showed that, although
purporting to have been written at
different times and different places,
two of them had really been written
on a single piece Of paper and after
ward cut apart with pair of scissors.
The widows and Owens were jointly
indicted upon this evidence. Mrs.
Camden subsequently married Gov.
Atkinson, who expressed his faith in
his wife's innocence. In an interview
shortly after the trial Governor At
kinson said
THE prosecution was actuated by
malice. | am of the opinion that sew
eral witnesses, indeed all the real tes-
timony upon which the case hinged,
had been induced to testify for a con-
sideration. am thoroughly convinced
that two or more Of them were pur-
chased. All fair-minded people could
see clearly that Camden Sommers,
grandson OF the late G. D. Camden,
was at the bottom of and instgator of
this procedure. Soon after Judge
Camden married my present wife Mr..
Summers and others started out on
career of persecution by anonymous
letters and newspaper stories.
Indeed prior to Mrs. Atkinson mar
riage to Mr.. Camden she was annoyed
with an anonymous letter warning
her not to marry Camden. Further
more, when the will OF Judge Camden
was about to be probated she received
various letters threatening newspaper
publication unless a sum Of money was
paid, in which case it was promised
nothing would be said or published
relative to her. Prior to her marriage
to me, a similar anonymous letter was
sent her, threatening newspaper noto-
riety. The man who inspired all these
publications is well-known to be Cam
den Sommers, the aforesaid grandson
of Judge Camden, upon whose testl-
mony the indictment against Mrs At
kinson was solely founded, and who
appeared as the principal prosecuting
witness in this case.
an my unbiased judgment Mrs. At
kinson is guilty Of no crime whatever,
most certainly not the crime Of aiding
and abetting in uttering the forged
papers charged against her in the IN
dictment. Evidence in this trial
showed that Camden Sommers pro-
posed to the attorneys of Joshua Owens
that if he would testify against Mrs.
Atkinson nothing could be done with
Owens and that he would not have to
pay for his land, which they claimed
had not been paid for. All l have to
say in conclusion is that the whole
thing, from beginning to end,is worked
up to injure my wife and humiliate
me.
Camden Summers made this state
ment for publication:
al have no comments to make con-
cerning the merits Of the case beyond
my former statement regarding the
matter prior to the present trial,
whereby unscrupulOus counsel and
witnesses for the defense tortured,
! +u;stad and lied ahout me I will