The herald., 1897-11-23

MUCH MARRIED
Story Of Mrs. creede's
Four Husbands
G. vANDEvER STILL ALIVE
BANK OFFICIALS TESTIFY IN
FAVOR OF BIRD
G. vANDEvER STILL ALIVE
The Arguments Begun and Will Last
Two More Days-A Brutal out
rage at Downey-Notes

Today is the time appointed for tht
contest over the will of the late Nicholas
Creole. But the probabilities are tha'
when the case Is called in the probate
department of the superior court tha'
the legal battle will be postponed nntl
some future day.
The reason for such course of actioi
on the part Of the persons interested lr
defending the last will and testament
of the deceased mine owner may be
found in the fact that the marital ex-
periences Of Mrs. Louise Creede have
been of a very tangled character. and
further time is desired that furthe,
knowledge in this direction be obtained
When the deposition of Mrs. Creede
was taken a short time ago she owned
up that she had been married no less
than four times. When she was be-
tween IA and 16 years of age-she failed
to-remember it precisely-her sister per-
suaded her to elope with one George
Vandever, from her home at Laurens-
burg, Ala. With him she went into
Illinois and Kentucky. and when wars
ehrill alarm echoed through the land
he enlisted and engaged in the deadly
conflict that disturbed the country in
the sixties. During the time the wal
continued Mrs. Vandever saw her hus-
band only once, and that was at Nat
chez, Miss. She heard he was dead
had been stabbed, and she was still
young and free.
In 1865 Mrs. Vandever changed her
name. when she took unto herself a
second husband in the person of Jerome
Davis, at Cape Girardeau. In compar-
atiyely short time he died, at st. Louis.
His widow mourned her loss for quite
q long time, but permitted herself to be
consoled by Frank Kyle, to whom she
was married in 1885, That marriage took
place in Colorado and was not happy
venture, and the husband refused to
turn up his toes to the dasies, and so
his wife sought for and obtained a
divorce.
BY this time Mrs. Kyle had, appar-
emily, contracted the marrying habit.
and there appears nothing particularly
strange in her taking to herself another
husband. She met and married Creede
on May 25, 1898, at Las Vegas, N. NJ,
and continued to live with him through
the hard times when he was following
the life of lonely prospector. In ad-
versity they cleaved one to the other,
but prosperity was too much for them
to bear. With it came disagreements,
ind some time before his death Creede
obtained from his wife surrender Of
all her rights in the community prop
erty in consideration Of lump sum of
$4,000.
But now comes the strange part of
this story of a much married life: IT
is claimed by the proponents of Creedes
will that George Vandever-Mrs. Louise
Creede's first husband--is very much
alive, and inasmuch as no decree of
court ever dissolved the legal bonds
existing between him and Mrs. Creede
that lady is, as she has been through
the long term of years, really Mrs.
Vandever. and the various marriages
consummated since she was united to
Vandever in Alabama, while yet a
school girl. have been no marriages at
all. 1t follows that the lady known as
Mrs. Creede can have no claim upon the
estate of the late mining magnate.
1t is to be contended by the propo-
nents that Mrs. Creede(?) knew when
she married her last husband that
George Nandever was alive and that the
ceremony she went through with Creede
was invalid and of non-effect. But in
order to show that it is desired to have
Vandever here, also the sister and
brother-in-law of Mrs. Creede. 1t is
nj ayodad f1a f1,ax- c1, al ho 1ro oh
the south to testify in the case. but they
are not here yet, and SO it is likely that
a continuance will be asked for today.
But although the proponents hope to
show these facts, counsel for Mrs. Creede
maintain that they can do nothing Of
the sort. In the first instance it is as
serted that it will be very difficult to
prove that George Vandever and Louise
Nancy White-that was the young
ladys name at that time-ever were
married at all. Mrs. Creede comedies
that she had learned that her first hus-
band was not dead, but she learned of
that only at comparatively recent date,
and after she had been married to
Creole.
So the case stands at present, and be-
fore the contest of the will actually
comes to trial it is likely few more
strands of curious circumstance may
be added to the tangle in which the
whole case is becoming involved.
Yesterday the matter Of the guardian
ship of Dorothy Edith Creede, the
adopted infant child of deceased, was
submitted Judge Chapman represent
ed the natural mother of the child and
w. I. Foley represented the guardians
appointed under the will. The main
objection made by Judge Chapman to
the present guardians retaining control
of the child was that by the terms of the
will they were eminently improper per-
sons to supervise the childs training. 1t
is set forth in the will that is being
challenged that when Dorothy Edith
attains the age of % years she Will
be- entitled to "a large bequest if her
moral character is beyond reproach; ;
failing that the money is to revert to
Mr.. and Mrs. Phifer. 1t is therefore to
the benefit of these persons that the
child have an immoral training, and
while it is not to be supposed that they
would display any laXity in the upbring-
ing of the little one, as a simple propo-
sition of law they are scarcely the proper
persons to guard her person.
THE BIRD TRIAL