The morning times., 1897-01-21
MARGARET FROsT's FRIEND
Mrs. Snider Gave Her Evidence
in the Habeas Corpus Case.
THE PATERNITY OF THE CHILD
The Dead Woman Told Her That the
Little One Was the Offspring of
Man Living ON Capitol Hill-The
Way Frost Subsisted While His
Wife Worked in a Hotel.

The proceedings under the application
for q writ OF habeas corpus instituted by
Robert Frost for the recovery of the Gus
tody of his child We're resumed before JUS
tice Cole yesterday morning.
\ principal witness III the case, follow
ing the hearing giyel ". l.. Bruer, was Mrs.
Snider of Alexandria Mrs. Snder testi-
fled to an Intimacy between herself anu
Margaret Collins, afterward the wife Of
Frost, from whom he was divorced prior To
her death The witness said she and Maggie
were employed together at the Shorehan
Hotel Maggie was accused of taking food
from the iarder and carrying ii to Frost for
his subsistence. Upon being accused of IT,
the witness alleged. Maggie confessed and
was dismissed.
Later, When Mrs Snider was employed
in private family, She gave her food at
times, and on one occasion, when she Wis
tied her friend, she discovered Frost at a
table eating the food she had herself con-
tnbuted.
The most important part of Mrs. Sni-
der's testimony was concerning the pa
ternity Of the child. She said Mrs. Frost
had stated to her, in a conversation, that
the father of the child resided then on Capt.
tol HILL
Mag gle told me Frost was not its
father she said. ''She also declared she
was afraid of Frost. and when they sepa-
rated she told me she was glad of it
How do you know, Mrs. Snider," in
quired Attorney Hamilton, that the food
you saw Frcst eating, when you called,
was the same that you had given Maggie
'.Why,,,I cooked it myself He had
bottle OF beer on the table at the time"
''Did it include any delicacies?'
mo; it was food"
what kind of food?''
''Plain, everyday food"
The question OF the marriage of Frost
with the mother of the child was also in
quired into. and Mrs. Snider said Maggie
told Ler they We're never formally united.
.'She said they went TO priest, who
,old them they We're married in the eye
OF the people, and to go and live together
and be happy
Mrs Frost told Mrs Snider. the latter
said, that at her death the child should
o to Mrs. Elizabeth Fleck. At that time
Frost and Maggie lived together in back
room in a house ON c street northwest.
w. L. Bruen's testimony was to the ef
feet, in part, that the reputed father of the
little one had mistreatcd it. 1t should not
be given into his custody. In the cross-eX-
animation counsel sought to show that
abandoned women are received into the
home, and that ON that account it was not
fit place for a little girl TO he kept.
Evidence was salsointroduced to show that
the child was born out of wediock and that
it was baptized upon tie day succeeding
its birth.
The trial was concluded yesterday, so
far as the taking of testimony is con-
cerned. Mrs. Givson, daughter OF the
deceased mother of Goldie, insisted that
Frost knew her mother was married to
McKanna at the time he lived with her.
This Frost denied when testifying i'll
rebuttal. He also gave an explanation
of his statement as to when he met the
woman, and claimed it must have been
in-iSSS, instead of 1889, it having been
shown that the Johnstown flood was in
the latter year.
Argument in the case was begun yeSter-
day afternoon by Mr.. Herbert Locke, and
will be continued this morning by Mr.. Tur-
ner, for the respondent in the case, Mrs.
Fleck, who, yesterday testified to having
secured control of Goldie from the child
mother, who specially enjoned upon her
that Frost should not get possession of
the little girl, as it was not his child.