Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1898-08-25
More About the Mackey Marriage.


A special from New York to the
Baltimore Sun of yesterday gives an
other chapter in the Mackey-Porter-
field matrimonial affair which caused
such a sensation few weeks ago. The
article is as follows;
Thomas Jefferson Mackey, formerly
a member Of the Supreme Court OF the
State of South Carolina, states that he
is seeking an annulment Of a marriage
to woman here named Sarah Curtis,
whom he welded in 1891, alleging
that she had another husband living
at the time. Judge Mackey has been
living recently in furnished rooms at
Twenty-third street and Seventh ave-
nue.. Accompanying him was beau
tiful young woman, whom he intro
duced to those at the house as Mrs.
Mackey. In Charlestown, W. Va, the
young woman was well known as the
daughter of Col. Geo. A. Porterfeld, a
prominent resident of that place,
where she was married to Judge
Mackey on July l9 last.
Mrs. Catherine, the landlady Of the
Mackeys, declares that Mrs. Mackey
was apparently prisoner in the room
occupied by the Judge and herself on
the second floor. An alcohol stove
served to cook the meals of the couple,
and Mrs. Mackey did not leave the
house from the moment of her arrival.
When the landlady went to the room
on Saturday to deliver pitcher Of
ice water she found the door locked,
and Mrs. Mackey, who was within,
said she was unable to open it, her
husband having locked her in when he
went out. The young woman said
that she was unhappy. When seen
today Judge Mackey denied that his
wife was being restrained Of her liber-
ty, and made the statement that he
sought annulment of his marriage to
Sarah Curtis.
II regard my marriage to Miss
Porterfeld, my present wife, as per-
fectly legal" he said, and showed a
letter, which he said he was about to
send to Colonel Porterfeld explaining.
The letter contained the following
paragraph:
81 have just read your letter of the
10th addressed to my wife, in which
you give the assurance that no prose-
cution shall be instituted against me
for sixty days, in order that l may be
free to prosecute an action in the Su-
preme Court of this city, which shall
establish the legality Of my marriage
with your daughter. Relying upon
that assurance l will begin such action
within the next four days to annul the
marriage entered into by me with one
Sarah Curtis, in 1891, on the ground
that at the date of such marriage she
was the lawful wife of another. That
action, of course, should have pre-
coded my marriage to your daughter,
and l so intended, but the peculiar
circumstances that surrounded me at
the date of my marriage to her had
the effect of temporarily clouding my
Judgment, and my devotion to her led
me to run the terrible risk Of mourning
a prosecution for the alleged crime Of
bigamy. l never for an instant doubt
ed, however, that my marriage of 1891
was not lawful marriage, and that l
was legally free to marry your daugh-
ter. To advance her happiness l am
willing to suffer the agony Of a sepa-
ration from her should she so desire
until l have established the legality OF
our marriage"
As evidence of his sincerity, Judge
Mackey called in his wife, who nerv-
ously corroborated every statement
made by the Judge. Judge Mackey
then left the room, and the moment
the door had closed behind him his
wife manner changed, and she de-
clared with vehemence that she had
no knowledge of his previous marriage
at the time she married him. Her
husband, she said, never permitted
her to go out without him.
Just then the Judge returned and
hurriedly ordered his wife to pack her
trunk, as he had a cab waiting. a
few minutes later the couple drove
toward the Twenty-third street ferry.