The herald., 1898-01-13
The Varied Fortunes II
Brought the Creedes
RATHER CHECKERED CAREER
HoW LOU PATTERSON OBTAINED
HER CoGNOMEN
Can Eat Lots of Dope-Married and
Divorced So Often Her Memory
Is Hazy as to Details

There is a strong resemblance between
the present status of the Creede will
contest and a kitten walking over hot
bricks. There is dainty handling of the
testimony that seems to betoken some
thing sensational later on. The facts
developed yesterday could hardly be
termed sensational. although they were
that the present trouble has arisen, in
part, at all events, from the fact that
Mr.. and Mrs. Creede were rough-spun
characters, acknowledged to have been
1t, an element of strange, uncanny in
terest is given to the case.
First of all yesterday Mrs. Creede was
called to the witness stand to prove that
she was the same person from whom
George Vandever in 1866, had been
granted a decree of divorce. The con-
testant was garbed the same as on Tues
day, in a lustrous black satin. gray cloak
and black velvet hat with ostrich
plumes that appeared trifle coquettish
for the rather heavy spectacled face be =
meath. The witness stated that when
she married Vandever in 1858 her maiden
name was Nancy Louise White. As she
had previously stated that she was 53
years of age last July, she must have
been only about Ia years old when she
first assumed matrimonial obligations.
Running through the list of her various
y1,o1 to ATro
name in each case and then was retired
Mr.. Finlayson, upon offering in evil
dence the certified record of the Vande-
Yer divorce. was met with emphatic OBJ
lection from the other side. Until nearly
the time for adjournment arguments
and counter arguments were indulged
in on the relative merits Of tweedledum
and tweedle dee. Mr.. Foley, on behalf
of the proponents, argued that the Hill
nois court had no jurisdiction of the di-
yorce proceeding, and offered a long
string of statutory objections which ne
cessitated that Judge Clark should re-
view the actions of the court of a sister
state, after having first decided that the
legal tribunal Of this sister state actual
ly had Jurisdiction. The court refused
to accept such an onerous undertaking.,
overruled the objection, and let the dis
puted documents go In.
These various documents are of the
''hot stuff" variety and are we'll spiced
with racy detail. Vandever alleges that
his wife had run off with q man and at
later date had entered house of prosti-
tuition at Paducah, Ky. On the ground
Of adultery committed within the boun-
daries of the state Of Illinois the court
in Illinois granted the decree to Vande-
yer, and not for having in the first in
stance deserted him.
The court records in the several d.
vorce proceedings to which Mrs. Creede
had been party were next put in evil
dence over the renewed objections of the
opposition, and the first witness was
called to the witness stand. This was
young lady, quite prepossessing in ap-
pearance, who gave her name as Ida
Bloom. From her pronounced accent it
might be inferred that she was Of Ger
man origin, her testimony being given in
a manner which didn't indicate the very
highest order OF intelligence. Briefly,
her testimony was as follows:
OUT IN CREEDE CAMP
II first met Mrs. Creede in the Creede
camp in Colorado in February, 1892. Mr.. |
Creede and his nephew, Sherman Phifer,
were in the camp also, and I worked
there as cook for seven months, and then
for one year al Pueblo We all went to
Pueblo together and remained there
from September, 1892. to September, |
1893. In September, 1893, we started for |
Los Angeles. l went with Mr.. and Mrs |
Creede to Las Vegas hot springs, it be- !
ing their wedding trip. Before the mar
riage Mr.. Creede spoke of his wife as |
Lou Patterson, but after as Mrs Creede |
When the marriage ceremony had been
performed Mrs. Creede indicated her
new condition by wearing a wedding !
ring. In Los Angeles l remained with |
the Creede's for ten months. and then |
was away for three months. on return
ing l was with them for about five or six
months.
During the time I was with them |
knew Mrs. Creede used morphine all the
time. 1 have seen her take it two and |
three times a day, and she carried it in !
little bottles. the morphine being in
powder form The relations between
Mr.. and Mrs. Creole appeared to be
happy, and she attended to him with
assduous attention. When Mrs. Creede
was under the influence Of morphine she
appeared lively, good tempered and went
about her work more cheerfully than nj
otnef times. After an hour or more she
would act in an ordinary way, but T
don't think she ever Went without NOR.
phine. ordinarily she was lively and
talEative. She never took Intoxicating