Evening journal., 1898-02-24
FOR TWENTY THOUSAND
That is What Prettyman is
Fighting to Recover.
B. F BARTRAM LOSES HIS CASE
JOHN S. ROSSELL DECLARED TO
BE A CITY OFF1CIAL-TESTI-
MONY NOW BEING HEARD IN
THE ALIENATION CASE or
PRETTYMAN VS.. WILLIAMSON.


THE ALIENATION CASE or
PRETTYMAN VS.. WILLIAMSON.
Judge Boyce, in the Superior Court,
this morning. charged the jury In the
garnishee case OF Benjamin Il. Bar
and Daniel W. Taylor. who owed Mr..
Bartram little over 5000. including
interest on the debt In twenty min
utes the jury returned a verdict In
favor OF the defendants. John S. Ros-
sell and Daniel W. Taylor.
A case involving 900 was begun
in the Superior Court This morning. lt
was the suit Of William r. Prettyman
VS.. Edwin p. Williamson, for alienat-
ing the affections Of his wife, Mrs.
Mary H. Prettyman, and is the first
case of the kind ever tried here.
James w. Ponder and Walter II.
Hayes represented the plaintiif. and
Peter l.. Cooper Jr.. the defendant.
Mrs. Prettyman and her children oc-
cupied a seat in the witness chairs.
Prettyman sat near his attorneys, and
| Williamson was seated near Mr.. Coo
per.
That the jury might be drawn from
a full panel a delay of ten minutes
was given to afford the BartramRos-
sell jury to come in. As soon as IL had
rendered its verdict and been dis
charged in that case the twelve men 10
try the Prettyman case were secured
only two challenges being made.
The jurors are: Walter CHM, Samuel
, Frizzell, Sr., Brinton Evans, Cyrus E
A Ital.
Barr, William !. Lemon, James +
Moore, Thomas Kennedy, Jacob
! Cochran, William Aaron, William Bar
! nett
, Mr. Ponder read the declaration II
: the case. Il, in general terms. showei
2 how Williamson hal alienated the af
! fectiOns of Mrs Prettyman, who wa
n an interested and angry listener.
G Tho answer was Also read by MI
II Ponder, after which he made his open
r ing address.
x He said that PrettYman and hi
d wife were married i'm Philadelphia o
/ January 81, 1877. by Rev. Richar
d Humphrey. They lived together Il
n many years In Sussex county and /
IS Wilmington. After being in WHINING
> ton several months they moved 20
o house on Orange street. owned
> Williamson. Williamson at first weI
o to Prettyman's house once a week I
collect his rent; then once a day; the
d twice a day; then three times a da
y and finally he stayed all day III
n manner changed, Quarrels between HI
in and her husband followed, and final
ID he was compelled to leave his HON
s. mis- belongings being thrown into d
n alley. Since then Williamson, Mr.. PO
ly der said, had had full charge of d
Prettyman household, and Prettymf
e, and his wife had been living apart. n
I'd this he asked 10000 damages.
u Rev. Richard w. Humphrey,
t. Philadelphia, a Methodist Episcop
he | clergyman, took the stand to testi
ir that, while pastor Of the Mariner
Sc Bethel, Philadelphia, he. on Janual
We 81, 1877, married Prettyman and h
IN wife, who was a Miss Wilson, and
identify the marriage certificate han
ed to him as one he had issued.
Mr.. Cooper objected to this eviden
of going in, saying that the certifica
IS spoke for itself; that the plaintiff HI
n started out to show n marriage
ey Delaware, now proposed to show
ly marriage under the laws Of Pennsy
OF | vania.
sr. The court ruled against him and
&c | exception was noted by Mr.. Cooper.
be MI Humphrey recognized the Ger
en- fcate as genuine, and said that L
he marriage must have taken place
es, Pennsylvania, for ne neveT mnrri
20 anyone in Delaware At the time
in the marriage he was an ordained mi
la- lister CT the Methodist EpiscoI
Church, and the marriage took pla
1 N nlplftrIlnrHla trrffh k.a los -
ng syNania.
lO Mr. Ponder offered the certificate
evidence. Mr.. Cooper objected to I
certificate going in until The part
named had been identified
OF Mr.. Ponder withdrew the paper un
re, later in the trial.
his In answer to cross-questions by \
ng Cooper Mr. Humphrey said he COZ
.en not identify Mr.. and Mrs. Prettyml
-ed as he married over 200 couples VIII
e. pastor of the church.
Si PRETTYMAN EMBARRASSED.
,ed Pre.tyman took the stand. He v
nd | badly embarrassed. He identified
marriage certificate, and g5t ba
mixed on the date Of the maria
!. which, was soiemnized on January
ish 1877. Finally the certificate was adm
the ted in evidence and read to the jury
ma, Mr.. Hayes.
set Il am a divorced man" said Pret
or man. I'VE were married at Bethel p
mes sonage. We resided in Phhadelp
IS" nine months; then moved TO Ang,
on Sussex county, from there % Lew
ad- where we lived for four years.
ext April 16. 1887, we moved to Wilmi,
ton, as / thought / could do better
myself and wife and children.
and next Monday ] went TO work on
ner gravel train and worked for a MOI
From there l went to Jackson
Sharps for five months. Then l
laid off a week, and afterwards
for turned there and worked until two
is three months of the time / left no
Sa- First we lived at Fifth and Wal
re streets, and lived there nine mon
! Of On March 25, 1883. they moved to Y
ler- liamson's house. No. S27 Orange str
in Up to that time he and his wife
IL lived happily together. For the
WIS three months aflter they moved 10
S27 OraneN street, which Mrs. Pre-
man rented. he saw ncthing cf \