The Iola register., 1898-09-30
MADDENINd WILLIAM.
His Preliminary Hearing Furnishes an Inter
estng Hour--Two Wives Present.

] His Preliminary Hearing Furnishes an lnter-
esting Hour-Two Wives Present.
Last Friday in the court room at
the court house Justice G. II Wheat
on sat in dignified Judgment upon the
preliminary hearing of William Mad
den, charged with having in his pos
session four separate wives. As a
result of the hearing Madden was
bound over to be tried on the first
day Of the district court, being placed
under bond i'm the sum of $500 which
he will probably give.
Besides about fifty interested on
lockers, there were present the pro-
bate judges of Bourbon and Labette
counties, Messrs. A bbey and Pioff
espectively, each Of whom had at
one time issued license to VIM.
Madden. In addition to these were
Mrs. William Madden the third, of
Kansas City, and Mrs. Madden the
fourth, of Bronson. j. b. Atchison
conducted the defense and G. = Rit-
ter the prosecution.
Nearly everybody knew the de.
tails of the last marriage and Mad
denis flight and were familiar with
wife No. A, but wife No. was a new
sensation. She came down from Kan
sas City the other day with fire in
her eye. AS soou as William heard
of her arrival he sent for her to come
to the Jail, but she never even ans
wered the note. As she entered the
court room she was dressed in a
stylish black dress, neat hut plain,
wore gloves, black veil and black
straw hat. She Is tall and slender
and so far as looks go no one doubted
that William had married her If he
got chance. She was pale as she
came IN and was anxious to see Mad
den in order that anger might brace
her up. AS che saw him her face
flushed slightly and her lip curled
When she passed him to 60 on the
witness stand he turned and looked
at her for the first time and their eyes
met. He smiled and started to bow,
but she elevated her nose and with a
triumphant smile sailed past.
Her story briefly was az follows:
They were married in Sedalia, Mo, ,
Oct. 20, 1896, moving to Ottawa and
thence to Kansas City in March 1897
They lived together Continuously
with the exception Of three months
when he was on a spree after which
she returned to him until December
last when he left her as he mad re-
peatedly threatened doing on account
of the fact that their married life was
unhappy. After he left her, she
heard nothing more until she learned
that there was Mrs. VIM. Madden
at Joplin, Mo. She wrote to the
Joplin sheriff and later to the woman
No. ., and received two letters both of
which she submitted Later on she
heard of the case in A lien county and
wrote to No. 4, receiving a letter in
reply. She had never heard of the
Illinois woman and thought she was
No. >, herself.
In the direct examination she was
very lamb like to the prosecuting at
torney. When the defense began,
however, she braced herself and her
eyes fairly snapped and she shot out
brief, pointed answers and gave Mad
den good raking. Madden claimed
that she had agreed to get divorce,
but she denies il.
Wife No. /, Maggie Hartman, of
Uniontown, testified that she was
married to Madden by lady minis
ter at Uniontown on January 9, last
and that she is his last wife The
two women "si2ed each other upn
with keen eye. 1t isn't every day
wife sees her husbands other wife.
While the women were together at
the desk claiming mileage after the
hearing, it was interesting to note
that they were similar in features.
Dressed alike they would look like
two sisters. No 8 is now proud and
naughty, aud No. is crushed and
clnging and No. 3 gave No. q a look
of son, you poor, foolish, weak wO-
man, how can you care Tor that