The San Francisco call., 1899-10-07
NEW SENSATION IN THE
HITE DIVORCE CASE
WITNESS WRIGHT APPEARS IN
AN UNENVIABLE ROLE.
''Indian Lucy's" Neighbors Testify
That They Knew Her Only
as "Hite's Wife"

The story of the early life of Lucy Hite,
the Indian woman who is trying to estab-
lish the claim that she is the wife of
John r. Hite the Mariposa miner, was
retold yesterday before Judge ]. 2. Jones
of Mariposa County, who has moved his
court to this city for the accommodation
of some of the witnesses. During the
days proceedings James Wright, who
claims to be a collector in the employ of
the estate of Mark Strouse, surprised the
attorneys for the plaintiff by refusing to
repeat on the witness stand statements
he had made to them during the early
stages of the case. He was charged with
having sold himself to both sides of the
cause Attorney Foote, for the defend
ant, grilled him, insinuating that he W IS
an opium fiend and several other things
that were not complimentary.
Wright was the bellboy at the Hotel
El Captain, Mariposa, from 1873 to 1880.
Wnen the Hite case first attracted his
attention he went to Attorney Van K.
Paterson, who was representing the
dusky plaintiff, and told in detail how
Hite and the woman had gone to the ho-
tel during his connection with the hos
telry and that Hite had registered her
as his wife. The incident mad LETT VIVID
impression on his mind from the act that
it was such an unusual thing for a white
man to be married to an Indian. The
motel >,
but Wright told Mr.. Paterson where the
duSt-coVered registers could be found in
one of the rooms and indicated in which
book the entry of John R. Hite and
wife" could be found. The attorneys
found Wrights story to be substantially
correct and expected when he was called
yesterday that he would repeat his for
mer story. But he did not. He stated in
reply to the attorneys direct questions
that the register story was based only on
his impressions; that he had no scruples
about telling the original yarn to Mr..
Paterson for the reason that he was not
then on the witness stand and was not
making a statement under oath.
Attorney Hanlon forced an admission
from Wright that he had discussed the
case with Sherman Reynolds, who is ac-
cused of having erased the names from
the register and who admits having re-
ceived money from both sides of the case.
Indian Lucy, as the plaintiff in the case
is known in Mariposa, was the star at
traction in the morning. She had a happy
faculty of misunderstanding nearly every
question put to her by Attorney Foote
but was remarkably ready with her an
swers to her own attorney, Mr.. Hanlon.
She said that Mr.. Foote'S manner made
her wild and the attorney, could not re
sist asking her if at that particular
time she was wild or tame and that if
1t was not a fact that she understood
Mr.. Hanlon so readily because he was a
Lucy is not beauty. She has a COM
pleXion like q rusty horseshoe and there
is not characteristic feature about her
to lead one to believe that in her younger
days she was vas a belle of the Mariposa
country. She described how she and Hite
had been married according to the In
dian customs by Hite taking her on his
knee and saying in her native tongue. 81
marry you" She denied that she had
ever been in love with Sam WestphaI or
had called him her boy or had told
Perry Holland that Sam was the father
Of her child She also denied that she
had been the wife of Yankee Jim" an
other prominent man of Mariposa in the
days when Lucy was a belle She was
SauaaiiIy SadaaIy emphatic in branding as false
as his wife. Numerous affidavits were
read from those who knew the plaintiff
only as "Hite's Wife and their tenor
indicated that the ways of the .nariposa
women in discussing the affairs of their
neighbors are not different from those
of other sections of the country
one woman. who claimed that Hite had
robbed her of mine, thought he was a
TeaI tunny man because he went to San
francisco and bought silk dresses for
Lucy to deck her out like a lady"
The trial will be continued next Tues
deY morning and the attorneys expect to
finish the testimony by Wednesday.