Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1899-10-27
SUIT FOR $4,000.
Outcome Of a Romantic Marriooo i
BrattlebOrO.

Liston GO hetchnm Against Charlie,
Richardson, Father or IA. Nm.
Woman whom MIR. K.tcbu,, ,,...
---hece" Developments In the Cas-.
A suit for $50, 1000 damages. bro,..l..
the courts at Baltimore, Md. Tp..i'. lu
| Liston G.. Ketchum against GU w
| Richardson of New York city. is ti'si..AA,,
| chapter in the story which BEGAN r.,t
secret marriage at the Brooks Hon
Christmas day, 1894, the brides n.y.. vi
| pearance three weeks later. the bust,,'F
search for her in this country and II, Fo,I1.s
and the granting to him of an absoIrt. ~
vorce last year Vi
Mr.. Richardson is the father NJ N.
Ketchum's divorced wife. and he ,. ,I,. .'l'
ed with unlawfuly inducing and rosroias.
his daughter to leave her husband TIs
legal papers state that Mr. Richard.or uru
lawfully, uDjustly, mal.ciouslv. w,r,orI-
and wickedly' persuaded his dsuobter,!
leave Mr.. Ketchum, TO keep away fros.
him and to hide from him. nun
Mr.. Ketchum claims to have l,s, d..
comfort assistance, aid and service ~ ii,
wife, also that he has been deprived of ,bo
care and custody of his infant dapgb,o,
now about four years old
The declaration states that Mr.. Ke,cbrr,
had no knowledge of the birth of the ciGi
until within the last three months wbaa
rumors of it reached him. He At once H..
stituted inquiries and definitely ascertai1
ed the existence of the child. il is st,tad
He learned at the same time. 1t is aIso al
legged, that almost Immediately after be on,
tanned the divorce his former wife narrie1
Lieut.. Latimer, u. S. n.
The ceremony uniting Liston G Ka,cb-
um and Laura Singer Richardson AZ man
and wife was performed secretly At Tho
Brooks House by A. W. j. wilkins of Pn,.
ney, justice of the peace. No yitnes.e,
were present. A few intimate friend,
were told of the marriage a short Tina
later, but the facts did not become genar.
ally known until they were published ev.
clusively in The Phoenix August y 1907
Mr.. Ketchum did not tell his parents NJ
the marriage until five months after IL hal
taken place.
Laura Singer Richardson was The only
daughter of Mr.. and Mrs. Charles A Picb.
ardson of New York. Her father was
well-known lawyer, and her grandfa,bar
was one Of the princip pal owners Of the stree,
railway system in Brooklyn. Her mother
was member Of the wealthy Singer family
OF Pittsburg, Pa.
Mr.. and Mrs. Richardson and their
daughter spent the summers of 1sQ3 and
1894 at the Brooks House. Liston Ka.cb.
um was at that time a law studen. In the
office of Waterman, Martin d Hit. and
was living at the Brooks House with bis
parents, DR.. and Mrs. B. F. Ketchum.
The young mans father has since died
and his mother now lives in New York
city. Mr.. Ketchum often ACCOMPANIED
the Richardson family on their drives. but
the parents probably did not realize that
the attachment between the Young people
was becoming serious. Miss Richardson
was beautiful girl of the pink and white
type, and vivacious in manner. II issup
posed that Mr.. and Mrs. Richardson took
their daughter away from Bratteboro as
soon as they knew of the marriage their
departure from here being on Jau. II.
1895.
Two weeks later announcement reached
Brattleboro that the Richardson's had lA
New York hurriedly on an ocean trip to
the Mediterranean, the trip being taken On
account of Mrs. Richardson's poor health.
Young Ketchum received letters from
his wife regularly for five months, and
then all correspondence ended suddenly
His last news from her was a cablegram
stating that the family would return home
soon. The Richardson family were seen
in Paris IN the summer Of 1895 by young
woman who had met them at the Brook;
House.
Liston Ketchum was admitted to the
bar in Vermont, in 1895, and late that
year went TO Baltimore, where he secured
place in the Office of leading law firm.
In short time Mr.. Ketchum was admitted
TO the Maryland bar. He has lived in
Baltimore and New York most Of the time
since leaving Brattleboro. His age at the
time of his marriage was "a, and his wife
was Is. Mr.. Ketchum testified at the
hearing at Baltimore last year, that be had
always treated his wife with great esteem
and affection, that she left him without
reason, and that he had been unable to
ascertain her Whereabouts. He wrote her
asking her to return, and had agents in
Europe trying to find her, without success.
Geo. Whitelock of Baltimore, sttorne!
Tor Mr.. Ketchum, went to Pittsbure, the
home of Mrs. Ketchum's mother, in No
yember, 1896, in hopes of ascertaining Ms
ketchum's whereabouts. Mr.. WhitelOck
saw Robert Singer, an uncle of Mrs. Kelch-
um, who refused to give any information
| 10 W NhSAC sue Ctulu De IOulus Ou MalNN
~, 1898, Mr.. Ketchum applied for a d.
yorce, which was granted at Baltimore
July 3. AS the divorce was granted upon
publication without, Mrs. Ketchum ap-
pearing in the case, the decree was stricken
out upon her petition. She then filed
formal answer and the second decree was
signed Dec. 8, 1898. Mrs Ketchum ap'
peared in the case by A. Leo Knott, a.
torney Her petition stated that at the
time the suit was instituted she was ID
Europe where she had been living since
Jan. 80, 1895, when she left the United
States with her parents for a long residence
abroad. She continued to reside abroad
she also stated, until last year when she
returned to this country with her parents
In her answer Mrs. Ketchum admitted the
allegation of desertion in Mr. Ketchum'
bill of complaint.