The age-herald., 1899-08-06
FIRST DAY OF
 THE MAY CASE Contest for Custody of Two Pretty Chil-
 dr6n Taken Up. BEFORE JUDGE WILKINSON Petitioner and His Alleged Wife on
 the Stand. A SENSATIONAL STORY REVEALED No Civil or Religious Ceremony Was Ever Performed But Lived as Man
 and Wife-The Case Goes Over Until Tomorrow.
A SENSATIONAL STORY REVEALED

 D. May of New Orleans against his alleged common law wife Georgia D. May, and her alleged paramour Charles w. New man, was begun yesterday before Judge w. w. Wikerson in the city court The hearing, which came up on the ha-
 beas corpus proceedings instituted some days ago by May, was called l promptly at 10 o'clock, but owing to the inability of the sheriff to locate a certain l witness for whom subpoena duces tecum I had been issued the hearing went over in- l til 12 o'clock in order to give the sheriff 1 an opportunity to serve the important pa l per
 The continuance was asked by Attorneys 1 Richard H. Fries and J. D. Ponceller, who | are associated in representing the defense. The missing witness was the keeper of boarding house in Sixth avenue, who has l in her possession a trunk belonging to the respondents which is alleged to contain certain letters which would be material in making out a proper defense. Had Left the City
 When the noon hour arrived Deputy Sher-
 fir Love reported that he was stil unable
 to locate the witness, whom he was told
 
 pose of going to market MT. Poncelsr,
 for the respondents, objected to opening the case without the much wanted letter, stating that he expected to show that May, over his own signature, admitted that he was not the father of one of the children whom he sought to recover. After hearing the arguments Judge Will kerson decided to proceed with the case without prejudice to the right of the re- spondents to introduce the letter at any time during the trial.
 The two respondents occupied seats near their attorneys, while the two children, un- conscious of the seriousness of the proceed | ing which will decide their fate, romped around the court room in the joyousness of | their tender years
 MT. May and his attorneys, A. O. Lane of l this city and B. B. Howard of New Orleans, l occupied seats on the opposite side of the room, ready to begin.
 Demurred to the Petition The first skirmish took place when the attorneys for the respondents demurred to the petition on the alleged grounds: First-That it failed to show that the pe- titioner was the legal husband of Georgia May.
 Second-That it failed to show when peti- tioner was married to Georgia May. Third-That it failed to show in what place or state petitioner was married to Georgia May.
 Fourth-That it failed to aver any facts tending to specify that the children would | be taken out of the jurisdiction of the court.
 rif faA by a competent witness. Sixth-That it failed to show that since 1 the alleged elopement the petitioner had made any attempt or effort to regain pos session of the children. Seventh-That it failed to show that the children were the legitimate issue of peti- | tioner and Georgia May. Eighth-That it failed to show by facts | that said petitioner has sufficient real or personal property to take good care of and maintain the children.
 Ninth-That it failed to show whether petitioner and respondent, Georgia May, | were or are legally married. Overruied by the Court The demurrers were separately and col | lectively overruled by the court after | COllOQuy DelWtSH ouu6S 'fiASASOi ~''" ~"-'' | Fries, who contended that the "kind" of l wife was not set out in the petition. The first shot was fired by the petitioner who offered in evidence certified copies of | the certificates of baptism of the two | children taken from the records of the | Church of the Immaculate Conception and | of the cathedral in New Orleans where the children were respectfully christened. 1 Objection was made on the ground that l E1.A A..11 agSf 1r h | but the objection was overruled and the | certificates one of which was in French, 1 were admitted.
 May Was First Witness l George D. May, the petitioner was the | first witness and he took the stand with a
 confident air. In response to questions | propounded by MT. Lane he said in part: My name is George D. May. 1 live in | New Orleans. Have lived there all my | life. I am 4S years of age, and have known | Georgia G. May. the respondent, for ff- 1 teen years I know the children. They are mine The little girls name is Agnes | Thelma May. She is 10 years old. The | boys name is Charles Newman May. His | age Is years. first met respondent in | 1884 in New Orleans. She was working in a
 store fi Canal street. She was in poor l circumstances, and if she did not take her | paltry wages home on Saturday evenings | her people made it uncomfortable for her
 My sympatlies were aroused and 1 assist
 ed her. Just before the little girl was
 born in lSs9 said to her. We are man and | wife from now on. Later we will have
 the religious ceremony performed Since ! that time she has been known as my wife and has repeatedly introduced me as her | husband. She always acknowledged the
 children were mine. She left me without
 my Knowledge or consent. located her | with Newman two months after she left. | In the meantime Newman represented
 himself as my friend and pretended he was ! trying to help me find her. I furnished | him money to keep up the search. I aft | erwards discovered that he was living With 1 her all the time"
 l Met Some Reverscs