Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1899-03-30
DR.. Ray in Trouble.

DIR. Dakota Ray, alias Morris f.
Chamberlain, the we'll known patent
medicine vender, is behind prison
bars. DR.. Ray landed in Staunton for
the first time early in February and for
three weeks gave free shows in Colum
bian Hall There be sold his medicines
and on every night large crowds were
tout to greet him. He had woman
with him and they lived together AS
man and wife during their stay in the
City. AT the close of their engage
ment here they departed in peace for
Mt. Jackson, but only few days
elapsed before the woman came back
to StauntOn and said she and the doc
tor had separated. The next report
was that she would sue for a divorce,
but the doctor, who had set his mind
on marrying Miss Ida Harouff, appear
ed here and stated that the woman,
who was with him here at the time OF
| his show was not his wife. A few
| days thereafter-tO be accurate-last
| Thursday be obtained license from the
county court and on the same day was
married to Miss Harouff at the E4kle-
| ton Hotel. They left here happy
pair, presumably for Hagerstown, but
| stopped at Woodstock, where his show
was in progress. There they lived
and were spending their honeymoon
| until arrested Sunday morning. The
first warrant, and the warrant
upon which he was arrested, was is
sued by Mayor Landes last Friday.
1t charged DIR. Ray with cohabiting
with the woman with whom he lived
before marrying Miss Harouff,
Chief Waters located the doctor at
Woodstock and telegraphed j. H.
Koontz, chief of police at Woodstock,
to make the arrest and hold the pris-
oner for a Staunton officer. Chief
Koontz wired back that he had DIR.
Ray and would hold him as ordered
In the meantime, however, the first
woman i'll the case did not let the
grass grow under her feet. She left
here for Toledo. Ohio. and returned on
Sunday. That afternoon she had a
consultation with Mayor Landes,
which resulted in her swearing out
warrant charging the Doctor with
bigamy. She says that her name was
May Pauline Pate and that she met
DR.. Ray in 1894 in Dallas, Texas, where |
she was playing with an opera compa.
ny. In November of that year, after |
a courrship lasting two weeks, they
were married and lived together as
man and wife until their trouble ten !
days ago.
On Monday morning Policeman |
Simpson armed with the warrants
boarded the early 3. & o. train for
Woodstock. On arriving there he |
found his man at hotel in charge of |
an officer. Mr.. Simpson, to avoid
trouble, told the doctor that he had a
W arrant charging him with unlawful
cohabitation, and that he could fix
matters up with little trouble. DR..
Ray sought Hon. r. j. Walker, a
Shenandoah county attorney, who has
twice been a Republican candidate
for Congress, and engaged him as
counsel. A few minutes after the noon
hour yesterday the train left Wood
stock and on it was Officer Simpson,
DR.. Ray and Attorney Walker. The
report went the rounds of Stauntor
that the Doctor would arrive here oil.
the 1926 b. 81 o. train and as a result
there Was a large crowd, about 1000
people, at the depot to get a glimpse
of the doctor of Tiwana fame. Hell
was also met by Chief of Police
Waters, who escorted him to Jail,
where he was locked up.
Wife No. l was called upon by a
SPECTATOR man yesterday, but she
declined to make statement. Wife
No. 2, nee Harouff, is in Woodstock,
waiting for the DOCTORS return. DR..
Ray was visited at the Jail last evening
by representative of the SPECTATOR
and asked to make statement. He
to be quite nervous, but
stated that he was innocent of the
bigamy charge. He asked about the
bent of public sentiment, and went Oil
to say that there was no witness, no
10 justice of the peace and
not even scrap of paper that could
prove he was ever married before last
Thursday. He spoke affectionately Of
his wife at Woodstock, but, to put it
mildly, he had few complimentary re
marks for the woman who has been
the cause of his occupying prison
cell. He confessed to being guilty of
living with Miss Pate illegally, but
again and again denied ever marrying
her. This about covers the history of
this interesting case up to date.
After visit to his parents. Rerke