Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-11-13

before the commissioner of insanity
at Des Moines, charging Mary 1or-
donor Mrs. Wilkinson-with in
sanity. After a long and sensational
examination the insane commission
ers unanimously pronounced the girl
to be insane.
1t was about this time that R. M,
Hyde, of Des Moines. and other col
tored people took an interest in the
case, declaring that the girls mother
had been colored woman, or at least
woman of African extraction. The
facts are that Mary Gordon's mother
J died when Mary was nineteen months
old. Her grandmother on her moth
er's side, died some years later and
left a will, willing her property to
her three sons, and cutting Mary's
mother out of the bequest further
than to provide that each of the
three boys should pay her $40 each.
Lewis Gordon, Mary's father, has
lbeen fighting that will in the courts
of Missouri for the last nine years
and recently won the case in the SUI
preme court. The estate, however,
was not large, amounting to possibly
$1,000, but he spent a thousand dol
lars in fighting the case. During
those nine years Scott Miller was the
attorney for Mr.. Gordon, and he has
since been identified in restoring
Mary Gordon to her home and father
and friends. He says that Mary is en-
tirely repentent. She has again re.
gained sufficient mental power to see
the awful mistake and misfortune
that has befallen her and she declares
it Is said, that she will do anything in
her power to bring Wilkinson to JUS
tice, even to hanging him. Mr.. Miller
was witness before the commission
ers of insanity at Des Moines. He
showed the commission that the claim
made by the colored people that this
girl had any negro blood in her veins
was absolutely false and foolish, for
the reason that the statutes of Mis-
souri, contain what is called an en-.
abling act, providing that no person
of mixed blood can inherit property
, from white parents. 1t will thus be
seen that in the event of the girls
father winning his case in the courts
of the state that the girl, under these
conditions could not have inherited
any OF the property, and the prose
, cution of the case 1T is said would
have been foolish.
On Mary's fathers side of the family
there are two bachelor brothers be
sides her father, who live together
and that, it was stated by attorney
Miller that these two brothers hat
, made will willing all their vast es
, tate to Mary Gordon, and he salt
. that the estate of these brothers
, amounted to over 100000, all o
, which the girl would get. These gen
tlemen being alive, it is believed the.
!, will execute. codicil which will
!, change their dispositions of property
or provide for guardian. 1t had beer
!. feared that in case Of the death of the
brothers thru any means before thu
!, annulment of the marriage of Mary
. that the negro Wilkinson might inheri
,, that vast estate. 1t is said, however
that this contingency is safely guarded
!. by the law, for being insane the CIR
was incompetent to enter into a mar
!. riage contract. The fact that she i
! insane annuls the marriage by Itself
!. according to good legal authority
! The girl was taken back to Chilled
8 the last Friday from Des Moines b
: her father. !, So
Addie Roland is in Ottumwa as
!, witness in the case. It is understood,
that the law will be meted out to he
9 as in such cases provided.
This afternoon information wa
l sworn out against Louis and Cheste,
! field Gordon, the father and brothe
: of the girl, charging them with threa
/ ening to take the life of certain pa
9 ties, and also with carrying concea
J; ed weapons. The cases We're brough
before Justice Ballard and Justic
I, Campbell. The defendants telegraph
n ed to the bank of Chillicothe, whic
will provide the necessary bonds
: case they are needed. Lewis Go
4 don was consequently under tn
, charge of an officer in the court ROOF
s this afternoon, as but one case ca
. be tried at time.
V The defendants are represented
IS w. w. Epps, R. E. Holton and Geore
y H. Woodson, the latter being colo
q ed lawyer of Muchakinock, The pro
n ecution was conducted by Count
n Attorney A. w. Enoch. There wei
d about twenty-five people presen
Ie almost all of them from Des Nome
le From Fridays Daily.
y y The case of the State VS.. Waite
u Davis, charged with perjury, was di
:, missed by Judge Hall in the polk
% court this morning at 1880 o'cloc
u on motion of the defense. At tt
- same time County Attorney Enoc
~ dismissed the case of the State v
~ John Scott Wilkinson, who was char
y. ed with subornation of perjury,
= inducing Davis to sign the applicable
80 for the marriage license. This a
!, ton of the court dismisses the ca
y from the courts unless the grand jul
should find additional evidence
which 1t can be proven that this pa
ticular Davis is the man who sign'
the application