Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-11-13
The Case Of Perjury Against Davis
and Wilkinson, Colored.
SENSATION IS ADDED TO SENSATION
The Marriage Of Mary Gordon, the
chiilicothe White Girl, to John VIII
keson, colored-The Girls Father
Arrested in ottumWa.
From Thursdays Daily.

GTou IHuTSudy DauS.
The sensational case of the state of
Iowa VS.. Walter Davis and John Will
kinsGn, both colored, charged withper-
jury, was called in the police court
this afternoon before Judge Hall.
This Is the case growing out of Will
kinson marrying the white girl. Mary
Gordon, daughter of Lewis Gordon, of
Chillicothe, Missouri, the marriage
having been consummated in this city
at the home of Walter Davis, on the
I'd day Of October, 1900. According
to the evidence in the case Wilkinson
induced Davis to sign the application
for the marriage license, In which
Davis made affidavit that Mary Cor
don was eighteen years OF age, of
sound mind and unmarried. The de-
velopments in the case show that the
girl was not of legal age and that
she was not of sound mind, having
been adjudged insane since that time.
There have been many sensational
features surrounding the case. some
of them indicating deep-laid plan to
secure some of Mary Gordon's inheri-
tance, for she was to be the benefi-
ciary of more than 100000. Wilke-
son, according to Davis, induced the
latter to act as a witness in securing
the license, telling him that the girl
was of age and that she was mulat-
to-
Eli Hardin. manager Of the Hardin
detective agency, at Des Moihes, who
was employed by the girls father in
unraveling some of the intricacies of
the case, was in the city today to at
tend the trial of the negroes. Mr..
Hardin first entered the employ of Mr..
Gordon in July last, when Goraon
came to Des Moines and asked him to
assist him in finding his daughter, who
had run away from home. Hardin Sc
cured trace of her in Des Moines. The
girl had run away from her home In
Chillicothe with negro woman who
had been known to the family by the
name of Addie Roland, having been a
servant in the Gordon brothers home
The colored woman and Miss Cor
don soon afterwards left Des Moines
They were traced by the means of a
trunk to st. Joseph. and from thence
to Atchison. Kansas, and afterwards
to Donaphan, in the same state. Dona
phan is little town on the river panl
but Is interior from railroad about
four miles, and nestles in secluded
section OF that region. It was quite
to the liking of the runaway people, \ OF
probably the colored woman, who ii
said to have had considerable influ
ence over the girl.
During this trip Hardin had been &C
companied by the girls father, an6
there they found her with Addie
Barker" The girl was taken back b,
them to st. Joseph, and Mr.. Goruor
and his daughter proceeded to Chilli
cothe. On the I'd of October Mr.. Har
din was informed by the girls faith
er that she had run away again. Thu
girl was soon located in Des Moines
Her father went to Des Moines ant
found her living with John Wilkinson
the negro whom she had married il
Ottumwa. Addie Roland or Barker
was also living with them. They oc
cupied place at the northeast corne
of West Eighth street and Grand ave
nue.. The fact of their marriage wa
made known to the father then. TIL
arrest of the two colored men follow
ed, Wilkinson being arrested in De
Moines and Davis in Qttumwa a
about the same hour. Addie Rolan
was also arrested in Des Moines O.
q charge of having received stole
goods, about $500 worth of househol
goods having been stolen from tn
Gordon brothers home at Chillicoth
at the time Addie Roland left. TIL
goods We're all recovered in De
Moines and shipped back to Chill
Gothic by express.
When the girl was found at De
MONIES, being under the influence {
these colored people, refused to leav
them and return home. The colore
people told her that she did not nee
to return as she was married and PR
tected. They told her that her fathe
could do nothing by any proceeding
10 prosecute.
On October 4, information was file