The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-04-13
he HTPN(lIIED HER
Singers in Choir Were Mar
ried in Secret.
WIFE WANTS 1T ANNULLED
Because She Welded Him
Under a Hypnotic Spell.
WIFE WANTS 1T ANNULLED

New York, April 12-st-s. Elizabeth
Anderson Derby. who claims that hel
marriage to william J. Derby. was due
to hypnotic influence and fear Of a large
carving knife. and who has brought suit
for a divorce. is fatty contradieted By
her husband.
Derby vii not defend his wife's suit
but yesterday gave out a statement de
claring that &c is no hypnotist, that he
had been engaged to Miss Anderson two
years before the marriage. and that or
no occasion had he ever made a threat
or used a knife in obtaining her consent
10 be his wife.
Derby has for years been tenor soloist
in the Fifty-frst street Presbs teriar
church. his WIFE Miss Anderson. as she
was known until Wednesday last. wher
the secret marrige became known, was
one Of the choir. They have met in the
church several times each week, but nc
one guessed that they were husband and
wife until the sister of Mrs Derby. Miss
Louise Anderson, accompanied by a clerk
from a lawyers Office, served Derby
with papers notifying him that he was
being sued for an annulment of his mar
rage. The service of the papers and
disclosures that followed caused a de-
cided sensation in the church
On the night of August "a, 1899. Mrs.
Derby declares, DERBY came to her
house. He had an influence over her
for more than a year, she says, which
she could not overcome. He said then
that she must consent TO marry him
that if she did not he would en0 his life
with large carving knife which he had
found in the house. Such was his hyp-
motto influence over her, she declares,
that she could not resist him. He told
her so the complaint recites. that their
marriage would be kept a profound sec
ret for a year or more If she desired.
She AYERS that he called at her house
the next night Her parents were in
the country and he persuaded her 70
marry him. With her brother, William
Anderson, they went to the German
Methodist Episcopal church in West For
tieth street and with the brother as one
of the witnesses, were married. Mrs.
Derby says she does not know why she
married. She declares that after the
ceremony she and Derby separated and
that she is Derby's wife in name only.
Since the marriage Derby and his wife
have sung in the choir as usual. He
called on her regularly. as he did be-
fore
on July %. Mrs. Derby asked that the
marriage be annulled. Derby was served
with the papers and at once went to the
home Of his wife
Don't mind those papers" ne says
she said to him. They don't amount
TO anything"
Acting on the advice o. IS wife. Derby
offered no defense. He heard nothing
more Of the suit for the annulment OF
his marriage until last Wednesday. when
Louise Anderson, a sister of the wife.
came to MN and served him with papers
summoning him to appear in the annuI-
ment proceedings
There is nothing for me to do but let
this action On the part OF my wife so
by default" Derby said yesterday. Il
have no idea what has made her DO this
I asked her to marry me -ecause loved
her and because L believe she loved me
belive she loves me still. However,
if my wife wishes our marriage TO be an
nulled, I shall not oppose her"
Mrs. Derby viii make no statement