The sun., 1903-11-24
TWICE WE'D GIRL COLLAPSES.
FALLS IN A FIT IN COURT AND
rs TAKEN TO HOSPITAL.
u,ss Famiiton Tells . Jury Of Her Two
Marriages within Twenty-four Hours
-Kirkman Denies He Forced Her with
a Pistol to Go Through tho Ceremony.

Marriages within Twenty.fOur Hours
-Kirkman Denies He Forced Her with
a Pistol to Go Through tho Ceremony.
unnerved by her long ordeal, Margaret
lane Familton. 20 years old, who was on
,ral all yesterday before Judge Moore in
The Queens County Court, Long Island City,
IN A charge Of bigamy in having married
two men within twenty-four hours Of each
ether, collapsed at the closing Of the trial
late Yesterday afternoon. and fell to the
floor in convulsions.
The whole court was upset. Court
attendants gave assistance. but they
we're unable to quiet the young woman or
restore here to her normal condition. She
screamed and moaned and sobbed until
snally she was picked up and carried from
the room. Judge Moore then adjourned
the case until this morning. Restoratives
failed to revive the girl and she was carried
10 St. Johns Hospital, where she was placed
in a private ward for the night.
After being unconscious almost two
hours the young woman was revived. and
last night was resting easily. As her sister
was being carried out Of the court house
to the ambulance Miss Tillie Familton also
According to her own testimony. 1t was
her love for Edward j. Roach, a private
connected with the medical department Of
Fort Totten, Willets Point, that proved her
undoing. On Sunday. Oct. II last, she
alleges, she was forced into marriage at
the point Of a revolver by Frederick j..
Kirkman, Jr., 10 years old. a rejected suitor.
Not realizing the full responsibility Of her
act, she went to Manhattan with Roach the
next day and married him. All the prose-
cution did was to prove the two marriages.
Then the accused girl was called in her
own behalf. She began her testimony by
stating that she had been engaged to Kirk
man, but that he had used her roughly
What do you mean by that?" queried
her attorney.
aWhy, he became jealous, struck me and
threatened to shoot me IL ] went out with
any one else
Continuing, the witness said she broke
the engagement with Kirkman and later
became engaged to Roach, whom she loved
says she met him at a station of the Long
Island Railroad on Oct. II, her mission
being to return Kirkman's letters. She
was on her way to dentist in Manhattan
Kirkman boarded the train and they went
to Long Island City together. There they
d
fourth street boat on the Manhattan side,
she says, Kirkman suddenly appeared, and
catching her by the sleeve, held her back
and made demand that she marry him.
This she refused to do.
Then he showed me a revolver" con-
tinued the witness and said he would shoot
me and kill himself if refused to marry
him
They went to the home Of the Rev. Mr.
Thorpe where they were married and she
returned Immediately to her home in White
stone. On the day following. she said,
Manhattan and were married.
Il loved Roach and didn't care for Kirk
man Roach told me that as Kirkman had
forced me into the ceremony and that as
he was not OF age the first marriage cere-
mony was not legal and believed every
thing Roach told me. l loved him."
She said she told her father Of the double
marriage in the presence Of her two sisters.
The testimony Of the girls father, William
4. Femilton. was 80 somewhat ne nat &C confused; used
from ball in Whitestone on the night Of the
18th, when he was tercepted by young
Kirkman, who interfered and said:'
stop, old man that woman's my WIFE
man about four blocks, and at length they
all went home together and on the way
met Roach, who also put in a claim for tn
young woman. He also testified that Roach
confessed that he knew OF Margarets 3 first
marriage before he took her to Manhattan
and had second ceremony performed.
Roach was recalled by the prosecution
and denied that he had any knowledge
of the young woman's marriage to KIRK
man until they were on the train returning
home after the ceremony.
When Kirkman was recalled by the prose-
cution he denied the pistol incident. but
later admitted that to shield the girl he had
stated in the presence of her father, sisters,
his mother and others that he did threaten
to shoot her