The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-09-02
SEEKS DIVORCE
FROM BIGAMIST
Mrs. Birdie M. Gray Filed Her
Petition Yesterday.
ARRESTED A YEAR AGO
H. M. Gray Is Serving Term
in Texas Penitentiary.

Yesterday Mrs. Birdie NJ. Gray filed
petition in the district court asking for
a divorce from Harry NJ. Gray. She
SAYS that they were married on the End
of June, 1902. and that she lived with
him until August 6. when he was arrest
ed by the Texas officers and taken TO
that state on the charge Of bigamy. She
states in her petition that he had two
wives when he married her and that he
is now serving term in the Texas peni-
Tertiary at Fowler for the offense of
having more than one wife.
Harry Gray was arrested in this city
on the evening of August year ago
bv the Wichita officers on information
from Sheriff Sterling Price Clark of Tar
rant county. Texas. He was taken TO
Texas and tried. The Eagle Of that time
contained the following:
when Harry NJ Gray stepped out OF
the Kansas Steam Laundry at O'Clock
last evening a police officer arrested him
on a charge of bigamy. With him was
y
Both he and his wife have been working
at the Laundry since June 10.
when he was confronted by the po-
lice officer it is said that he turned death
" pale and manifested great nervous
excitement.
Gray is a young man of %, with queer
light yellow hair and a smooth face. He
dresses well and does not bear traces
of criminality-
The police do not know the details OF
the charge Of bigamy. for the letter from
Sheriff Sterling Price Clark Of Tarrant
county, Texas. on whose authority the
arrest was made, was very brief.
"A foot note at the end of the letter,
however. intimated that Gray has four
living wives
when a reporter for the Eagle asked
Gray last night whether he desired to
make statement concerning the charges
against him, he was very frank to say
that he did not know whether he ought
to talk for publication. Il do not want
to be rude to newspaper men,, he said
but l am a stranger here and would pre-
; fer to talk to nv lawyer only. Besides j
have nothing to say. am practically as
much in the dark about the matter as
you are and. maybe. more So l have
no definite idea of the charges against
me. am guilty of nothing-certainly
not or bigamy-and if there is a charge
of that kind against me, it must have
been spitefuliy made by my wife's folks,
who were very much opposed to our
marriage.
''The police were ready to make the ar
rest at l O'Clock yesterday. but RUFF
Cone, one of the proprietors of the laun-
dry. asked them TIC postpone it until b
o'clock as he absolutely needed the ser
vices of Gray until that hour. The re-
quest was granted.
when seen last night Mr. Gone said:
Mr. Cray and his wife came 10 me about
June Is and applied for a job. TIE told
me what he could do and | was just at
that time on the outlook for such man.
They went TO work for me at once and
they fulfilled my highest expectations
Gray is first class laundryman in every
department. and l was feeling as if !
was very lucky in having secured him
when here came a policeman TO tell me
he wanted him for bigamy. | was never
more surprised in my life Gray is quite
a genteel fellow and a good workman
and although ] have had wide expert
ence as sheriff. chief of police and con-
stable, ne would be the last man ! would
suspect 70 be guilty Of bigamy
Gray and his wife have been living at
Mrs. Cooks boarding house on Topeka
avenue since they came to wichita Mrs
GRAY was seen there last night and she
said: I do not know what charge they
have against Harry When Informed
that it was bigamy. she said: I know