The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1903-08-13
ThE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
FIGHT E0R CHILD WON By FATHER
A Remarkable Legal Contest Settled
BY the Superior Court of
Pierce County.

Tacoma--Judge Chapman has set
tied the legal strife between Mrs. An
ME L. Folger and Edward l. Place,
who have been fighting over the Gus
tCdy of their minor child Enid Place,
by giving the father jurisdiction. TIE
case is one of wide notoriety on &C
tween Place and Mrs. Folger which
lasted during a period of many years.
While al Oakland schoolgirl Mrs.
FOlger L.arried youth about her
own age. Unable to support his child
wife, The boy came to live with her
ard her mother, but at the end of
about a year deserted her, going to
New York. Later she met Place.
Believing her former husband to be
dead and that she was released, she
yielded to the attentions of Mr.. Place
and the two were married. Accord
ing to her story her troubles began
Immediately after. She ayers that
Place wandered from town to town
in California and Utah, without any
settled home, and frequently ill-treat-
ed her Finally he told her that the
ceremony binding them together was
bogus, so she says, and at her earn
est persuasion another marriage con-
tract was entered into in the state
Of Utah.
About this time she says she was
~ r
husband, who had deserted her. was
alive, and this she found to be true.
, Then she obtained a divorce from her
| former husband, in order to untangle
| the twisted current of her domestic
| matters. Later, she claims that
Places conduct became intolerable
and she went to California and there
obtained a divorce. But little, it ap-
pears, was said about the custody of
the child, and Place obtained and
this greatly worried her, and she came
back to Washington from the asylum
! of her mothers home in California,
and at Everett about January l, 1901,
the two healed over their old differ
ences by marrying again Discord,
however, Immediately showed, and
after the lapse Of a few months the
two We're again divorced.
| Mrs. Folger then tried to get pos
session Of the child but was prevent
ed by her husband. Then Mrs. Place
met with Folger, a wealthy man. and
the two were married. She immedi-
ately began litigation for the care of
| the child, making a peition in the
courts here in which she attempted
| to set forth Places incapacity to
properly bring up the child. The tri-
| al was a long one, and when all the
testimony was given and arguments
completed Judge Chapman gave his
decision.
The court holds that the father is
the proper person to have custody Of
the child, according to common law;
that if he should take the child out
| OF Places possession and give it to
| it's mother it would be virtually TAX
| ing 1t from the custody of its own
father and placing it under the charge
of step-father, an adds that if the
position of the parents were reversed
the court would certainly not be in
clined to take the child from the pos
session of its mother and place it I'M
der the care of the father. The court
also holds that there is no evidence
that Place has neglected the child or
failed in his duty as a father, but, on
the contrary, that the child has been
we'll treated, and at all times has been
and is now provided with a good
home. Mr.. Place is we'll known in in
surance circles all over the state, as
well as through Oregon, California,
Utah and Arizona. For a year or
more past he has made his head
quarters at Seattle.