The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1903-12-12

have an insfrt~sf,irhl religious plat
form. Mrs ~ hmidt has a husband
y ho IL tn Alaska She - the moth
er ~ sis yannE ehuarsn. ,hs Young
est Of whom IL but two years otd
Mrs. Nelson - plain -fsstvred
y esuau. and her nniy Interest Ia life
has been Ia her husband. her chill
tfvn and her reiiEiun She u
Swedish Lutheran she has tuilsd
early snd late IN The service OF her
family.
whsa IN broken English and with
tears in her eyes. she told her STORY
on the witness stand yesterday. she
wen the sympathy 81 the ertir~ au-
dlsnre. n safd that her husband
had told her frequently that she a.
= follower 81 the devil and spent
ruoss - his time when he wRs not
preaching n pfaiFiuE Mrs. schmidt
and her good works
Il could bear with ny husbands
oddities Mrs Seisou aabbsd. be
cause he q. thsl fAthrr 81 my chill.
drsn. and I loved hlm but I can
not stand Il 20 have hin put an.
other woman IN nv place and then
say ne ia doing the win Of God ="
A peculiar feature 81 the case 10
that until five years ago Nelson
death Of 4 aan. 70 whom he rzs
ulhch attached resulted IN hts con-
version and for some time - At
tended the Lutheran church with his
wife. A year o. 40 ago he iuvsntnd
a religion % his own. took 10 street
] preaching and has sftsm pied 60
I force his family 20 give up their
I church and attend his meetings
rpon their refusal 60 40 this. be
becar1- convinced that u was his
duty to hold meetings Tor their 80
ueciai benefit at home. and hts wife
ard children say he preached 90
them from different texts morning
noon and night.
Nelson. who was The first 70 ties
tify IN the case. told the court that
he wanted divorce because the
Lord had tald him to get unr 10
said he hated hts wife. and had Ions
believed Mrs schmidt 10 he the hssi
woman In the world he and she
he said. we're very likely The only
tao persons ia seattle Who would
be able 10 pass 81 Peter at The
golden gate With a whine ~ hfa
voice. he complained that his wife
scratched his face when he told her
he loved Mrs schmidt and tried 70
keep her from EoinE n church.
NhfA4N u "A lHHAn man Win FatH
er n handsome though sullen face
lie dresses well and always seems
10 have plenty % money RE had
few witnesses. and his attempt 70
make out q case Of cruelty against
his wife WIS pitifully weak
Mrs Nelson's witnesses told ~
an occasion when ore Of the Nelson
children was badly burned The
preacher. who also claims 20 be 81
divine healer. locked the child IN 3
room and prayed over ~. until the
neighbors, alarmed By ifs screams.
rushed IN. and assisted the mother
70 break down the door and get q
doctor.
Mrs. schmidre sister. Mrs. Meyers
who f. an ardent mission worker.
and her mother. n sweet faced old
lady. who r. brokcn-heafted at her
daughters departure from the or
thodux way ~ living and believing
both testified IN Mrs. Nelson's be-
half
Mrs Meyers denounced her Sister
strongly. saying that she had
brought disgrace upon her family
and told 81 n time when she had
seen Nelson and her sister .Hittiuf
on the sofa together, "SpooninR ~
way what sisters and brothers IN
the Lord hadn't ought TO-"
Mrs. Schmidt's mother testified
that Nelson had been. and f. nov
living with Mrs Schmidt In open nd
ultery. and wept ne she told OF her
six little grandchildren. who She