The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-06-22
ASKS DIVORCE
FROM MURDERER
HUSBAND IN PENITENTIARY
AND MRS. LEONORA WARREN ASKS
COURT FOR A DIVORCE.

shortly After Marriage She and
Murdered Mate of steamer Bement
and Then Came to savannah,
Where He Was Arrested-Wife's
Struggles to Reach Old Home from
PARKWAY SeattIe-Living Here
with Child.
Her husband a convicted murderer
and now serving a life sentence. her
self left with a small child to support
and bring TO manhood, Mrs. Leonora
A. Warren yesterday morning insti-
tuted suit in the Superior Court for
total divorce.
The libel is a short one, requiring
less than two pages of type-writing,
and yet it contains one of the most
pathetic stories that has come to light
in some time. The two grounds on
which a divorce is asked are desertion
and the fact that her husband is a
convicted murderer.
Five or six years ago, James L. War
rem, young and handsome, and of
good family in Washington, D. c.,
came to Savannah and married. He
remained here but short time and
then he and his pretty young wife
started westward to make their for
tune. Warren located at Seattle, Wash,
and it was while living there that
son was born to the couple.
Warren's Sudden Disappearance.
For a time there was nothing to mar
the lives of the young couple. Sudden
ly Warren left. Nothing was heard
from him by his wife and she found
herself in a strange city. with but
few acquaintance, and with no means
of reaching her home in Savannah.
The first word that she had of her
husband was that he was accused of
murder in Portland, Ore. and that the
officers of the law were on his trail.
All hope of his return then vanished,
and, broken hearted. she began the
journey back to Savannah and the
home she had left only a few years
before as a happy bride.
Warren Came to savannah.
Reaching this city she went to her
parents home and has lived with them
ever since. Shortly after she arrived
Warren put in an appearance. He had
been here but a short time, however
when he was arrested by the city no
lice, and a few days later Detective H.
P. Ford of Portland arrived and took
him in charge.
Extradition papers were secured by
Ford's partner, Detective James Day.
and the accused was taken back to the
scene OF his crime. Here he was tried
and found guilty of the murder of the
mate of a ship on which he had signed
to sail. He was sentenced to life I'M
prisoninent.
At present, says the wife's libel he
is working out his sentence in the Ore
gon state penitentiary at Salem, and
she asks the court to free her from
him. Judge Cam promptly granted
the order to perfect service by publ
cation, and the case will come up at
the next term of the court.
Attempted to Kill Wife.
Though the wife does not state it in
her libel for divorce, the records here
show that Warren attempted to kill
his wife before he deserted her He
had hit her over the head with
heavy bar and left her lying on the
floor for dead. The following is part
of an interview with Detective Day
at the time Warren was taken from
Savannah to Portland:
The murder of the mate of the Be
ment was not Warren's only crime.
We have learned that he beat his wife
over the head with a heavy bar and
left her for dead at Seattle. She re-
covered after being unconscious for
weeks and told the story of the crime.
The officers of Seattle were looking
for him when he committed the hor-
rible murder in our city,
Warren was convicted of the murder
of Mate Kirk of the steamer Bement
He had shipped on the boat and on the
night of Jan. %. 1900, Warren slipped
into the mates bunk and murdered
him by beating out his brains with an
iron bar. He secured about 5000 in