The Topeka state journal., 1905-12-16
W. A. Roberts, Who Engineered
Cooper Marriage on the Stand.
Explains How He Brought About
Meeting.
GOOD THING.
Mr.. Cooper Wanted to Hurry
the Marriage.
Insisted, However, on Ante
Nuptial Contract.

w A. Roberts, a real estate agent who
seems to have conducted a ma atrimonial
agencv. as a side line, has been on the
witness stand all forenoon in the Cooper
divorce case. Nearly the entire morn
ing was taken up by the examination
and the cross examination will probably
consume the remainder of the afternoon.
Judge Dana has announced that the
case will be completed today if it Is in
the power of the court to do so. There
will in all probability, be a night ses-
sion of the court if the evidence is not
all in before that time.
Mr.. Roberts, who has been on the
stand all morning testifying to his re-
lations in the case, said: I have known
the parties to this suit for a long time,
and when Mr.. Cooper came to me and
told me that he wanted to get mar
ried I Immediately thought Of my friend
Miss Stookeye. [ made arrangements
for Miss Stookeye to visit at my home
on Christmas day and then 1 invited
Mr.. Cooper out to dinner and introduced
him to the lady whom he afterwards
married.
Il did not know that the Introduction
would result in their marriage for I was
not sure what Miss Stookeye would
think of Mr.. Cooper. [ had told her
LnaL ne was q wealthy TSItTeQ ldIIllSI
and that I considered him a man OF ex-
cellent standing in this community and
that had recommended her to him for
wife. They met at my home and
there made arrangements to see each
other the following Sunday.
1.-The next Sunday myself and wife
and Miss StOokeye and Mr.. Cooper went
down and looked over his home prop
erty and as he showed us about the
place he told US of the city property
a1s,.v hot p a
well pleased with Miss StOokeye and IN
sisted that the arrangements for the
marriage be hurried along.
Miss Stookeye expressed herself as
being well pleased with the old man
and the matter just drifted along for
awhile Mr.. Cooper was very anxious
to get married but=he insisted upon haV-
ing an ante-nuptual agreement signed
UP before the marriage ceremony was
performed as he said so that they would
be protected FROM the claims Of his
other wife from whom he had obtained
divorce a short time before.
After the matter was settled as to the
ante-nuptial contract, another hitch
came as to where the marriage was to
| be performed. Mr.. Cooper wanted to
be married at his own home in this city
and invite in his friends to witness the
ceremony, while Miss Stookeye wanted
/ the ceremony performed in Kansas City.
/ They finally agreed that the ceremony
was to be performed in this city but
! that there should be no wedding party.
Mr.. Cooper wanted the ceremony per-
/ formed by Judge Dana of the district
court and explained that he had case
pending before Judge Dana and that if
he gave him the job of marrying them
| that it might help him in his case Wnen
| it should come up for trial.
| On cross examination Mr.. Roberts ad-
mitted that he thought that the mar
rage would be a good thing for all con-
cerned and that he gave Mr. Cooper a
good send-off to the lady who after
! wards became Mrs. Cooper. At noon
I Mr.. Roberts was still on the stand un-
! der a heavy fire of cross questions by
1.-THE attorneys for the plaintiff.
A little pice was added to the trial
of the case Friday afternoon when Mrs.
/ Mckay was on the witness stand
under cross examination by the attor-
ney for the defendant. Mr.. Hazen in
sisted on the witness giving her age and
/ this seemed to be a delicate point with
! her. How old are your" asked Attor-
ney Hazen. 'fWell, I am old enough to
/ testify in this case" replied Mrs. Me-
/ KAY, and while Attorney Hazen is
bound to admit that much, he is still
/ guessing as to the age Of the witness.
Again Attorney HaZen was insisting
upon an answer to the question. Did
You. or did you not, tell the defendant
/ in this case that you thought that her
attorney must be an old fool to bring
a case when there are SO many things
/ against her winning" This question
| seemed to embarrass the witness for a
moment, but upon being pressed for a
repIv she said "Yes. I said that and I
stil think the same thing