Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-04-11
COMPLICATIONS IN MARITAL CA.
REER OF ALLoRA FARMER
ARE MuLTITUDlNous.
LA W SUITS MULTIPLY

mo sooner Is Patsey Perjury Case Dis.
missed Than New One Against the
Youthful Bride Is lnstituted-Herl
Husband Also Defendant-Tears
Shed by the Gallon.
One habeas corpus suit, one shot
gun duel between husband and father,
two suits charging assault with intent
to commit murder, two perjury suits,
one suit charging subornation of
perjury, one suit charging threat to
commit public offense, the loss of
one eye, term spent in the Ottumwa
hospital, several months spent in the
Wapello county jail, tears shed by the
or less are few of the complications
that have marked the brief marital ex-
perience of Mr.. and Mrs. John S.
Farmer and that have given absolute
proof that in this case "the course of
true love never runs smooth"
Since the marriage of John S.
Farmer and Miss Alora Halsted,
daughter of Mr.. and Mrs George w.
Halsted, 801 Church street, sensational
developments have come thick and
fast. When the daughter Immediately
after her marriage at the office of Ex-
Justice e. M. Campbell went to her
home and the fact of her marriage was
discovered she wac made prisoner
and kept away from her husband by
her father. The husband promptly
filed habeas corpus suit in district
court and after a trial lasting several
days before Judge M. A. Roberts was
denied the custody of his wife.
Shot Gun Duel.
Farmer went to the residence of
Mrs Emma j.. Pomeroy about three
miles south of the city and remained
there biding his time. About one week
later the girl on pretense of visiting a
friend, left her home and joined her
husband Three days later the father
learning of the whereabouts of the
daughter, shouldered his trustworthy
double barrelled muzzle oading shot
gun and tramped out to the country
home with his heart full of vengeance.
He tramDed about the house for some
time and then catching sight of his
daughters husband through a window,
he plazed away. He did no damage
and turned away to the barn, where
he reloaded his gun. When he ap-
preached the house again Farmer, the
son-in-law, stepped out with single
barrelled gun in his hand. Three
shots rang out with but a seconds
delay and Farmer went back into the
house with a badly wounded arm.
Doctors and officers were called and
both men were arrested. Halsted
went to Jail, where he has since been
confined, except while he has teen out
on bond Farmer went to the hospital
where he was compelled to stay sew
eral weeks Aside from the loss of one
eye his desperate encounter did him
little damage.
Charges of assault with intent to
commit murder were filed against each
man and on preliminary hearings both
were bound over. The March grand
jury investigated the charges and
only Halsted was indicted
Patsey Not Guilty.
Meanwhile as result of testimony
and evidence given in the habeas cor
pus proceedings charges Of perjury
were filed against Ben Patsey, who
assisted Farmer in securing the H.
cense for the marriage Of himself and
Miss Halstead, and against Farmer for
subornation of perjury. For several
days past the perjury trial has been on
in district court Yesterday afternoon
at 3 o'clock the case went to the jury
and at o'clock verdict of not guilty
was returned Patsey is today free
man.
This morning County Attorney EppsI
asked for the dismissal of the suborn-
alton case against Farmer in motion
which declared that as Mrs. Farmer, the
chief witness in the case had perjured
herself, in that on ths witness stand
in the present case she swore that the 4
statements which she had made pre-.
vfously before the grand jury were I'M
true and false, and that as she was
now the wife of the defendant and in
consequence an incompetent witness
and further that the verdict in the Pat
sey case that no perjury had been com
it was useless to bring the
matter to hearing.
Second Perjury Case.
With these dismissals in district
court came the belief that the course
OF true love might for a time run
smoothly but the proceedings in this
court had scarcely been recorded be-
fore Halsted the father of the grill
filed charge of perjury against her
before Justice w. J. Berry. The charge
alleges that the testimony given by
her before the grand jury and again
before the district court in the investi-
cation and trial of the Patsey perjury
case was conflicting and that on her
own testimony she admitted in district
court that she had perjured herself
before the grand jury.
Alleges Threat to XIII.
Coincident with the filing of this
case came another in Justice M. L. I
Kinks Office this morning in which
Farmer, the husband charged Halstead
The father with threatening to COM