Los Angeles herald., 1906-05-14

Jackman and she has one grandchild.
Eight of the children are living. Five
of them, under the terms of the con-
tract, were transferred to Mosby when
she became his common law wife, but
Helen, 10 years old, is now in the st.
Louis Chidren's hospital
Mosbys lawyer will contend that he
cannot be tried in Pana as whatever
offense he may have committed was at
his home In Shelby county. Pana is in
Christian county. The scene Of the re-
markabe agreement is 100 miles from
ST. Louis
II don't understand why the law in
terferes," Mrs. Jackman said. She held
her baby, Myrtle, years old in her
arms, rocking back and forth to still its
fretting.
"Jackman and | and the Mosbys
used to live in the same house in st.
Louis We were just friends then, and
none of us thought of making any
change. While we lived there Mrs.
Mosbys little girl was born.
First Talk Of Divorce
"Then Mosby and his wife went to
Tower Hill to live, and they wrote to
us to come, too. Mosby and Jackman
did some clearing together. Last July
Jackman suggested to Mrs. Mosby that
she get a divorce and marry him. She
said she wouldn't do that without talk
ing to Theodore about it.
when she asked Theodore, he said
he was perfectly willing. But Jackman
and went back to ST. Louis soon after
that and did not see the Mosbys until
December. Then Jackman got to talk
ing about it again, and finally he said:
Why not trade wives?'
Theodore said that suited him. He
came to ask me what | thought of it,
and Jackman went to Mrs. Mosby. /
found that Mrs. Mosby wanted to, and
| consented. Yes, of couse, L wanted
to all along, but l wasn't going to say
so until I saw what the others wanted.
well, after that we talked quite a
while about how we should do it. None
of us wanted to do anything wrong,
but we couldn't see how it could be
very wrong anyhow.
"At first we thought 1t would be all
right just to draw UP papers ourselves
with pencil, but Mosby and 1 said
that wouldn't do.
'Mosby went to see lawyer about
it and he said the best way would be
to get divorces. But that takes so
long none of us wanted to do 1t.
80 one day we all went to Pana
and the lawyer there drew up the con-
tracts we told him we wanted, and we
came back with new husbands. Jack
man and Mosby rented the Fairchild
farm near here and we all came out
to live
Nursed His Injury
"The next day Mrs Mosby-Mrs
Jackman we called her then-said she
wanted to go and see her father and
mother in Rochdale, Ind, and Jack
man put her on the train. Then he
came back to us. He cut his foot and
1 nursed him three weeks. But of
course | thought then l was Mosby's
wife, and only did 1t as for a friend.
After Jackman got well he went to
st. Louis and Allie was to go there.
"When | took Helen to the hospital
in st. Louis. I saw Jackman at the
home of my married daughter. I asked
Jackman where he was living, but he
wouldn't tell me- He said Allie was
coming to ST. Louis the next day and
that he was looking for a house for
her.
"And that's all there is to it. AS
soon as Theodore gets out / will sue
for divirce. and when | get 1t we will
be married by a minister"
Mosby, holding to the bars of the
cell in Pana Jail, gaunt, tanned, worn
with worry over the outcome of his
marital readjustment, said that his
action in consulting a lawyer before
hand proved his innocence of any in
tentioh to break the law. He asks
every visitor at the Jail for news
about his adopted children.
Attorney e. F. O'Farrell of Pana,
who drew up the contracts, says that
he warned all parties at the time that
the act they proposed was illegal. The
statements of the three show that the
warning was not taken much to heart.
And now, the case is up to the
courts to solve The crime, If one was
committed, may have taken place in
any one of three counties, in two
states. Which one will have jurisdic-
ton? And what will be the crime
charged Are the four guilty-if not,
which one, if any?