The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-02-24
Then HEIEFT Her
Husband Discards Wife When
Finds She's Invalid.
Mrs. Rigdon's Pathetic Story Of
Her Desertion.
A SUIT FOR DAMAGES.
Asks Ten Thousand Dollars
From the City Railway.
Vas Hurt on Crossing Tracks
at Tenth Avenue.
A SUIT FOR DAMAGES.

me pla1ntive story that she was too
much Of an invalid to be a companion
able wife 10 q strong healthy man was
told by Mrs Charles 81. Rigdon on Fri
/ day afternoon at the district court in
the course Of her trial against the To
peka Railway company for $4,000 dam
ages for personal injuries
The questioning upon the subject was
very pointed. She did not rnince her
answers in the least, but stated that
she was so badly injured by being run
down by the street car on September u
OF last year that he left her when he
found that she was practically an in
+ valid
I was too much Of an invalid for a
strong healthy man. she said
Mrs. Rigdon's life has been full Of
troubles, especially during the past sew
eral months She testified to having
asked the county attorney to get out a
warrant for her husbGnd's arrest for
nensuppoFt. She stated that he drank
too much. After the accident he left
her, unprovided with money. When she
/ Went to the Santa Fe offices Where her
husband was employed to get a pass to
60 to Denver. she was elected from the
building and has S. nee sued the Santa
] F'e company for 5000.
She stated on the stand that it WIS
/ her lack Of money and the misrepresen-
/ tations made by representatives of the
street car company that caused her to
make a settlement for S175.
Mr.. Hickson, the claim agent for
the street car company said Mrs. Rig
don, told mo that Mr.. WEIGH did not
+ have any personal interest in my case.
He told me that the case would be pre-
! vented from coming to trial for a long
while. We went to see an attorney
about signing the release He first told
me that my contract with Mr.. Welch
! prevented me from doing that. Then
he talked with Mr.. Hickson and told
me to do a s pleased. I was sick and
/ penntless. NY baggage was being
4 held for the payment of my room and
beard bill. So accepted the $175 and
signed the release. I knew had d
good case-but Mr.. Hickson's state
ments 7 believed ana that is the reason
/ gave in"
/ The method of examining Mrs. Rig
den was very tedious. She is deaf but
/ talks well. So the attorneys. dictated
their questions to a stenograIsler who
/ took them down on the typewriter, and
| then handed her the question she
would read it. aloud and then answer.
The process took an immense amount 81
! time Mrs. RigdOn was placed on the
stand at /: 80 o'clock and remained there
IunffI almost six. This morning she was
/ placed on the stand again Ine pam
/ tiff has eight more witness while the
/ defense has fifteen. It IS very pr0paDle
i that the case viii rot be finished by
a charge Of fraud and misrepre-
/ sentation was made by the plaintin $
/ leading attorney, r. B. Welch, against
Claim Agent Hickson' OF lhe T Sl.1.- say
/ company. because he went to Denver
and got Mrs. RigdOn to sign a releass
for s175. when the case was started
/ yesterday morning
The attorneys for the railway com
many came back at Mr.. Welch by
stating that he Is prosecuting the suit
/ inst because his client did not give
/ him half Of her settlement money,
/ according to an original contract he
/ held with her, by which he was to
/ get so per cent of any amount Of
money which the jury might grant
her in case d damage suit was
/ MIS- Rigdon is the wife of Charles
4 NJ. Rigdon. She was knocked down by
i a Tenth avenue east-bound street car
/ on September p of last year at the
crossing of Tenth avenue and Tyler
+ street She is entirely deaf, but not
mute. Her attorney, MI Welch, IN
stating the case, said that she saw the
car about q block away when she
/ stepped off the curbing into the street
/ and thought she still had plenty Of
i time to cross. Just as she was step
j ming off the track however, the car
/ struck her and knocked her to the
ground There was no fender on the
I car He claimed that the car ran
I 1914 feet before the motorheer was
able to bring it to q complete stop.
/ Mrs. Rigdon was knocked senseless.
/ She was taken to Christ hospital, but
was not expected to recover. Her
skull was fractured and her side badly
/ Injured.
when Mrs. Rigdon got out of the
hospital" said Mr.. WEIGH, "her hus-
band and she separated. He drank
/ too much occasionally. For a time he
sent her SIS per month. She went to
+ Denver. There she became sick. and
to add to her misfortune her husband
ceased sending her the regular month
band. then employed by the Santa Fe
at Los Angeles. for money. He came
] to Topeka and told the railway COM