Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1906-04-06
LOVE AND
MEDICINE
The Two Appear to Have Been Badly
Mixed by Dr.. r. S. Hedges and
Mrs. Belcheur.
DEPOSITION OF MRS. HEDGES
Knows Nothing as to Her Husbands
Whereabouts-Some Warm Love
Letters.

After being on the stand about three
and half hours, Mrs Maude Hedges,
plaintiff in the suit brought against
Mrs. Adeleheid Belcheur to recover
$25 900 damages for the alleged alien
alton of the affections OF DR.. Ralph S.
Hedges, completed her deposition be-
fore Justice w. T. Mcfarland Wednes-
day, the proceeding having been or
dered upon motion of Blackford &
Blackford of counsel for Mrs. Bel
cheur.
j. c. Huntoon and o. W. Belden ap-
peared for the plaintiff and w. M.
Blackford represented the defendant.
Mrs. Hedges stood the ordeal very well
indeed being perfectly composed
throughout the inquiry, and answering
all questions readily and with appar-
ent frankness. Undoubtedly the most
interesting feature of the proceeding
was the introduction of two letters
one alleged to have been written by
DR.. Hedges to Mrs. Belcheur, and the
other alleged to have been written by
Mrs. Belcheur to the doctor. Mrs.
Hedges had testified to having found
some letters that passed between the
parties, but could not produce them
for the reason that she had given
them to Mr. Huntoon. Mr. Blackford
then requested that gentleman to pro-
duce them but he declined to do so,
but finally, in response to a formal
written demand, which was made a
part of the record, allowed Mrs.
Hedges to hand over two letters to
which she had specifically referred.
Arrival Of Mrs. BeIcheur.
| 1t appears trat Mrs. Belcheur arriv
ed in Lewistown from Lavina early
last December, and remained until
January. She was during all of tnat
time a patient at the hospital, Dr.
Hedges having charge of her case
which was so serious as to require one
or more operations. According to the
testimony of the plaintiff, the intimacy
existing between the doctor and his
patient began after the former had
been in charge of the case a compar-
atively short time. AS soon as she
was convinced that matters stood as
she alleges they did in her complaint
Mrs. Hedges called at the hospital on
Saturday night, and told Mrs. Bel
cheur of her discovery, and ordered
the patient to leave Lewistown on
Monday morning following. After Mrs
Belcheur finally left, according to the
plaintiff, she returned for short time
and the affair went back to it's ole
footing for brief period.
Where is Hedges?
Not long after the plaintiff made
her discoveries, and before the sui
was begun, DR.. Hedges left the cit,
without his wife's knowledge, and ha.
been away ever since. Mrs. Hedge!
stated positively that she did not know
where the doctor had gone to.
Mrs. Hedges stated to Mr.. Black
ford that she estimated her damages
at $4,000 "at least"
Discovery Of the Letter.
AS before stated, it was the discov
cry of letter written by DR.. Hedge
to Mrs. Belcheur that convinced Mrs
Hedges in regard to the relations ex
isting between the parties. The Gil
cumstances connected with the findin
OF this missive are truly remarkable
The doctor, apparently. had taken ey
cry precaution against such a contir
gency, when by the merest accident
the effusion dropped straight into tn
hands it was never intended shoul,
hold it. The exact time when thi
letter was written is not known. 1t i
not directed to anyone and is simpl,
signed Ralph It's history is a mos
singular one, and would delight tn
heart of the fictiOnist. 1t seems, az
cording to the plaintiff, that after writ
ing the letter, the doctor sent it to tn
patient at the hospital. Later on, h
called and secured it from Mrs. Be
cheur. But he did not destroy i
which would have been the naturs
thing 10 do. Instead, ne took it t
. Wilson & Lewellin's drug store wher
he did his business, and placed it i
! a sealed envelope. which he addresse
to himself. He then had one of th
members of the firm place it in tn
safe, where it would be secure. On
Saturday evening Mrs. Hedges wer
to the drug store to get deed to
mining claim, which she understoo
her husband had left there for sal
keeping, and asked Mr.. Lewellin ft
some papers from the safe belongin
TO her husband. He gave hef this lie
ter, which was enclosed in an enve
ope simply addressed "Dr Hedges
; AS soon as she had read it, she reali
ed the situation, except that she d
not know, SO she testified. who IL
D woman was. She went home, confron