Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-12-11
j. B. Gray Insists Miss McKen-
zie Did Eli the Love Making
in Long Courtship
SAYS HE NEVER PROPOSED
Defendant in $4,000 Breach Of Promise
Suit Goes on Witness Stand in His
Own Behalf-Defense Scores by
Showing Plaintiffs Attorney Was to
Share in Sum Recovered.
snecial to .rimas-Republican.

Des Moines. Dec. 11.-That Miss NC
Kenzie, the Hampton school teacher
did all the counting, proposed many
times and insisted on marriage, is the
defense of J. B. Gray, the wealthy les
Moines man, to the $4,000 breach OF
promise suit, on trial here.
Mr.. Gray took the witness stand IN
Judge McHenry's court yesterday att-
ernoon to tell his side Of the story. lie
said that during the years
he kept company" with the pretty
schoolma'am she popped the ques-
ZION" SO many times he can't remem-
her all of them. What is more, every
time the question Of marriage was dis
cnssed them, she brought 1t
up, so he testified.
In a MI. Gray said his sweet
naart almost worried the life out OF
him by her frequent efforts to persuade
him to marry her n hnaliy every
time she would bring up the subject
he told her he didn't want 20 hear any
more about it. He denied that ne Lao
ever proposed marriage to MISS NC.
Kenzie or even gave her any nope TIA
he would take her for ms Wlle. IN
stead, according to his testimony nc
told her plainly that he a no III
tention Of marrying her altho ne al
mitted he admired her and liked her
company.
The fair plaintiffs face was a STUDY
In EXPRESSION as she listened to the re-
citsl OF his story. When Mr.. Gray
told Of her alleged attempts to capture
him gains his will a flush OF anger
mounted her face. Then, at other
times. her features relaxed and she
smiled conternptously as the defendant
made a fiat denial of parts OF her tes-
timony. A portion Of his atement
she wrote down On q piece Of paper on
the table in front of her.
Mr.. Gray himself was evidently III
at ease. He shifted IN the
witness chair and spoke In a low tone.
Frequently Mr.. Bradshaw, his attor-
ney. requested him to talk louder. Al
other times the witness would stop
in the middle of q sentence as II lost
in thought The burden Of his testi-
monyw was to the effect that he was the
nursued and not the pursuer, as Miss
re- HoA
Mckenzie claimed.
ad No Intention to Wed Her.
They were driving to Miss Mcken
zie's school together when she frst
adroitly brought up the subject Oh
marriage, Mr. Gray testified.
ssShe said her people had asked her
what my intentions were n wanted
to know what to tell them. l told hef
she was Of age and she ought 10
know what answer to give them. l
told her that as far as l was concerned
had no intention of marrying"
Miss Mckenzie forced a smile but
her eyes flashed fire as her former
lover delivered these statements.
.She asked me why I took that po-
sition and I replied that while l like
her society, as far as marrying was
concerned I never thought Of it."
..What was the next time h talked
Of marriage to you?" asked Mr.. Brad
shaw.
.sWell, they came so often and there
was so much said I can't remember all
OF Them" he replied. "She always said
she wanted to tell her people she was
engaged and asked me to bear her out
in it," Here the plaintiff frowned and
"a CuTlGQ ueI llp ulCI11pSoOOoA
Then Mr.. Gray told Of what may
have been a little attempt on HI part
Of his sweetheart to arouse his jeal-
ousy. He said h wrote him a letter
from Chicago describing a private the
atrical entertainment in which h took
part and describing in a glowing fash
ion a young man who took one Of the
characters. But instead Of becoming
jealous Mr.. Gray says he wrote back
and Id her he was glad she had
found somebody whom she thought
was all right" He said he also adj
vised her to marry the Chicago man
because she would be better off if she
could get out of Hampton.
when she came home," he contin-
ued, "she asked me what I meant by
the letter. I told her I didn't want to
stand in her way If h had an oppor-
tunity to be married, as I had no idea
Of marrying"
It was in 1900, just before he moved
from Hampton that Mr.. Gray says he
first rebuked his sweetheart for poster
ing him about being married.
Says Proposals Annoyed Him.
II told her it was annoying to me for
her to be telling me her troubles. 1
also told her she ought to get out of
Hampton and go where she could Sc
cure a good position as teacher and
nave wider possibilities. I also told
her plainly that while I admired her
and all that sort of thing I did not want
to marry her"
But, according to Mr.. Gray, Miss Nc
Kenzie did not believe him to be in
earnest, for shortly afterwards in Min
neapolis she again preached the I'M
welcome subject.
"She said some one had written her
asking her when W. were to be mar
ried," he testified. she asked me what
/ intended to do, and I replied that I
did not var her to think that I en-
couraged her in any way"
The plaintiff blushed and looked an
grily at Mr.. Gray when he said she had
asked him a great man times to buy
her a ring. He denied that he had ever
promised to dc so.
81 never wrote to her except when
she would write to me several times
demanding an answer"
Miss Mckenzie bit her lips at this
and glared in the direction of the wit
ness stand.
In October, 1908, Mr.. Gray said Miss
Mckenzie wrote a letter practically de-
mandnng her TO marry her. Accord
ing to Mr.. Gray his persistent sweet
heart chose the romantic environments
Of . ummer night in z Minneapolis