Los Angeles herald., 1907-01-13
HIS INDIAN BRIDE
SUES FOR DIVORCE
MRS. AGNES M'ALPINE WAS A
PRINCESS
IlI-Treated, She Says, by Husbands
FamIy-Thoueh Loving, Faith
full Wife, They Could Not
Forgive Her Her Race
Special to The Herald.

d.,
ty little Mrs Agnes McAlpine been
born an Indian, unable to forget the
laws and customs of her people for
generations, she would not now be
asking the court here to divorce her
from her white husband, Kenneth Nc
Alpine, son of wealthy and prominent
people.
Kenneth MCAlpine comes of a family
of physicians and surgeons in Western
Pennsylvania. His father was Dr. Vol
ney McAlpine, whose father was
physician; so is his sister, Jasmine
McAlpine. Kenneth himself is a dent
list. In 1899 he caught the gold fever
and went to WrangeL Alaska. in the
hope of striking it rich. There he met
Agnes Young, the most beautiful In
dian maiden in Alaska. She was only
II at the time, and Kenneth McAlpine
was one of the first white men she had
ever met. Her father is an Indian
chief, and she was regarded as
princess.
Agnes was living with her father in
his ice-thatched hut at Wrangel, and
one day when she was strolling out she
met McAlpine. He walked home with
her, met her secretly. and six weeks
after their first meeting they were mar
ried. against the old chiefs protest, by
a Presbyterian missionary. Having no
place else to go, they went to the hut
OIL her 1atnef.
A Primitive Honeymoon
In his testimony on the witness stand
DR.. McAlpine described this hut. 1t
was of brush, plastered over with mud
and covered with ice and snow. There
was hole for a doorway, and at the
top of the hut another hole through
which the smoke escaped. There were
no windows. In the center of the room
was fire over which blubber was
cooked. Along the sides of the room
were built hunks. All of the members
of the family slept in the same room,
cooked there and lived there. The dogs,
of which there were many, slept and
lived there. too. and frequently there
were many Indian guests, who also
slept in the same room.
McAlpine and his bride lived there
for a time and theft they put up a |
shack of their own on ground which |
they rented for 81 month. McAlpine |
had his dental instruments with him !
and he decided to open an office; but he |
did not prosper. His Wife. on the wit
ness stand, testified that he would re-
main in bed all day and refuse to see
patients. McAlpine himself. however,
said he was ostracised because he was
"squaw man."
According to Mrs McAlpine. they
went for a month at a time with moth
ing to eat but dry bread and such game |
as she could shoot; that her husband /
made no effort to raise her from her |
lowly position, but that gradually he
sank to the level of the most worth |
less Indian. Finally her father sold
some hides for 500 and with it sent
the couple to the home of Mr.. Meal |
pines relatives in this place. in the hope
that McAlpine would do better and that |
his bride would be lifted to level |
with him.
In spite of all the hardships she had
undergone in Alaska Mrs; McAIplhe
said the days there were the happiest |
days of her life, and she would have
been willing to have gone on thus for
ever working for her own and her
husbands success.
Unused to White Mans Ways
Her real troubles, she testified, be-
gan when she reached civilization and /
the home of her husbands relatives. Il
She was an Indian, and they were II
whites, and nothing could remove the Il
social barrier between them. She was
coldly received by her mother-in-l law
and her sister-in-laW. DR.. Jasmine Nc II
Alpine Her husband was given an H
elaborately furnished room in the Nc
Alpine home, while she was given a II
cold and unfurnished garret to sleep H
in, although she was about to become Il
a mother. 1t was in this garret that II
her baby was born. Her husband had II
in the meantime returned to Pittsburg H
and resumed his studies in the Western Il
University of Pennsylvania.
The Indian wife was sadly neglected H
in the attic, she said, and when she II
was able to move about her condition II
became even worse. She had her child II
to attend to and i'm addition was eX-
pected to do the household work and II
was treated in every respect as SER
want. II
Her husband was finally taken i'll Il
with appendicitis and brought home. i
She says she was refused admission II
to his room and that her place at his l
bedside was taken by Miss Carrie II
Miller, a young woman who, as she 1
was repeatedly reminded. should have I.
been the wife Of Kenneth.
After her husbands recovery Mrs. Il
McAlpme decided to return to her own Il
people. When she made this announce II
ment it was greeted with delight by her /.
relatives but it WAS stated that She II
would have to leave her son, Victor Il
behind. She Was soon again TO- become I.
a mother. She begged On take her SON
with her but WAS refused and finally
she went back home alone, There her l
second baby was born.
The asst Straw
In the meantime Victor was taken IN
and died. He. husband, she says did 4
not notify her and She did not lcnu
of it until several months aftorWard, +.
whom some kindly disposed uojghhoIs
wrote and told her. IT wa. then that
she decided 10 com. east and ask for Il
legal scparauon
She secured money from her father to
make the trip cast and after hcr arr
rival here she was taken I'm charge by
Mrs. II. II. Gouchcr Mrs l.. W ZuNer
and Mrs Charles Haines ueighbors of
the McAluucs. who uitiol TIN. bcauu-
full but unfortunate young woman.
All three of these Womoa testified ON
Mrs. McAniue's behalf al the trial. de-
Glazing that she was treated iu brutal
manner and Was not given as much .
consideration as a servant ordinarily
receives
Mrs. McAlpiuc not only asks for
divorce and alimouy from her husband .
but has begun suit against her mother T.
in-law. her sistcr-m-aW, Dr. Jasmine
McApine and Miss Carrie Brown for .
..nre,ira,,- IaIrsuIilf., N1U O0O G1D1a pag .