The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1908-05-18
rHr sINeuLAR coRDRAY cAsE.
Moss Complicated Litigation IN Annals
OF oklahoma

W 0'ti'fNNfNeH
j. w. Cordray made homestead en-
try 70 quartCq section OF land In
Canadian county. lie afterward mar
ried. On May %. 1901 he decided tire
land TO his wife. Sometime later Cor.
dray LETT rather hastily for California.
where he remained for several years.
on November 49, 1909. Mrs. Cordray
filed suit In Canadian county for di-
vorce. getting service upon Cordray
By puthlicsAon. on February %. 1908
Mrs. CordFay was granted a decree
Iof divorce and the custody OF the two
little girls born of the marriage Az
ter six months had elapsed. she mar
ried r. l. Hand and lived with him
ia Caddo county. In 1905. Cordray re-
turned to Canadian county and CON
Iceived the idea OF recovering the
land he had decided his wife Mrs
Cordray had, during Cordray's soiourn
in California rented the land and was
in possession Of It by her tenant
Mr. Bradley when Cordray returned.
Cordray commenced living with Brad
ley On March 2S. 1905 II. W. Morgan
an attorney Of Anadarko, Oklahoma
purchased the land of Mrs. Cordray
,Cordray then began an action against
Morgan to quiet the title to said land
in Cordray and at about the same
time entered a special appearance in
the Canadian county district cemt
and moved the conrt to vacate thefde-
cree Of divorce that had been granted
10 his wife on the ground of various
defects in the attempted service by
publication Both matters were deci-
ded adversely to Cordray by Judge
Irwin in the district court and Cor
dray promptly appealed to the SUI
preme court Of Oklahoma On Sep
tsmber 4. 1907 the supreme court pas
sed uppn the divorce proposition and
reversed the district court, holding
the decree of divorce granted Mrs.
CordFay to be void. The effect OF that
decision was to invalidate the mar
riage Of Mrs Cordray to Hand and
renew her status as the wife Of Cor
dray. Mrs. Cordray and MIR. Hand
Immediately ceased TO live as husband
and wife Cordray then entered his
appearance in the original divorce case
! filed In the district court OF Canadian
county in 1902. and in April 1908 sec
ured divorce from his wife and the
custody of the two children, and the
next day secured writ of habeas cor
pus from the chief juEtice OF the su.
pfeme court OF Oklahoma, command.
ing Mrs. Cordray TO appear before the
district Judge of Canadian county aud
deliver the two children to Cordray
Cordray had gone to Caddo county
with the officer to serve the writ OF
habeas corpus and while in Caddo
county WAS Immediately served with
summons In another divorce suit filed
by Mrs. Cordray in the district court
lof Caddo county. The day following
Mrs Cordray through her attorney
II. w Morgan Of Anadarko, sent be
fore the district judge of Canadian
county and upon showing that Mrs
Cordray had had no notice of the m
ing of the answer by Cordray the
! Canadian county case. secured a Aca
tion of the decree granted CordraN
and the case stands for trial June 3
In the meantime the district court oi
Caddo county held a term and tn,
Cordray case came on for trial and
Cordray being In default the case was
tried and a decree OF divorce was
lagain granted to Mrs Cordray on the
9TH. day of May. 1908, Mrs. Cordray's
attorney will now present the judg
ment rendered in the Caddo county
district court as bar to further pro
oeedings in the district court Of Cana
ldian county.
The last chapter In this now cslebra
ted case was the decision handed
down by the supreme court on the
l4th. inst affirming the decision OF
the district court IN the land case and
making the title OF r. W. Morgan per
feet