Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1908-07-02
STALVEY BOUND OVER
ALLEGED BIGAMIST GIVEN PRE-
LIMINIARY AT AIKEN.
The Prosecuting Witness, Who Gives
Her Name as Mrs. Elizabeth Meigs
Stalvey, Being Only Witness.

A dispatch from Aiken to The
News and Courier says "Wednesday
afternoon George M. Stalvey, charg-
ed with bigamy. was given a preli-
minary hearing before Magistrate
w. M. Smoak. and bound over to
the higher Court in the sum of $500.
which was promptly furnished. I'M
mediately after the prisoner had
been released on bond for this charge
he was again arrested on warrant
issued by Magistrate Turner, of
Graniteville, on another charge. He
gave bond for his appearance before
Magistrate Turner on that charge.
which grew out of the same case.
The charge heard by Magistrate
Sneak was for bigamy. The prose
cutting witness. who gives her name
as Mrs. Elizabeth Meigs Stalvey, was
the only witness examined. She
testified that she was married on
July "a, 1903, to the defendant, by
a man giving his name as the Rev
7. c. Clemmons at the home of a
certain fisherman, whose name she
did not remember. She stayed with
Stalvey that night at a hotel at Myr-
tie Beach, S. c., where the ceremony
was performed. She had often been
introduced by the defendant as his
wife. She offered in evidence a docu-
m signed by j. c. Glenn
mons, which certified to the marriage
of Stalvey and witness.
On cross-eXamination she said her
home was originally in Wilmington,
n. c.; that she was Miss Elizabeth
Petway. that she had been twice mar
ried, that her first husband was Mr..
Meigs, and that she met Stalvey in
Mullins several weeks before her
marriage. She has been a school
teacher. stenographer, typewriter
and bookkeeper, and last worked in
Atlanta about a year ago. Since then
she had been assisting the defendant.
She said she knew the defendant
was married in April. He had been
away from her several months at
the time. The marriage had been
kept secret at his request at some
places. and they went under the
name of Mr.. and Mrs. Mays, and at
other places as Mr.. and Mrs. Stall
vey. She declared that the defen-
dant confessed to her his second
marriage and asked her forgiveness
She forgave him and afterwards re-
pented of her action in so doing, and
took action against him.
Counsel for the defendant had in
his possession several afiidavits
which he wanted to read. alleging
that there was no such preacher as
the one named as the performer of
the ceremony, but questions arising
from reading them were overruled.
The witness declined to produce
letters from Stalvey. She said she
had attempted to commit suicide at
Macon. Ga, and admitted writing
a letter offered by the defence Just
previous to the attempt, stating that
she was tired of it all and she was
going to dispose of herself-that she
was but an incumberance upon him.
She would not assume her correct
name because he would not let her.
She said she was in a hospital In Co
lumbia at the time her first boy was
born. She had many letters from
him before and after his marriage
In Aiken to Miss Lightfoot. She
denied ever threatening him, as he
has claimed.
Stalvey's counsel said his client
denied any marriage relations with
the prosecutrix and that he could
prove his innocence at the trial. but
asked that he be not bound over.
Many of the spectators think that
strong case has been made against
Stalvey, and the woman here who
claims she is Mrs. Stalvey No. /,
clearly has the sympathy of the ma
jority of those who know the nature
of the case. She told well connect
ed story and differed on no important
detail upon cross-examination. The
defendant was representing by Wolfe
& Berry. Sawyer and Owens repre-
sented the prosecution.