Arizona republican., 1909-12-03
Confront Each Other in
 M'COrd Case YeSterdau THE STORY OF THE PLAINTIFF
Of Her Marriage to a For
 mer Governor of Arizona, of Their Abrupt Separa- tion Which Took Place in Wisconsin Generation Ago

The sensational case of Mrs. Anna
 N. McCord. the first wife of the late
 Governor Myron H McCord. against
 Mary F.. McCOrd. the last wife of the
 governor, was begun in district court
 yesterday. There are. in fact, two cases. this one for the possession of the property now in the possession of
 the defendant, which it is alleged by the plaintiff is community property as between herself and her husband. This property consists of a house and several lots in Capitol Addition
 The other suit in which the chil- dren of Governor McCord and the plaintiff and Guy McCord. an adopted son of the late governor, are joined against Mary F. McCord and Robert Black. was brought to secure the annulment of certain transfers which began before the death of the gov ernor. who deeded the property to his wife, the property in dispute. con- sisting Of a ranch near town. having been sold since the death of the hus- band to Mir. Black
 The plaintiff is resting her case on the contention that Governor Me- Cord was never divorced from her. She occupied the stand nearly all aft ernoon and a part of the forenoon. She said that her husband left her more than thirty-three years ago in Wisconsin. after showing her a paper which he said was a divorce, obtained in the territory of Utah. He turned over certain property to her which was to be applied to the payment of debts for household necessities. After that she said she received no support from him. though he con tributed to the education of the chill dren.
 Not long after the separation. the witness said- that Governor McCord married his second wife and lived in Merrill. He had informed her in ad- vance that he was going to be mar ried
 Mrs. McCord was asked why she had not made complaint against him, if she believed that he had not been divorced from her She replied that she was without means tosprosecute an action against him. and when she was further questioned on this line and asked how she was able now to begin litigation at this distance from home. she replied that she had mort gagged her home for that purpose.
 She said that she had never spoken of her trouble to any but members of her family. her mother and sis ters When her husband was running for congress the first time she said. i in reply to a question. her daughter. | who was living with Col McCord and | his second wife, called to see her. 1 The colonel had understood, she said. | that she was about to submit tO an | interview on the subject of his de- sertion and neglect of her. and the | daughter had come to ask if the in [ terview which was to be used for . political purposes. could not be fore 1 stalled. The witness did not say | what reply she made. but she said | that Col. McCord gave her a note for /, S3.006 in payment of some debts she . owed. She added, not in response to | an inquiry. by the attorneys for the | defense. that the note had never been paid.
 It was with some difficulty that the i attorneys for the plaintiff succeeded ! in getting before the court proof of | her ow marriage to Colonel McCord |
 Mrs McCord was succeeded on the l stand by her sister, Mrs. Winans, | whose testimony was only corrobora- tive of that of the plaintiff.
 The first witness was Charles J. | McCord, who told the story of his | fathers life from the time he could | remember, and he had lived with him | the greater part of the time. The | attorneys for the defense made special attack upon this witness as the instigator of the proceedings and l questioned him so closely that his l replies would make fairly compre i hensive autobiography, except as to one year. concerning which he was inclined to reticenge. That set the cross examiners to delving all the harder, and they brought from him a refusal to reply, on the ground that mating. That further whetted the cu- riosity Of the attorneys for the de- fense. and finally the witness said he would give an account of his life during that particulaE year. but he would not disclose the places where he had been. He then admitted that he had been engaged in making books. that is to say. bookmaking.
 In order to relieve the mind of the court of any notion that he had pre- tended to set up that he had been publisher. he said: Judge Kent. I suppose you under stand what book making is?"