Los Angeles herald., 1909-04-29
CARPENTER SUIT
DELAYED MONTH
TECHNICAL POINT CAUSES
CONTINUANCE
Court Admits as Exhibit Letter Writ
ten by Decedent to Alleged
Wife's Mother Telling
of His Love

SANTA ANA, April 2S.-The case OF
Mrs. Fannie Pierce-French-C Carpenter
Chaffee against Mrs. NJ. Alice Carpen-
ter as administrators Of the estate OF
the late w. r. Carpenter, was called
this morning in the superior court,
with Attorney f. E. Keech for the de-
tense and Attorney Frank G. Tyrrell
of Los Angeles and Judge Victor Mont
gomery of Santa Ana representing the
plaintiff. The case was continued to
May 10. The suit is one in which plain
tiff seeks to recover the sum of $195l.SO,
alleged to have been loaned to w. r.
Carpenter by plaintiff at various times
and places covering a period of several
years. Carpenter died at Mountain
Home, Idaho, April 25, 1908.
AS a preliminary step this morning
the plaintiff introduced what purport-
ed to be a certificate of marriage be-
tween Carpenter and Mrs. Fannie M.
French.
Mrs. Carpenters attorney objected to
the introduction of the document as
evidence on the ground that the mar
riage was not legal ceremony, not
having been proceed by the obtaining of
a. license as prescribed by the state
law. Attorney Tyrrell urged that the
ceremony was solemnized outside the
laws of the state did not therefore ap-
ply, but the certificate was excluded
as evidence, although ordered filed for
future reference.
Carpenter Tells Of Love
Then came a letter purporting to
have been written by Carpenter to
Mrs. Morse, mother of Mrs. French,
and this, although not signed, was al
m in at
ter in part follows:
SANTA ANA, -, 1907.
Dear Mrs. Morse: / know we'll the
story of Fannie's married life. My
own experience has been what hers
was. We met, and from the first were
drawn to each other. though never an
improper thought ever crossed our
minds. After Mr.. French's death, Fan
ME came to our house on a visit.
Shortly after we met at the depot and
so we were thrown together on that
trip to Catalina. From that time we
loved each other, and with such a love
as only two passionate kindred spirits
could experience after having lived
with two phlegmatic, cold blooded ma
lures for so many years. Why, every
touch was like an electric shock An
introductory decree of divorce was en-
tered in the court, and after the year
>
expecting the final decree to be entered
on the court record, but through a
technicality it never was, and now it
is found Illegal and the decree denied,
and we must part. But 1 love her, Mrs.
Morse-Mother Morse-may I not call
you that name? l shall love her till
my dying day. and If 1 am free one
year hence, or twenty, 1 shall find her
If she lives and claim her as my wife"
A NAL clash that brought about ad-
journment of the case to May 10 came
when Attorney Keech for the defense
denied ever having been served with
the original claim upon which the suit
is brought, and Attorney Tyrrell for
the plaintiff urged as warmly that his
law partner, W. L. Jarrett, had served
Keech in person. leaving the claim at
the office of the latter in custody Of
some one in charge at the time. At
torney Tyrrell said he could produce
Attorney Jarrett to prove his asser-
ton, but investigation showed that
Jarrett was III in Los Angeles, and as
he could not be present, the case was
continued to May 10.