Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-01-25
TUESDAY, JANU.-RY as, 1910.

against her husbands parents, Senator
B. r. Tillman and his wife. who are
now in possession of the children. Her
attorneys last night refused to give out
any information, not that they oppose
publicity, but because they wish.
the records to be presented In court
pefore any newspaper publication. Mrs.
Tillman, since ner alleged desertion. has
been making her home In this city with
her nearest Of male kin, Dr. Francis w,
Pfckens Butler. She is the grand
daughter Of F. w. Pickens, war gov
ernor'' Of South Carolina and the min
lister to Russia under President Buch-
anan. To Coy. and Mrs. Pickens was
born In st. Petersburg. in the palace
OF the Romanoffs, girl baby, for whom
the czarina stood godmoti1er, and sne
was called Douschka, meaning "darr.
ing" This woman, afterwards beloved
by the people Of South Carolina, mar
rted DR.. Dusas Of Augusta, Ga, the
father Of Mrs. Tillman. The Pickens
FAMILY had long been among the most
influential In the state. Mr.. and Mrs.
X. q. Tfllman, Jr., were married De-
cember 29, 1908, and parted In Novem-
Der, 1908. Just why Is not yet an
nounced officially, but Mrs. TiIlman's
relatives stated that her husband drank
70 excess and was very unkind to her.
In February OF last year, after e sepa-
ration OF three months, Mr.. and Mrs. B.
II. Tfllman, Jr., began living together
again, and this was supposed TO be
happy ending Of the quarrel. But In
December, while they were living in
Washington, Mrs. Tillman had q sud-
den and desperate illness. Her hus.
band, 1t Is said, provided no nurse for
her, and showed no proper attentions
to her. On the first day Of her conya-
lescence he came to the apartments
and asked to take the two children to
see their grandmother. The wife as
sented, but the children protested and
had to be forced to go to their grand
mother. This was on December 8, and
Mrs. Tillman has not seen her babies
since that hour. In the afternoon TIL
man came back without them. He told
his wife that their grandmother had
taken them and had gone to South
Carolina with the little ones. A few
days thereafter Mrs. Tillman was In
formed by attorneys for Senator Till.
man that the father Of the children had
made and recorded regular deed In
which the custody Of the children is
given to the grandparents until the lit
tie girls become Of age. The deed on
file with the clerk Of court at Edgefield.
shows that young Tillman, after alIeg-
Ing his wife's inability and unsuitable.
ty to raise the children properly, admits
tnat ne, too, Is unable to assume the
responsibility. 1t has been known In
Columbia for some time that Mrs. Till
mans lawyers have been getting am
dayits from the best citizens of EDGE
field to show that she is loving and
painstaking mother and that she is
responsible, having q PLAN
tatfon which brings an annual rental of
over $1,000. The afiidavits viii declare
that the mother is far more suited to
raise the children than their grandpa-
rents, who are away from home half
the time. Mrs. Tillman Is named for
her grandmother, Lucy Holcombe Pick
ems, the belle Of the Virginia fashion,
able summer resorts before the war.
Her husband was war governor and In
her honor there was fitted out troop
known through the war as the Hoi-
combe Legion. She was said to have
been the most beautiful woman of the
south at that period. Her daughter.
Douschka. was equally as much Of
belle In South Carolina after the war.
or the once distinguished family, but
the two daughters remain, Mrs. Shep-
pard and Mrs. Tillman, the late Gen. II.
G. Butler was an uncle Of Mrs. Tfllman.
and he was the political opponent OF
Senator Tillman In the bitter CAM
paign for the United States senate In
1894. Another interesting feature is
that the sons Of B. r. Tillman and ].
G. Sheppard, who opposed each other
Tor governor In 1892, have married sis-
ters. r. b. Ttllman, Jr., is clerk 70
Senator Tillman, on the Five Civilized
Tribes committee. For several years
he was his fathers private secretary
but resigned In 1908. Last year he
returned to Washington and took his
present position with his fathers COM
mittee. Further relating to the fore
going, Washington dispatch of SUM-
day to the State, says: Senator TILL
man when seen tonight and informed
OF the proposed suit against him and
his son for the possession of his grand
children was not surprised. He did not
seem to be disturbed about It. The two
little girls, Douschka and Sarah Stark.
were playing about him. when the re-
porters visited him. He talked freely
about the case. taking care to send the
two children out Of the room to play.
Concerning the cause and circum-
stances Of the affair he said tonight:
MY son and his wife have been twice
separated and are now living apart
She is In South Carolina. They dis
agreed last February but later were
reconciled and at my suggestion went
west intending to remain. A few
weeks ago they again disagreed. Mrs.
Tillman left their apartments here In
Washington and after waiting for three
days he took these little girls to my
wife, who was then In Washington.
They went with her to our home In
South Carolina. Finding that his wife
showed no inclination to return to him,
my son decided the children to me.
Under the law Of South Carolina this
may be done by a father for the good
Of his children, or by the wife In case
the father is not living. That is why
they are now with me. They are two
of the brightest little girls I have ever
seen, and my sole interest In the mat
ter Is to have them properly cared for
and guarded. Mrs. R. B. Tillman, Jr,
has been told by eminent counsel that
she cannot recover the children" Sem
ator and Mrs. Tillman, his two daugh-
ters, and the two grandchildren live In
an apartment In the Balfour. When
the young couple had their separation
for the second time last December,
Mrs. Tillman, wife Of the senator, was
at the Normandie. Young B. r. Till
man took the children there and they
were taken to Trenton, being brought
here again since.