Los Angeles herald., 1910-11-13
MRS. KING VICTOR;
ADJUDGED SANE
Court Rules That Woman Is Com
petent to Manage Her
Own Business
DOCTOR sP0ILS PROSECUTION
Physician Called by Man Gives
Evidence Strongly in
Favor of Nife
DOCTOR SPoILS PROSECUTION

Mrs. Fannie Briggs Carr King yester-
day was declared competent to manage
her own affairs, the declaration being
made by Judge Rives of the probate de-
partment of the superior court at the
conclusion of proceedings instituted by
her husband, NJ Adrian King, for the
appointment of guardian.
Obedient to Judge Rives' announce
ment that unless matters were hurried
and the case concluded yesterday morn
ing it would have to be continued until
January, the attorneys worked with
speed, only about an hour and q hair
being required to finish the hearing.
DR.. o. M. Justice, placed on the stand
in behalf of King, upset the. prosecu-
ton by asserting that instead of Mrs
King being incompetent, he knew or no
reason why she should not conduct her
own business, which is that OF manu-
featuring toilet preparations.
Kings attorney asked DR.. Justice II
he had not said he was willing to tes-
tify in court that Mrs. King was IN
competent. DR.. Justice denied any sucn
statement. He said he repeatedly had
told King not to try to prove that Mrs.
King Is incompetent, and merely had
said that he thinks, in general, II the
husband and wife are on good terms
and the husband is good and compe-
tent man, any wife's affairs are better
conducted if he. rather than she, is IN
charge of them.
The questions asked of the physician
then related to Mrs. Kings being
sufferer from neurasthenia, II. H. APP
pei. Mrs. Kings attorney, desiring TO
know If many women are not atflcteu
with 1t.
"Yes," said the doctor, ut is more
common among women than men.
"But some men do suffer from 1t?"
continued Appel.
eyes" answered DR.. Justice.
SOME POLITICIANS HAVE 1T
"And some politicians" said Appel,
more as statement than as query,
and without waiting for a reply went
on with his cross-examination after
the ripple OF laughter which passed
around the room had subsided.
because a woman may have transit
tory delusions," asserted DIR. Justice,
in answer to questions, lit is no sign
that she is incompetent to manage her
own business. Some of our brightest
financiers are said to have delusions'
No fipysician conscientiously can tes-
tify that Mrs. King is incompetent TO
attend to her own business. IL Woulo
be ridiculous"
King was recalled to the stand He
told of obtaining prescriptions from Or.
Justice for medicine which was taken
by Mrs. King, and he declared that DR..
Justice had said Mrs. King was IN
competent. DIR. Justice in turn was
placed upon the stand again to tell OF
his refusing to make an affidavit that
Mrs King was incompetent, as he SAID
King wanted him to do.
The prosecution then called Mrs. NJ.
L. Anderson, a neighbor of the Kings
at Glendale, in an effort to prove that
Mrs King was oddly dressed once when
she called hurriedly at Mrs. Anderson.s
home. Mrs. Anderson proved herselI
a poor witness for the prosecution, ana
entirely different from what humorlsts
allege all women are-close observers
of the clothes worn by others of their
sex-when she said that she die not
take note of Mrs. Kings garments, only
observing that she was bareheaded.
SOME PEOPLE GALL HER OLD
When Mrs. King was sworn she was
asked her age.
'sWeli some people call me an old
lady" she answered, "but don't think
1 am. But If you want to know, I'm
somewhere close to CO."
That ended the testimony, and Judge
Riyes said the evidence did not war
rant the appointment of guardian, as
King was the, only witness who offered
any reason why his wife was supposed
to be incompetent to manage her own
affairs.
'1t is evident that the couple nave
been leading tumultuous life" said
the Judge, land that their property af-
fairs are confused, but her business
affairs are not complicate'. She has
been attending to them successfully for
years and seems Jealous to continue to
do So other persons ask her advice
and act upon her judgments. She may
be erratic because Of i'll health, but she
is not incapable. For a guardian to
10 annaintad az rnnSt he shown that the
person for whom it is desired is i'm
posed upon by others. Nobody imposes
upon Mrs. King, and she needs no
guardian"
The Kings will appear in the superior
court again soon, when the divorce
case, based upon the charge of cruelty,
Instituted by Mrs. King, comes up for
trial. The attorneys on both sides yes
terday expressed the hope that the man
and woman could become reconciled.