The Washington herald., 1911-04-03

present in the guardEcuse at Fort Myer
who last week wrote to Bailif Hewitt
of Rockville, asking how to proceed 10
prefer a charge of bigamy against his
wife, Marie Ida Mccormick. who eioped
to Rockville with Frederick Higgins, an
other soldier, has experienced change
Of heart, and after Considering the mat
ter at length yesterday announced he
had almost decided to let the case drop.
Mccormick is confined to the guardhouse
at Fort Myer on a charge OF absence
without leave, an ofrense committed while
he was a member of Company e, enSi-
neers, at the Washington Barracks In
order to swear out a warrant against his
wife, il will be necessary for him TO go
to Rockville. where the alleged offense
was committed, and as this is Inanifestly
impossible at the present time, McCor-
mick's term of confinement extending
until July, he has about decided not to
institute proceedings against his spouse.
Comes OF Good Family.
There is another consideration also which
may have Influenced Mccormick 10 such
a decision. In regard to the woman who
deserted him, he said yesterday: "She
comes from good people that girl. and
can't understand what in the world led
her to do such thing. unless maybe she
is too young and childish to understand
the size OF her ofense. If her people and
myself can get in touch and talk over
tho matter, 1 may decide TO drop the
case"
The girls father. Frederick Eye, also
takes the latter view of the matter He
said:
MY wife is Frustrated over the charge
against Mrs Higgins. Yes: she married
twice, but she is so childish she could
have no idea of the seriousness OF her
offcnse."
Mccormick talked with a reporter for
The Washington Herald yesterday. he
is a short. light-complexioned man, about
five feet six inches in height, with hsht
brown hair and gray eyes. He was
dressed in the regulation blue shirt ana
trousers.
Wife visited Him Weekly.
81 am a Washington man" nc said,
and she is a Washington girl. | had
been keeping company With her for about
two years before We were married, in
May, 1909. by Rev. Mr.. Miller, at the
parsonage of the Ninth Street Christian
Church. At that time she was eighteen
years old and I was twenty-one. My
wife and l lived together for about
year and a half. residing part OF the
time at my sisters house, 1905 New
Jersey avenue. and at her mothers resi-
dence, 1g1911 Duncan street. We never
bad any serious disaSreements, and IN
all that time were perfectly happy. Dur
ing those eighteen months / was sta-
toned at the Washington Barracks, but
4 -iSIR cd
Of absence without leave and sentenced
to serve six months in the guardhouse
at Fort Mycr The conviction was 4
great shock. to my wife, and she begSed
me to make a plea for clemency. Ever
since have been confined here IN Fort
Myer she made a weekly Visit 10 me-
coming out every sunday to cheer me
up I don't believe she missed single
week and she even came to see me on
SUNDAY. March Il. two days before she
eioped to Rockville with Higgins.
Did Not Know Higgins.
II don't know where she met mig
gins, who was an artilleryman. and
member of Battery L, which was STA
TONED here in March l didn't know him
myself. and to tell the truth, hadn [
the faintest idea there was such a man
until l read in The Washington Herald
OF March Ii the announcement that
Marie Ida Mccormick of Washington and
Fred Higgins, soldier stationed at Fort
Myer, had eloped to Rockville and had
been married there the day before.
81 at once suspected the truth and
telephorfed my wife to come out imme-
diately, which she did. / asked her
il she had married Higgins. and she
answered yes l told her then to get out
OF the guardhouse, that l was done with
her and that / would attend to her later.
then sent for Higgins, and when L told
him that he had married my wife. he
evinced the utmost surprise. He swore
TO me that he didn't know the girl was
married, and said she had been intro
duced to him as Miss Kelly" To prove
his claim he showed me a post card he
had received from her. on which was
written in my vife's handwriting:
Come prepared or not. Love me. Miss
Kelly l absolved him from all blame
and then had both of them together come
to gee me. I said to my wife: Il have
talked with Higgins here, and 1 know he
is not to blame / am through with You
for good, but 1 intend to have criminal
proceedings brought against you"
Girls wherea bouts Unknown.
AT the time of her second marriage
and for two days afterward the girl
lived with my sister at 1905 New Jersey