The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-12-13
Court Announces That
Argument Will Begin
on Monday at II.
SPEND WHOLE DAY
ON INSTRUCTIONS
Spectators Refuse to Leave While
Attorneys Discuss Technical
Questions Of Law-Post-Of-
fee Records Flatly Contra
dict Mrs. Walker as to Spe-
cial Delivery Letters.

Finding that the opposing attorneys
III INC walker Ratcllffc $4,000 alieun-
tion suit would not be able to agree
upon tho instructions To De given 10.
mo jury in time for the case 10 ho
presented In tho Law ana Equity Court
to-day. Judge Beverly r Crumn de
cided lato yesterday afternoon 10 adj
)ourn the jury, when called at II
o'clock this morning. TO the same hour
on Monday morning, 1t had been expect
ea mat the case would be argued before
the jury yesterday afternoon but near
~ the whole OF the day was occupied
with the instructions. and II is doubtful
they VIII be finished until late to-
day.
SO intense was the Interest, In tho
trlai that most Of the crowd which had
gathered In the courtroom in the cx.
pectation Of hearing the casc pre-
senieh TO the jury remained 10 hear the
argument on tho Instructions, the first
time such n thing has occurred I'm a
ltichmond court of law pcOpla who
mad come early in the morning re-
mained in their seats. fearing that II
they left the seats would be taken be-
!or" they returned.
Crowd Would Not I.~nvr
Tho argument otr the instructions
Was purely technical and filled with
legal questions that were utterly be-
Nond the understanding Of the lay
mon who remained 10 listen. }u, the
crowds remained, cleaning such atoms
OF comfort as they could from lengthy
dissertations on the law and from ci,a-
'lonS from cases Of which thoy had
never heard before
Whcu court convened a, 80 o'clocl;
Judg" Crump Immediately adjourned
'hc jury until II o'clock this morn
ine, and announced TO tho steadily in
creasinE audience that tho argument
would be upon the instructions alone
and that they would b" exceedingly
technical and unintcres,inE.
The argument VIII relate 10 dry
matters II law" he said. and would
request that those who do not desire
10 listen TO such argument leave now.
SO as not to disturb the hearing" Prob
ably half "A dozen left. The others stucl,
silently TO their seats or u thei. van
tnge points on tho floor.
Case Altogether t-niGme.
Aft.r tho jury is adjourned this
morning, the argument on tho instruc-
lions may be held in chambers instead
of open court so as TO avoid tho Gu
rIous and insIstcnt crowd. as tho case
is unique in the court annals OF Rich
mond ana probably in every court in
the country. there are many difficult
points at law to be decided. and
Judge Crump VII hold Il conference
with the opposing attorneys At length.
and VIII study the citations given him
in open court
The case is said 10 he absolutely
without parallel The circumstances
surrounding IL. tho fact that tho bride
was alicnated from her husband and
forcsworo her love for him within ten
hours after the wedding. are entirely
new and unique. and now questions as
10 parental Jurisdiction and authority
over n married child are involved
One OF the main questions arising be-
fore the attorneys in their argument
on the instructions is rs 10 the def
NIT f,P ur,Ir
how far the parents had any jurisdic-
ton over Mrs. Walker as compared to
the rights they might have possessed
had they not been relatives. 1t is CON
tended by Mr.. Wendcnburg that the
marital Jurisdiction superseded every
other authority. while Mr. Meredith
contends that the Ratcliffes exercised
only such rights as tho law permits.
What Lawyers Claim.
Mr.. Wendcnburg argued that II was
not necessary to prove actual assent or
agreement on the part OF the Ratcliffcs
TO prove conspiracy. lie insisted that
the facts proved the conspiracy, as in
tho famous Allen case Mr.. Meredith
argued that conspiracy must be proved
az to the motive as we'll ms to the acts,
and he insisted that no proof Of this
had been brought out in the evidence.
Interest in tho case, which has been
un!lagginS from the beginning has be-
come greatly intensified. and the suit
has become the common topic OF con-
vcrsation. The courtroom was crowd
cd all through the day. and though the
evidence adduccd in the morning was
short and without sensation, the crowd
hung breathleSs on every word that
was uttered. SO Interested has one
young man become that though il is
probable he never saw the inside Of a
newspaper Office. he palned himself off
as Il representative of an out t-of-town
paper. and occupied Il seat near the
Richmond press representatives He
was pointed out tC Sheriff Mercer i'm
the afternoon, and may experience some
Giiliculty in again convincing that
courteous official CT his pretcnsions.
Nc newspaper other than those in Rich-
mond is represented at the trial.
Says Letters Were Mailed.
The evidences adduccd yesterday
morning hinged upon whether Mrs
Walker had received two special de
livery letters from Richmond on June
10 or l6. On cross examination by MIR.
Wcndenburg on Thursday Mrs. Walker
stated several times very positively
that she could not remember whether
she had received two special delivery
letters on the dates in question AS
sistant Postmaster w. r. Southwark
was placed on the stand to prove that
two special delivery letters were mailed
TO Mrs. Walker in Richmond on the
night of June a.
Experts examined as to the similar
ity OF the letter sent by Mrs. Walker
to her husband. telling him that she
had not been influenced in her dcc-
sion against him by any of her family
and n business letter written by John
Ratcliffe. brought out little to prove
that the two letters had been written
on tho same machine.
Court convened at 1925 o'clock