The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1914-11-25
TiLLMAN CHILDREN
EXPLAIN PETULANCE
Mrs. Lucy Dugas Tillman Appears BE.
fore Supreme Court In Defense OF
Lite Girls.

gas Tillman and her two little daugh-
, ters, Misses Douschka Pickens Till
man and Sarah Starke Tillman, testi-
ed Monday at an extra ordinary sit
ting Of the supreme corut in response
to the courts order for the mother to
show cause why the custody OF her
daughters should not be given to an
other AT the close of the hearing,
which continued two hours, the court
announced that decision would be re-
served.
Attorneys for B. r. Tillman, Jr.,
father of the young girls, and son
Of Senator Tillman, offered request
of the father that the court award
him custody of his daughters. In this
petition, the father expressed his will
ingness to assume full expense OF
their proper support and education
and to afford every reasonable oppor-
tunity for the mother to see and be
with them"
At the conclusion of the hearins,
Henry G. Tillman, for the little girls
father, asked the court for tempor-
ary order, giving the father custody
OF them pending decision of the court
upon the showing Of Mrs. Dugas. The
court took this petition under advise
ment, and Chief Justice Gary gave
verbal permission to B. r. 11llman,
Jr, to be with his daughters for a
while in the library of the court.
In addition to the mother, five other
witnesses testified to the obedience of
the children to requests Of their eld-
ers. The little girls, their mother and
other witnesses testified that the chill
dren refused to obey the courts order
to spend July and August, 1914, at the
home Of Senator Tillman, because
their. father was absent in Alaska.
The order of Chief Justice Gary, cit
ing Mrs. Lucy Dugas Tillman to show
cause why the custody OF her daugh-
tcrs should not be taken from her is
said to have resulted from the three
refusals Of the little girls to obey the
courts order that they spend July and
August, 1914, with Senator Tillman's
family.
Testimony adduced at the hearing
was to the effect that the children
were sent thrice by their mother to
Trenton to make this visit, and, on the
first two occasions they refused to
leave the train. Upon the third trip
the testimony offered was to the effect
that the little girls went to Senator
Tillman's home, but left next morning
before breakfasting and returned on
an early train to Edgefeld and their
mother.
The mother, with her two little
daughters, sat at one end OF tho long
table across the court room and the
father with his brother, II. G. Till
man, and another attorney, sat at the
other end. The mother showed mark
ed interest in the proceedings, while
the father scarcely ever removed his
gaze from the table before him.
Mrs. Lucy Dugas Tillman explained,
in a typewriter statement, to the
court that she had net been served
with q copy Of the order; and that
the failure of the cotton market, with
the resultant injury to her finances
had caused her to feel unable to re-
tain attorneys. She was represented
before the court by a friend, c. II.
Graydon, OF Columbia.
In her statement, Mrs. Dugas, as
she signs her name, alleged that those
at Senator Tillman's homo allowed"
tho children to return to Edgcfield,
and declare: II do not see how | can
be hold responsible for the failure
Of Senator and Mrs. 1illman, and
those representing them, to control
these small children after had placed
them in their custody"
Mrs. Lucy Dugas Tillman mother
Of the little girls, took the stand and
testified for about five minutes. She
stated she was present last spring at
the hearing before the supreme court
when the court decrecd her children
should spend the months of July and
August, 1914, with Senator Til!man.
She testified that Senator and Mrs.
Tillman were ''hardly ever at home"
when the little girls visited their fatn-
er there every second Saturday, as the
=. a.
Of her testimony was intended TO show