Evening star., 1915-04-08
Plaintiff in $500, 900 Suit for
Alleged Breach Of Marriage
Contract Ends Recital.
WITNESS THEN SUBMITS
TO CROSS-EXAMINATION
Denies She Entered Home of ]. S.
Kinney, Reported Millionaire, to
Win Him and His Money.

Mrs. Ida NJ. McNabb, the forty-yea
old widow of Escanaba, Mich, who Is
suing John s. Kinney. reputed million
aire and owner of valuable Michigan
mines, for 100000 damages for al
legged breach of contract to marry
her. completed her story of her court
ship today before Justice Stafford and
jury In Circuit Division of the Dis
trict Supreme Court The cross-exam-
ination of the witness by Miss Harriet
Freebey, counsel for the millionaire,
occupied the afternoon session of the
court.
The lawyer for the defense took the
witness over the story of her meeting
with the defendant and sought to elicit
further details of the conversations ana
occurrences at the interviews between
the plaintiff and her lover. Mrs. Nc
Nabb admitted that although she had
solicited aid for Good Will farm from
several wealthy men, Mr.. Kinney
was the first she had interviewed at
home The cross s-examiner tried to
make the witness admit that she had
Intentionally sought the defendant at
his home with a notion of winning
him and his money.
Mrs McNabb denied she had such ul-
terror motives and explained that she
went to the home of Mr.. Kinney be
cause he maintained no Office and that
she had been introduced by a former
matron of the boys home or farm for
which she was soliciting SUBSCRIPTIONS
Continues to Identify Letters.
Mrs. McNabb continued this morning
the identification of letters received
by her from Mr. Kinney, including the
letter in which he refused to marry
her and on which is based her suit to
recover 100000 for breach Of contract:
The letters were read into the record
After the letter of refusal, which
was written at Buffalo. N. T., August
10, 1912, Mrs. McNabb said she received
two other letters.
In one of these the writer requests
that she return the diamond ring which
he had lent her. and also requests that
she cancel the contract made with her.
In the other he refers to the diamond
ring as borrowed and declares his sig
ton to the contract and by means not
to the credit" of Mrs McNabb and her
lawyer
In this letter he reiterates his refusal
to marry the plaintiff and declines ''the
honor you seek to force upon me-" He
also refers to his counsel, Miss Freebey.
as the brightest lawyer in the United
States" and refers all future communi-
cations to her, declaring he wished no
further personal interviews with Mrs.
McNabb.
Refusal-to-Marry Letter.
The letter on which is based the suit
for the largest amount of damages ever
sought in such proceedings in this Dis
trict reads:
Buffalo, 10 Aug. 1912
Mrs. Ida May McNabb,
Escanaba, Michigan,
Dear Madam
with which was inclosed the instru-
ment dated the seventeenth of June,
1912, to wich you and your attorney
procured my signature has reached me.
have read for the first time the in
strument, and after thinking the mat
ter over carfully have arrived at the
conclusion that 1t was your intent to
take an advantage of a man advanced
in years, broken In health, and men,
tally incompetent at the time to under
AS I stated to you upon your recent
visit to my residence. you persued me
with your attentions. you worked
upon my sympathies with tales of
your previous unfortunate life, you
urged me to marry you and after a
superficial acquaintance of a few
weaks with the connivance of your
professional advisors who backed you
in misrepresenting Its legal affects. you
procured my signature to the document
III QueStlOn
Do you think that your conduct In
this matter would impress any disin-
terested person as that Of a modest and
sincere woman. Do you not think that
1t will be said of you. she worked to
get Mr.. Kinney's money. or at least a
greater part of it. Now Madam. hoping
that you are a better woman than your
actions concerning me and my prop
erty would Indicate and also relying
upon the statement made by you that
the writing in question would become
null and void and Of no affect at any
time that such should be my desire. l
now state to you that such Is my de-
sire, that in the proportion that my
mentel and physical strength returns
to me, so much is augmented the shock
and astonishment caused me by your
action. that l do not and never have
wished to marry you, and that 1 refuse
to marry you. AS your persuit of me
and my property appears to have been
to you a strictly business matter, in
wich you were aided and abatted by pro-
fenal counsel. in case you wish to
proceed further. refer you to my at
torney, H. Freebey, the Columbian
Building. AIS Fifth Street. Washington,
D. C. Well you asked for a good long
letter. SO I have written it. Yours, etc,
]. 8. KINNEY.