The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1916-05-28
CAN A WIFE OF
A TRULY LOVE
HER HUSBAND?
Jury Must Decide Question in a
$4,000 Suit for Afienia-
ton of Affections.

KANSAS CITY, Mo-, May ~
Can girl of fourteen. II married,
really love her husband.
Is 1t possible for a child Of such
tender years to love man truly and
faithfully?
These are the questions a Kansas
City jury Is striving to solve in the
$4,000 alienation of affections suit,
filed by Howard H. Shank against s.
Edwin wilmore.
The suit, which ia being tried be-
fore Special Judge Ayland, promises
to be a difficult problem cor, jury
"a problem which will require the
twelve men to exercise a Solomon
like insight into the hidden recesses
of the femme heart.
Shank was married to the pretty.
petite and stylIshly-dressed little
woman when she was fourteen. They
went to live in one of the apartments
owned by Wilmore. who is a large
owner of Kansas City realty.
Wilmore collected his own rents
and so. the complaint alleges, had
many opportunities to call on the
youthful bride of his tenant. He did
so and grew SO friendly, a deposition
filed in the case AYERS that he even
told Mrs. Shank that she need not
pay any rent at all.
Ultimately Drift Apart.
Eventually the inevitable happen
ed. Howard Shank and his girl wife
drifted apart. Elmer Powell, attor-
ney for Wilmore. declares that pref
ty, childish Mrs. Shank never did and
never could have loved her husband
that her age made It impossible
for her to have loved any nan. There
fore. re contends, there could be no
alienation Of an affection which did
not exist. The defense also will con-
tend that Shank did not support his
wife and drank.
Howard Shank, the seyen-year~old
son of the Shanks, was a witness
called by his father. He proved a
good witness for the defense.
He asserted that he never saw any
love scenes between Wilmore and his
mother. He said Wilmore sometimes
collected the rent, but that Mrs. Will
more sometimes did, too.
He denied that his mother had met
Wilmore either in Chicago or in Dav-
export, Ia, as was alleged by the
plaintiff. The lads demeanor on the
stand was SO solemn. thoughtful and
Judicial, the little witness attracted
the attention OF the whole court
room.
Wife Wins Divorce.
The couple were separated some
time ago and Mrs. Shank obtained a
divorce on non-supporr grounds In
Chicago recently. They had been
married eight years.
The affair, which stole his wife
from him. according to Shank's com
plant was one between the landlord
and the tenant. The Shanks when
here in 1911 rented from Wilmore
on East Seventh street.
Witnesses testified WTlmore called
personally to collect the rent and on
one occasion told Mrs. Shanks she did
not have to pay any rent.
Another instance to which the hus
band strongly objected was when his
wife went on picnic with the de-
PENDANT, he testified. That was in
1913, witnesses told the court. when
Shank was in the harvest fields or
Kansas and Wllmore's wife was in
Colorado.
Wilmore sat beside Mrs Shank all
the way to the picnic grounds. 1t was
testified and while there was very at
tentive to her. They, continued the
allegations, went boating. They also
wandered away from the crowd and
sat on high elevation together. a
point from which the scenery was
very beautiful