davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1917-04-20

ne would take them. BY Monday he wa
ike another man The blues were gone
no more trouble with his stomach, sut
the best part is that the trouble has MOI
returned. r. cannot praise Chamber
lain's Tablets too highly"
The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1917-04-20

William b. Hankin and daughter
Mrs. Harry j. Shipley, of East Gam
bier street went to Columbus Tues
day to spend the day.
The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1917-04-20

and especially when you have fulness
and weight in the stomach after eating
the disease may be warded off and
avoided. Chamberlain 8 Tablets not only
aid digestion, but strengthen and inyig
late the stomach.
The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1917-04-20

"i believe Chamberlain Tablets have
,aved my life. writes Mrs. Maggie Coil,
1olden City, Mo. "I had pains in nv
The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1917-04-20
How She
Cured Her Husband

For i've years my husband suffered
with fis stomach. The medicine he took
only gave relief for a while, nothing
The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1917-04-20

"
cured, writes S Mrs
Sarah Baker of n ".
tinghill, Mo. "Ocr
m e r C h ant bougn.
SOM g of Chamber
lain's m edic in e S
last fall and also re.
ceived some free trial
samples of Chamber
lain's Stomach and
Liver Tablets Hs
gave us some of them
and 7 wanted my hG9
band to try then. fIe
said it would do nc
good. His stomach .
had b g n troubling
him worse than ever
At last OF Friday !
told him if he woul9
not take those tablets
l was going to send for
q donAnr NIL Ia -. :
The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1917-04-20

8 to IN &C h so bad I
thought l could not
live. Our doctor said
1t was congestion of
the stomach. / would
goto bedperfectlyw
and wake up in the
night as bad as I could
be and live. Our doc
tor said it would do
no good to give med-
cine internally. II e
had to inject medicine
in my arm. Since TAX
ing Cham berlain's
Tablets I can eat any
thing / want without
hurting me-" This
form of indigestion is
extremely painful and
often dangerous. BY
taking Chamberlain s
Tahlpts after antir1n
The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1917-04-20

BANNER WANT ADS. PAY
Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1917-11-02
CHAPTER XII
The Frequent Spells of Sickness

Mccormick testified that the first
spell Of sickness his wife had was in
Grand Rapids, in July following the
marriage Then she was sick in Gin
cinnati and he had gone out to get a
doctor but she was well before he was
needed In Ladysmith she had several
light spells in Jan. and Feb, 1915. She
was under DR.. Landmarks care prac-
tically all the time she was in Lady
smith. She was sometimes well, some
times sick, nervous and irritable On
the 9Th of July she was taken serious
ly i'll at the store. She had eaten
steak, ice cream. lobster and strawber-
ries. He took her home about u
o'clock. She went to bed and was con-
fined there until the Friday before she
died
When he was relating this, McCor-
mick was leaning forward in his chair
his head slightly to one side, OCCASION
ally looking at the floor or the rail ia
front of him.
Il took care of her. She would not
consent to any one else. | think | had
conversation with Mrs Kinchella
She wanted to do the work and the
waiting on her. | said she was not
Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1917-11-02
CHAPTER VIII
Back to the Coal Mine.

1t took long time to dig up this
chapter 1t is about the Washington
Coal Mining Go. Mccormick was the
president Of it. The mine was located
at Centralia or miles out 1t had a
capital of $4,000. Shares were $25
each He had sold stock in it. On the
witness stand he produced two prettily
engraved stock certificates showing he
owned par value of $1,000 now 1t
had never paid any dividends.
He got no salary for the mine presi-
dency.
Right here when the coal mine was
on his hands, he was also Financial
Secretary of the Hotel Keepers and
Restaurant Mems Association in Seat
tie. Then he had done some detective
work He had been connected with
the Mcnamara dynamite cases, had Sc
cured some evidence, and gone to In
dianapOlis, where he testified for a
day and a half. He did not remember
the name of the judge or the District
Attorney who hired him.
This was the case growing out of the
blowing up of the Los Angeles Times
plant
Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1917-11-02
CHAPTER I
Birth, Youth, Marriage.

John Astor Mccormick was born in
Topeka, Kan, Sept. %, 1866. In 1878
his family moved to Galena, Kans. in
1882 they moved to Wichita. John
came back to Galena, worked about a
store and in the mines. When he was
II years of age he went down to the
ChOctaw Nation and married Il II year
old school girl, Doris Clark. She ran
away from school on that Friday morn
ing and they hunted up preacher who
married them. There were born to
them five children.
You said once you were never mar
ried to this woman?" asked Gen. Sturd-
evant.
Under certain conditions" replied
Mccormick.
In Galena he went into the hotel bus
mess with his Wife'S mother, Susan
Clark, and said he sold out in 1882,
going to Denver. Colorado, where he
bought the Hotel ROsedale with $4,000
he had received in Galena, kept it three
weeks and went to Portland, Ore, for
week or so and then to Seattle, where
he lived for % years.
Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1917-11-02
CHAPTER XI
Life i'm Ladysnlith.

Then began the chain of events that
lead at last to the Rusk county court
house and the day this story is told
Mccormick stated that the business
was all his. He denied the story of
Rob. Hewitt's that he told his wife to
get money from James Hewitt. He
had plenty of his own and his wifes
He and his wife hadAa joint bank ac-
ocount. He never had deal that he
and his wife were not together III.
They took most of their meals at the
store and usually ate their breakfast
and supper there. They hardly ever
ate the same thing twice. Usually it
was canned goods from the store. His
wife baked the warm biscuits Both
cooked. She usually cooked breakfast,
he the supper.
About the mail, he said he had
stopped anyone getting it as he had
been told by his wife that Mrs. Hewitt
was getting a part of the mail. The
court ordered that part of the testi-
mony stricken out. The pOstoffice car
ried his order out further than he in
tended.
II sent her after the mail. She came
back crying. | called her and she told
me about it. | went over to the of
flee with her and told them the order
did not mean my wife, and showed her
the combination of the box.
He denied there was any conyersa-
ton between himself and his wife over
buying car of flour. He bought or
3 cars of flour
Mr. McGill took him back to Michi-
gan for awhile Mccormick testified
he put $4,000 in the bank Of his own
money and gave his wife $1,000 for the
safe deposit vault box; she put in
$1,000 He handled over $1,000 of loans
for his wife. He settled UP with her
and took a receipt on Aug. 24, 1914
He identified receipt. 1t was for
$3.50
Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1917-11-02
CHAPTER x
After the Dove of Peace Came Back

When he went to Seattle McCOrmick
said he took no trunk or other baggage
than a hand bag and a suit case. 1t
was wasp or bee that stung Mrs.
McCormick and gave her her sore arm.
He never spoke a dozen words to Hell
en- Grass in his life.
After the dove of peace came back
the McCOrmickS went to Columbus,
o. He spent day there at the races.
They went to Toledo and home. Then
they came out to Ladysmith, Oct. 10.
They came to buy place efor Paw
and Nav Kimball
MY money paid for it, he said. The
price was $780,
They went afterwards to Cincinnati
and to Charleston, S. c.. He had closed
out his business. He got a telegram
from Mrs. Hewitt saying Mrs. Kim
ball was sick and when he and his
wife got here Mrs Kimball was not
sick at ALL They stayed in Ladysmith
and lived with the Kimballs In Feb.
1915 he went into the mercantile bust
ness and to Minneapolis to buy a stock
of goods The business was in his
own name.
Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1917-11-02

1t was the first time she had dressed
during her illness. She went into the
dining room and sat in a chair until
breakfast, about 8 o'clock. He got a
| bucket of water and went to the store.
| His wife was sitting on the porch in a
| large arm rocker
Il got home from the store between
| II 80 and / o'clock" he continued.
'She was still on the porch and sat
there until the nurse announced dinner
would be ready as soon as / got a
bucket of water | got up to get the
water and my wife said she wanted to
go to the toilet. / tried to persuade
her not to and went after the slop-j jar.
When / came back she and the nurse
were going into the kitchen on the way
to the toilet / went after the water.
I got back and as I went into the vest
ibule of the kitchen l see them coming
out of the toilet"
II put the water in the house and
went into the dining room and laid
down on the couch. My wife came over
and sat down on the edge of the daven-
port, leaned over and caressed me-"
told this.
''She never had caressed me in the
presence of the nurse before" he con-
tinued. "She kissed my hand and
said, Come dear, dinner is ready"
"We only remained at dinner about
20 minutes / only remember we had
fish. Miss Hotter served the dinner !;
she served the fish. After dinner I got
up, lit cigar, and walked into the sit
ting room and out on the porch.
Il had been there from three to five
minutes when | heard her call and at
the same moment the nurse called. I
went into the house and asked the
nurse what was the trouble. My wife
was screaming then and the nurse was
rubbing her head with camphor. The
nurse got a bottle of whislIey and l
poured out a little in a glass but she
wouldn't drink it. The nurse called
the doctor right then! 1t was ten min
uteS before he came. The nurse and
carried her from by the table where
she had been sitting to the couch and
laid her down. After the doctor came
he told the nurse to give her hyper
dermic and it was done"
Mrs. Hewitt was called up; l called
her right after the doctor came The
doctor said, There is something wrong.
1t is all over; better call her relatives.
I called her husbands shop for Mrs.
Hewitt. When Mrs. Hewitt came she
threw herself on my wife over my arm
Continued on Page 81
Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1917-11-02
CHAPTER XIII
The Tragic Day i'm August

Enter the day of Death. 1t was
warm, not too hot ideal with just
enough Of a breeze to temper the heat
of the late summer, Monday, August
8, 1915.
Mccormick gave a description of the
bedroom and the interior Of the house
before he was allowed to relate the
story Of the tragic day. 1t was at
the beginning of the Saturday after
noon session. There were 81 people
standing along the walls, the record
crowd since the trial had commenced.
Late Sunday evening Mccormick and
his wife had been sitting on the front
porch. Mr.. and Mrs Kimbal had just
left. Il am glad" she said, that Pa
and Ma came over today as | won't
be here next Sunday"
J On Monday there were 10 or II men
working at the ditch and sewer about
the house. When he got up in the
morning his wife was dressing. She
had on all her clothes but her dress.
Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1917-11-02
CHAPTER II
The Elusive Wife.

iMcCOrmick started having trouble
with his wife right off the reel. He
testified that she ran away from him
a number of times and each time he took
her back until after the last. She
was some sort of an actress. Married
in January, she ran away III June, she
got back in August or September, 1884.
Finally she and her mother. went to
the coast and he pursued. That he
said is how he came to go to Seattle.
He found her there and lived with her
Il time. Then she ran away again. He
heard from her as being at Cape Nome,
Portland and Olympia. Finally she
got a divorce in 1895. He did not know
where the children were and never
hunted them up until they came to
him. Then she went out of his life only
to appear in the legal battles after Ida
]. Mccormick died.
Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1917-11-02
CHAPTER VI
Now Comes Mrs. Ida j. MathesOn.

The time of the meeting of McCOr-
mick and Mrs. Ida J. MathesOn has
been Il question which has wide var
iation depending on which side of the
case one looks. There was testimony
TO show that the first time Mccormick
heard of her was when Mrs John Du-
mas calling on Mccormick at his Seat
tie office i'll 1913 had told him with en-
thusiasm of the rich widow back in
her old home town of White Cloud and
Mccormick said, That's the old girl
I'm looking for I'll go after her for
her money" Then too, the state had
hedged in the dead woman with line
of letters and cards and dates to show
that Mrs. MathesOn without intent
had been under surveillance all the
time and had no opportunity to get ac-
quainted with the defendant before she
met him at st. Paul, in 1914.
When Mr. McGiil asked him about it
Mccormick said he had met Mrs. Ida
j. MatheSOn in Seattle, in Sept or Oct
1911. He was called up by man, Geo
March and went to the Scenic Cafe.
There he met Mrs. Matheson and a wo-
man named Anna-it was not Anna
Dumas. He spent the evening with the
party and gave her his card with his
Office and phone No. The next day he
had called on her at the Federal Ho-
tel. They had taken a boat ride to
Tacoma. The next day she had called
at his Office and they had gone to Bre-
merton on boat
Letters purporting to be from him to
her were placed as evidence. This was
shortly after Mccormick had taken the
stand. He read the dates OH one en-
velope with large reading glass. He
sat with his head slightly cooked on
Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1917-11-02
CHAPTER V
Enter Emma A. Conoyer.

Emma A. ConOver came into the case
under Mr.. NIGHTS direction. He
asked Mccormick if he knew her.
He did; he first met her in 1891
She was a widow He knew her moth
er. He roOmed there. Years after
that Emma Conover ran roomine
house. She was running it when he
left Seattle
a child, Mildred has been men
toned here" said Mr. McGill, rs that
your child?'
Il don't know; | always thought !
was the goat
Mccormick mad other rooms. He
ate at restaurants
When he was cross examined he was
asked some questions that will not ap-
pear here He said he did not live with
her as his wife. Il amt going to deny
the TRUTH he said.
Your child was born in the spring
of 1902"
about there,
what was the child's name?"
Mildred"
Mildred Mccormick. wasn't it?''
Il heard so"
You didn't look after your children
much, did your
Not this one
AT any rate you lived in the room
ing house a good many years."
Yes, | had a room there number
of years.
Daughter lived there; called you
papa?"
Never" said Mccormick with some
ascerbity.
You concealed from Mrs. Conover's
mother the fact that you were not mar
ried to her daughter?"
Witness denied it. He said he had
seen her three times since he had mar
ried Mrs MathesOn. He denied that
Mr.. Shaw had seen anything of his at
at the house when he and Mrs. Nc
Cormick had called there when his
wife was hunting him. He said: II
don't know that Mrs. Mccormick was
ever there"
He denied that he took some things
there. He said to. Mr. McGill's ques-
ton that he went there once to get
some papers. He denied that he knew
his wife got watch there. He had
not been there to exceed half an hour
when he made his visit He did bring
Mrs. Conover east in November, 1915.
She had come because she would not
make dispositions i'll Seattle.
You made her testify that she was
never married to you and that her
child was illegitimate, didn't you?'
asked Gen. Sturdevant.
That's the essence of it," stated Nc
Cormick.
Then you visited her frequently and
brought her back to testify, haven't
you?'
Mccormick denied the frequent
part of the question. I'm here to tell
the truth" he said.
Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1917-11-02
CHAPTER TX
And Trouble Soon Began.

In Grand Rapids all was not beer
and skittles. Mccormick in taking the
stand on Saturday morning continued
his story. He denied the tales of Hell
ell Glass about opening door and
other matters. In the lOaning bust
ness he had used his wife's and his own
money. He made loans to the extent
of about $1,000
On the oath of August he had turned
back the money he had loaned out
belonging to. his wife. She kept her
money in a safe deposit box. He
thought bank conditions made it safer
to do that.
When he settled with his wife he had
not begun action for divorce; he did
that about a week later. He had troub-
bic with his wife first on July 4, a
month after marriage. 1t continued
and grew worse. He filed suit for di-
VERGE Sept. 2. He had not been home
in the evenings Immediately prior to
the action; sometimes in the day time
he. had gone to where his wife lived.
He and his wife had a safe deposit
box in common. He took out all his
own money. He saw his wife on the
morning he, left Seattle He went
home to get some papers and to give his
wife her watch. He got to Seattle
Sept. Z.
He went to the Palace Hotel He
was arrested the next day in the even
ing after he got back from the ball
game. The arrest was at the rooming
house Of Emma Conoyer. He was
there Is or 20 minutes. Stopped to get
a note. He was detained at the police
station until the next morning and
when released went to Centralia on
coal mine business. The next day he
saw Wright his attorney Then he
went around doing some business. He
got a letter from his wife and sent her
a telegram. 1t read:
Received your letter. Will be in
Grand Rapids about the first. Will
wire you when | leave; maybe sooner"
He went again to Seattle to see about
selling his stock in his mine. Then to
Portland and east, arriving in Grand
Rapids Saturday, Sept 10. He first
learned his wife was in Seattle when
Mr. Wright wrote him at Portland.
saying the Code Detective Agency was
looking for him. He did not see Shaw.
the Grand Rapids attorney, until back
at the postoffice there. He never
said he would rather spend the rest of
his life in jail than to return to that
woman" and he shook his head in en-
phasis as he said it.
A meeting was arranged in the of
flee of Nichols & Lindsey, attorneys
and a reconciliation followed,
Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1917-11-02
PREFACE

This story is of John Aston Harrison
Blake McCormick-the name he swears
is his-tOld by himself and written III
the record of the circuit court of RusE
county He was assisted in this by
two able vivisectiOnists, l.. E. McGill
and Gen. l.. Nj. Sturdevant. Their in
vestigatiOn was made while the relatOl
of the autobiography was sitting in a
chair with wide window at his back
facing his attorneys, the spectators
and twelve men who will finally de-
eide as to the authenticity of his state
mentS. Over all was the gray haired
Judge watching to see that the witness
for himself was given the legal pro-
lection to which he is entitled while
relating in circumstance the graphic
story of adventure, chance and
tragedy.
Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1917-11-02

his sister, Lottie. He said her name
was Lottie J.. Cox, and she lived in
Oklahoma.
Isn't your name Cox?''
No sin.
When your sister was in Montana
she sent you a telegram right after
your wife died addressed to "A Harri-
SOM
is that your name?'
NO sir, my middle name
He went into the restaurant bus
mess again, then with the WoOdmen
lgain. After six months he went back
20 the DelMonte cafe. He fitted up
cw0 rooming houses for local expo
Sition. He quit the restaurant business
for good i'll 1908. Got two rooming
houses ready for the Alaska Yukon
exposition. Then in 1909 he went into
the chattel loan business in the Pa
cific block.
Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1917-11-02
CHAPTER VII
The Mccormick MathesOn Marriag

They got to White Cloud Saturday
evening. They went to the Matheson
home. Paw Kimball-using the Nc
CormiclSized pronunciation of Pa
met them at the depot. They re-
manned at White Cloud until the fol
lowing Tuesday, then he went to Ann
Arbor to have his eyes treated and re-
turned to get Mrs Mathes0n to 60 and
get married. There was few days
Of waiting. He moved lawns, trim
med trees and one day went along
fishing. On the 4th of June they were
married in Detroit Then back to
White Cloud and on June Is to Grand
Rapids where he rented an office in
the Ashland block and opened chat
tel loan office. They got some rooms
to live in.
Here was picture Of Romance com
pleted: love had found a way.
Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1917-11-02
CHAPTER III
"COOk and Crew, and Captain Too, and
Mate of the Nancy's Brig.

In Seattle he was cook in restau-
rants mostly his own. After many
questions as to his being a restaurant
owner or cook, the state asked him if
he did not appear in the directory as
Arthur Mccormick, cook" and then
the name of the restaurant and his adj
dress, generally 1920 9th ave-. this be-
ing the rOOming house conducted by
Mrs Emma A. COnOver. Once the di-
rectory printed his name, Arthur Nc
COrmick, cook, Emma A. wife" and
the address. He owned the O. X. res
taurant. w. T. Chop House. Alaska
Cafe, Chicago Chop House, and Gilt
Edge Kitchen. He had a lodge hall.
the * y H." He sold out, went to
Victoria, Il. c., ran hotel to July,
1898, aud came home to take a job as
purSer on steamer on Puget Sound.
But there was the lure of Alaska and
the marvellous tales of the KlOndike.
He bought a stock of groceries and in
January landed at Skaguay, sold his
groceries, and over the White Pass to
the Golden City of Dawson which he
reached in July. Then he came home
and back to the lure i'll 1898 He bought
claims. dug for gold, sold the claims
for $4,000 and went home.
Il don't think you ever told that be-
fore; you have always said you did
not dig for gold, only sold claims?"
said Mr. Sturdevant.
II never was asked that before" was
the reply.