The Cordele dispatch. (Cordele, Ga.) 19??-1971, 1917-05-20
SENSATIONAL ACT
PLAYED IN CASE OF
7. D. COPPEDGE
MARRIAGE Be
TWEEN MAN HELD UNDER Sc
RIOUS CHARGE AND GIRL IN
THE CASE is T4WARTED BY
OBJECTIONS OF HER SISTER.

Another sensational episode in the
case of It. D. Copp9dge, held in the
Crisp county jail under the charge Of
assault with intent TO rape on young
woman of this city. ana whose case
will come under the consideration OF
the grand jury upon its converting to-
morrow. was enacted Wednesday
night when an attempted marriage
Of CoDpedge and the girl in the case
was thwar ed through objections OF
the girls sisgagand friends ]. B. Cop
pedge Of WayerosS, a brother of 4.
D. Coppedge, through alleged mis-
statements as to the girls age, and
having stated, it is alleged, That the
marriage would be performed with the
knowledge and consent Of all parties
concerned induced Ordinary W. p.
Fleming to issue the license and con
sent - perform tbs ceremony Ac-
coTding to Judge Fleming's statement,
Coppedge represented to him repeated
ly that the girl was between Is and
10 years Of age, and therefore respon,
sible to act of her own free will and
accord in the matter According to
a statement of Sheriff John Ward,
who has the prisoner in charge, { up
hedge represented to him that he
carriage would be performed With
lle knowledge ard consent of all ar
(ries concerned In fact, he stated tie
Nheriff alleged, that the girls people
had come to the jail to witness the
ceremony and that Judge Fleming had
consented to perform the nuptial
rites there. Judge Fleming also makes
the sta ement that Coppedge likewise
told him that the girls relatives were
there to witness the ceremony and
tha the marriage was agreeable in
all parties Concerned.
Judge Fleming states that when he
reached the Jail in company with Cop
pedge he saw seated fn front room:
several women and 4. L. Wooetn He
did not recognize any of the women,
or rather he did lot notice them par
ticularly. 1t occurred to him, seeing
Wooten there, that Coppedge had
represented the matter to him cor
rectIy.
When Sheriff Ward came into the
jail, having been informed by Cop
pedge, he states, that all parties con
cerned were waiting at the Jail to
witness the marriage, he went up to
the second floor of the jail, returning
with the prisoner.
The girls sister then demanded
what was going on, and Judge Flem-
ing explained the circumstances, he
said, whereupon the girls sister in
terposed strenuous objections to the
marriage, asserting that her sister
not II years of age.
3cording to Judge Fleming's state
= 1T. he then demanded the license
"a Coppedge, declining to perform
the ceremony, though Coppedge pre-
vailed on him to complete the mar
riage. The ordinary has marked the
license void on the ground that they
were issued on false representation
TO him as to the girls age and that
the marriage was agreeable with all
concerned.
Mrs. Coppedge, mother of T. D. and
]. B. Coppedge, was among the women
at the jail. 1t is stated that she had
been in the city several days and
that she had been instrumental IN get
ting the girl in the ease to the Jail.
When Judge Fleming asserted that
he would not perform the ceremony,
it is reported that the girl fell. in a
faint, and it was several minutes be
fore she was revived.
The girls sister alleges that she
was enticed to the pail under false
pretenses.