Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-01-15
TOWNS CHARGED WITH.
Mann LAW VIOLATIONS
preliminary Hearing Before Com
missioner Fiegenheimer to BE
Concluded To-Day.
HIS FORMER WIFE TEsTIFIEs
t1fteen-Year.Old Elizabeth Ford
Tells of His Taking Her to Balti-
moro and OF Their Marriage
There-Defense Evidence To-day.

racing charge of violating tn,
Mann act. i'll that he enticed nftecn
year-old Elizabeth Ford, Of 7O7-A Yves
Marshall Street, to Baltimore for i'm
moral purposes under the guise OF mar
riaSe. Percy j. Towns. Il young mai
Oh TINS city. living with his grand
parents. Mr.. and Mrs. j. L. Apple. o
Organ Avenue. WAS arraigned yester'
day before United States COMMISSIONS
Flegenheimer.
Towns. who contends that he com
mttted no offenSe since he was laborins
under the impression that he had beer
divorced from his wife, Ia only twenty
years old. Hiram 81. Smith conducted
the prosecution and Attorney Carter
or Danville, appeared for the defense
The case was continued yesterday after
the examination of government wit
nesses. mud will be resumed this at
ternoon at ) o'clock, at which time the
defense will place it's witnesses on the
stand.
Elizabeth Ford. who says she will be
fifteen years old on JANUARY 20. was
the first person to take the stand. She
told OF meeting Towns at L dance Just
before Thanksgiving, and from tina,
time Towns's visits were frequent. On
Saturday, December %. she decided to
leave home for Baltimore TO get work
that she might spend the night at Il
hotel and not have TO return home,
since she was running away.
TELLS OF TRIP 70 BALTIMORE
AND THEIR MANRIAGF.
On Sunday, December %. she said
that they decided to go to Washington
to get married and Towns gave her
the money to purchase a ticket How :
ever. she says that they stopped off at
Alexandria and stayed for five days.
From there they wen. 10 baltimore.
where, on the following day, they were
married at q parsonage on West Bal
tiInore Street.
Then she testified that they returned
TO Richmond and that Towns went TO
the home of his grandparents. and that
she returned to her mother. Mrs. NJ.
l.. Adcock, OF 7G7-A West Marshall
Street.
Mrs. Percy j. Towns. formerly Esther
Louise Jones, testified that she married
Towns in March, 1915. She said that
after living with him FOR six months
she obtained decree of separation. She
said that some time after Towns in
duced her to return to him without
obtaining a decree from the court, tell
ing her that one of the men in lthe city
Hall had told him that it was all right.
She said that she lived with him els hit
months after returning; that he took
her to Philadelphia, where she stayed a
week and then came hack home TO her
parents. and since that time had not
seen him.
Mrs. VI. l.. Adcock, mother OF Eliza
beth Ford, then took the stand. She
told how she had att-mptea 10 fore
stall the leaving Of her daughter, and
how she had called Towas up over
the telephone and asked him about her
daughter In reply she said that Tow MS
although Elizabeth Ford at that time
was standing beside him, GisclaImcd all
knowledge OF her whereabouts. She
told one of the Federal agents that
when she asked Towns how he would
he able TO support her daughter If he
married her. Towns replied that his
9 ua rdian in North Carolina had $4,000
in trust for him, and that he would re-
ceivc II when he became Of age.