Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1920-09-22

the murder OF Ben w. GOOd, was
called for trial. Haggard was ap-
parently undisturbed by the
charge.
Winchester, KY, Sept. 22.-Attor-
neys for the commonwealth and for
the defense in the case agaisst Rod
ney Haggard, charged with the muir
der of Ben w. Good, answered ready
for trial Tuesday morning and the
case will be called Wednesday morn
ing at o'clock.
Chester Piersall, Sam Hodgkin and
Robert Swope were sworn in as spe-
cial deputies to assist Sheriff H. C..
Hodgkin and his deputies in summon
ing the venire of 116 men drawn from
the jury wheel.
J. S. Mullins, father of Mrs. Nancy
Haggard, Tuesday issued a state
ment in response to the one issued by
his daughter after she Withdrew hel
suit for divorce against Rodney Hag
gard. The statement in part follows:
'fAs to her being ill advised, want
to make facts clear as best l can. The
girl talked with me and she talked
with her mother and she told both of
us that she had decided that she
! would have to have a divorce. She
was living apart from her husband
then under an agreement of separa-
ton. We advised with her just as any
father and as any mother would adj
wise under like circumstances and,
| though l truly hope not, l very much
| fear that the future might show that
her father and mother were not far
wrong in what they advised her to
do.
"All through this unfortunate af-
fair have simply done my duty as l
saw it and have stood by my daugh-
ter. l have taken no part in the Grim
inal prosecution of the murder
charge against her husband only in
so far as it was necessary to protect
her character. / know that she has
not been guilty of any improper con-
duct. She was promised everything
that would appeal to frantic child
| if she would take this action. She
was practically kidnapped from her ia
tser's house and left without hat on
her head and even left the baby here
with me. l, of course, feel that she
did not know what she was doing,
but hope that all will be for the best.
AS to the public, hope cannot be
censured for protecting my family
and the honor of daughter whom
know to be blameless.'
Mrs. Haggard, who Monday with
drew her suit for divorce, was to &C
to Lexington Tuesday to visit her hus-
band in the Fayette county Jail fol
the first time since he was arrested
for killing Ben Good on the street
several weeks ago.
Fhe decision to withdraw the suit
came after she had talked the matter
over with Judge Frank Haggard, hel
brother-in-law. After the action she
went to the home of Gordon Haggard
uncle of her husband, and refused tt
return to her father, Jailer J. S. Mul
Inns, with whom she had been living
since separating from her HUSBAND
two months before the killing o.
Good.
In withdrawing the suit for divorce
Mrs. Hag gard made the following
statement:
"Some days ago there was pub
lished in various papers statemen
over my signature, also extracts from
the petition l had filed against m.
husband, Rodney Haggard, for di
vorce and alimony, and from the dep
osition / had given
"I have done an injustice to m.
husband and l am now writing yo,
and asking you to publish this in OF
Ger to correct this wrong as far a
possible.
"In filing the suit against my hus
band l was badly advised. was suf
feIing under terrible mental strait
and was advised that my husband wa
, about to file suit against me, and tina
if l would sue him first and testif
that he had treated me cruelty an
struck me 1 would get lot of ali
mony.
: at was not true that. my husban
( had struck me or treated me cruelty
4 He has ALWAYS been kind to mo an
: to our little girl land provided abun
dantly for us, and cannot bear to g
on with the suit and have him suffe
any longer from the injustice of sue
: q Claim by me.
'I have presented to the judge G
5 i, the Court statement, which | hav
sworn to, asking him to dismiss M