Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-04-07

I'm not afraid OF her and never
have been. tho Mayor said
'ensc Has Inning.
| Miss LIS Jester. sister or Mrs.
Cumming. first witness for defense.
told of the time MIR. Cumming came
| Cumming. She said she. Mrs Cum
ming. Cumming. and the child went
TO Norfolk in 1917.
In his opening address to the jury
this afternoon. Richard Evelyn Byrd.
counsel for Mrs. Cumming. spoke. In
par, as follows:
Byrd's OrenInE Statement.
MIR. Cumming was in this COM
munity "a powerful. dominating and
outstanding: figure in all matters re-
lnting to tho administration Of law.
TO her. at least. he seemed 20 be In
his own person either above or be-
yond the law.
lie frequently boastcd To his wife
| that he controlled the courts al
Hampton. He told her tina, IL WINS
no us. for her 10 struggle that IL
she continued TO annoy him By ask
ing for money he would put her IN
jail again and keep here there and
4 would take her boy and send him
out Of the State. She believed all
;his. Why not? He had sent her to
jail: he hat taken her boy: h. had
gotten an injunction from the court
restraining her from even spcr king
10 him: he had procured divorce
from her in tho Circuit Court OF
Elizabeth city County without any
provision for her support. and when
she .ricd TO get a lawyer Ia appeal
her ease she could not obtain ono
until after long effort sh" found n
lawyer In IA distant loca lity who was
Willing to present her cause To the
. N 81 Sf..r. Iu
amy wonder that there came over
this woman sense Of hclplcssncss
and dispair? That she felt herself de-
serted by God and man. Tint for her.
"A, least. there was no law. no jus-
t!c". no compassion in this world
Suffered Cold md Hunger.
During all this time when she was
suffering from cold. from actual pangs
Of hunger, from every conceivab,. in
jury Ia TN" most sacred feelings OF
Il woman. q wife and a mother. she
knew that her husband had intimate
relations with othcr women aud was
spending large sums OF money on
them while she and hc- son were
suffering for the bare pcccssit!ca OF
life.
You wilt say 70 yourselves how
can these things happen in "a Chris
'ian land. in land ordered by law
where 'he weak are supposed TO have
equal rights with tho strong. will
tell you how IL came about.
when the marriage took place in
March. 1914. ono Of the so-callcd pre-
marriage contracts provided that Mrs
Cumming should IA M. "a lawyer and
empower this lawyer to bring sui,
for divorce against Mr. Cumming on
the ground Of dcscrtion This the
lawyer did in May. 1911. In this suit
fled ia the name OF Mrs. Cumming
he did not ask for any support for
Mrs. Cumming or any support for tho
child. when Mrs. Cumming became
aware Of the nature of the proceed
ings, Hhc refused TO go further wi:t
tho aui. Thcreupon, Mr.. Cumming
flied what is In Law cnl lied cros3-
BIZ. but which was. in fact. "A suit BY
him against Mrs. Cumming. asking
The court TO gran, him divorce
against Mrs. Cumming on tho ground
that she had deserted him. In tho
sace of the faci that Mr.. Cumming
admitted that h" had deserted his wife
on the day OF the marriage. /; seems
di:iiCul; to undcrsta nd how he could
claim that she deserted him.
Court Gives Husband Divorce.
Nevertheless. the Judge OF thi.
court, on the 20th day of February
I 1915. pronounced "A decree Of absolute
divorce against tho wife and in favor
70 80 hhSOhii" nv Juu6c III tHci
held that tho so-called antc-marriagt
contract, which provided that Mrs
Cumming should have $500 a week
from the is,h OF March. 1914. unit
September Is, 1914, was valid and tina,
Mrs. Cumming was not entitled &c
any further support. No provision
was made in the decree for the sup.
port OF the little boy. but the de
cree reserved the right 20 dispose OF
tho custody OF the boz at some time
in the future.
Mrs. Cumming felt in herhcart tha
his WAS An unjust decree. She was
an nalettcrei woman dealing with
ahrcwd lawyers. She was an unmar-
ried woman with a child. She would
have signed any paper 10 become the