The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1920-06-15
cIITHBERT man IS
CONVICTED OF BlCAMY
LEGGED TO HAVE WIFE IN
% a,NcE AND MARRIED STU
DENT OF ANDREW.

A. H. Mccoy Oh Gu1'' won
;nent young Randolph county rL man
men a tried at Americas Thurs
was - sumter superior court on
day .n III Of bigamy. He was accused
cnaLs eving married on June Z, 1918,
OF mar rnha Wood, one-time Red
MISS nnrse. but more recently
CrG ?nod nurse living in Atlanta, and
Tran aoain married Miss Georgia
havlis on Andrew college student, In
Pl11o tor county on October ID, 1919.
SUN Tbe marriage with Miss Wood was
troctpd in France, at Chaumont,
COVE COVE Mccoy was confined in hos
nitaI after having been gassed during
+ be- American drive through the 81
Mihiel salient. =. c.
u his sentence at one to three years
in the penitentiary',
II While his two alleged wives con-
,,orsad together pleasantly during the
Ssee aI of the trial Mccoy
PIE 70 neither of them. On the
otd he stated he loved Miss Pitts
o"d that he married her believing ne
nod a perfect right to do so and that,
nitbongh he went through a ceremo-
~,r With Miss Wood in France, both
by and she knew at the time the GER
emonv was illegal and that since that
time they had met and agreed 1t was
illegal and that neither wanted TO
marry the other. :.
The state introduced Miss Molile
Buckley who swore that she witness
cd the marriage of Miss Wood and
McCov on June II 1918, at Chau-
mont base hospital. The state also
introduced Rev. J. W. FINLEY Of She'll
man. who told Of having married Nc
Gov and Miss Pitts at the home OF
Ed Stewart near Americas on october
10. 1919, identifying the certiflcate
placed in evidence.
w. G. Pitts of Pittsview, Ala, faith
err of Mrs. Georgia Pitts Mccoy, and
prosecutor in the case, swore that MS
daughter was about Is years OF age
when as a college student she mar
ried Mccoy and that she had lived at
his home since that time. A petition
for the annulment of the marriage IS
now pending in Randolph superior
court.
After his conviction Mccoy made
the following statement:
Avows Innocence.
"All I have to say at this time is
that | appreciate the efforts my coun-
sci have made in my behalf. l want
to thank them for their tireless efforts
in the preparation of this case and
to say to everyone that | am not gull
ty of the crime of which jury has
Just convicted me. 1t is only just to
say of these twelve men, good and
true, that they have done as they
thought best, perhaps, yet it is only
human to err. When | married Geor-
gia Pitts in Sumter county in Octo-
Der, 1919. then and there I consecra-
ted my life and all my efforts to the
task of making her happy. had in
vestigated the pretended marriage
with Miss Orpha D. Wood, with whom
was associated in France, and had
sought and obtained the advice of a |
lawyer licensed by the state of Geor- |
gia to advise persons in need of legal
assistance and had been told that
was free to marry the woman of my
choice. So if it becomes my lot to
don the stripes of felon and fill the |
place of a convict | shall do this with
the highest conception of my duty
toward my state and my fellow men
and with a resignation that must be
supported by the stoutest courage"
Arrested in Dawson.
Mccoy and Miss Pitts eloped and
the incident caused big sensation at
the time. Officers throughout this
section were notified by the father of
the girl to arrest the couple. They
came to Dawson after the ceremony
in Sumter county and were arrested
in the Dawson Cafe by Chief of Po-
lice W. L. Hill, who took them to
Cuthbert. A warrant was sworn out
there by Miss Pitts father charging
Mccoy with bigamy.
Mccoy was a member of the fam
Gus 151st machine gun battalion in
France. Miss Pitts, whom he mar
ried last year, is daughter of Mr..
and Mrs. George w. Pitts of Pitts
view, Ala, and the former is the
prosecutor in the case. All parties
concerned are prominent in their re-
L