The Washington times., 1920-04-07
TEN MINUTE BRIDE
TElLSu|FESTORY
Mrs. Cumming, on Trial for
Staying Husband, Takes
Stand in Own Behalf.
CONTINUED from First Page }

IL and big red cherry with sstooth-
pick. The color was beautiful but
after ] drank that lemonade ! began
to feel queer
This was the beginning OF her relz-
tionship with the brilliant lawyer. ac-
cording 10 her testimony. The rels-
| tions. she said, continued for nearly
Her son, Kenneth, was born on
August 23. 1912.
story OF Marriage. .
Mrs. Cumming told OF her marriage
TO the lawyer. who consented to marry
her after a Florence Critteuton Mis-
sion worker interested herself In be-
half OF the young woman and her
child. Before he consented to take
the step he had consulted with
friends, including the leading physi-
clan. the leading lawyer and the
mayor of the town, between whom q
plan was finally evolved by which II
was agreed that Cumming should
marry the girl. that he should con-
| tribute 80 a week to her support for
six months after her marriage: that
he should contribute IS a week for
the support of their son until he was
sixteen years of age, and that his wife
was to bring suit for divorce against
L
1t was arranged that the marriage
should take place in the office OF DR..
George X. Vanderslice, county coro-
ner. When the young woman arrived
st the office legal papers had been
prepared for her signature. embody-
ing the scheme agreed upon amopg
the friends of Cumming. She refused
to sign the papers. When they In
formed her that under no other CIR
cumstances would Cumming marry
her. and as she had repeatedly said
she wanted only his name, she went to
her father and brother. who both al
vised her to sign for the sake OF her
sisters. upon whom she had already
brought SO much disgrace. :.
signea UnAer Pressure.
Mrs. Cumming stated that under
pressure she signed the papers, but
subsequently refused to- go on with
| the divorce. Cumming then sued her
| for divorce, which was granted.
As a result OF the efforts OF Mr..
| Byrd. whom Mrs. Cumming secured as
| counsel, the supreme court reversed
| the decision of the lower court and
pronounced the contracts INVALID and
in opposition to public policy"
! While this fight was being made.
Cumming continued to visit his wife
|
ming, sometimes at his mothers
home. sometimes in her home, sofie-
times in other cities. ;f'',
According ito the story she. told on
| the stand, he would send for her to
spend the night with him at the home
4 Of his mother, who, he said. wanted
I to see little Kenneth. and thep the
next morning he would throw her
down the steps or order her out of the
4 l. aI..,. 1T, f,,l - . lr.
her take the side door because he
didn't want the public to see her in
his house. ... .,...
Tells Of Cruelty.
| On one occasion. she said, he tied
her hands and feet. threw her on the
bed and soaped her mouth until 1t
was swollen and required several
days doctoring. Again. he SO crushed
her arm in his grasp that the skin
broke and the blood flowed through.
| staining the white waist which she
| wore. military policeman who saw
It. she said wanted to arrest Cum
ming, but he jumped an automobile
| and got away. .'...
| All this treatment. she stated was
due to the fact that she asked Cum
ming for money to support herself
and her child. The s. week, which
according to the contract, he was IT,
pay, was not sufficient to keep body
and soul together, she said what with
coal and wood and rent TO pay out OF
| 1t. Cumming constantly insisted that
! she go to work. but, according to her
| testimony. she was unable to secure
| any position because of her notorious
relations with him.
| On the day that Cumming was shot
Mrs. Cumming testified that she did
not know what she was doing. be-
! cause throughout the three months Of
| December. January and February she
| and her child had been cold and hun
CRY and that in February things got
so bad as to be, almost desperate.
She had gone to the cemetery. she
! said. to look at the flowers on A
grave. As she stood there her hus-
band passed, but turned and walked
in another direction. This. she said
upset her. and with her brain seeth-
! ins she rushed to her apartment,
picked up a pistol. and, rushing to
| Cummings office. fired the fatal shots
as she trailed behind him after hs
had again premptorlly refused TO give
her any money.
| Courthouse Jnmmcd.
| Although it was I o'clock, the huge
| crowd which jammed the little court
| room filled the lobbies and extended
| even to the ladder leading to the loft.
| on which half a dozen men were
grouped hung breathless upon the
defendants every word.
Judge Scott announced adjourn
ment at this juncture until 0 o'clock
the next morning. and while the
crowd filed out, discussing the
strange case the mother sat in her
| chair, half stunned, while her little
boyl timidly edged his way over TO
| her lside until the sheriff came TO
take her back to the Jail in which
she has been confined since the death
| OF Cumming last February.
| At the morning session the jury
was selected after the entire panel OF
thirty vcniremen had been exhausted.
due to the circumstance that at least
! half n dozen stated that they would
| not condemn a woman to death either
| by hanging or electrocuting. while at