Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-04-07
CUMMING TRAGEDY
RELATED TO Jury
Woman Accused of Murder of
Husband on Stand in Own
Defense.
TELLS OF PRIVATlONS
In Opening Statement Richard
Evelyn Byrd Lays Bare His
tory of Hampton Case.
TELLS OF PRIvATIoNs

Especial TO the Times DispatcnD
HAMPTON. VA. April 6.AEntcrinE
a plea of no, guilty" and declaring
she remembers little or v.h:.: nap
pened a. the time or the shooting,
Mrs. 5. Gordon Cumming. charg. :
with the murder o, ;.s- husband,
COX the stand late this at,crno ii
nnd barred the sad anc .ordii story
81 her relations with III man who
betrayed. beat he- and cast ne. AMI
:.tc.r child into tho wor.i
The trial was started aoou. noon,
Judge Il. Carter Scott. o: Etchmord
being delayed in his arrival. ii.
presided in place OF Judge {. w
Robinson OF the Elizabeth city
County Circuit court. Governor Davis
having designated him for the duty
The ju-? o. twelve men, most OF
them elderly, was draw from i
venirc Of twenty-nine Suffolk citi-
zena. Richard Evelyn Byrd con-
ducted the defense and acting Com
monwealths Attorney Roland L..
Cooke the defense. The courtroom
was packed during the dag. Sympa
thy ran high for Mrs. Cumming and
Judge Scott raped for order several
times r!hon tho crowd Uttered as
Mr. Eyrd shot questions at witnesses
for the Commonwealth. Mrs. Cum
ming sai6 she met Gordon Cumming
at Buckroe Beach. He was wealth.
and had social position. II was poor
and unecucnted. l had been warned
! against him, bdt he told ne short
time after meeting me that be could
no; live without me. Your beautiful
to me-" Mrs. Cumming declared.
Retrayed and Cast Out.
He drugged and betrayed nc. He
cast mo into the world with our
child. He beat me. lie mistrca.ed
me. h had me thrown into jail.
he stole my son after the court
had given him to ne with fivc
dollars a week a!imony 10 care fo-
the two Of us.
"Hut still loved him. loved
him 100 much TO kill him. People
who testified tnat l threatened 10
do SO ara mistaken.
During January and the early
par; OF February. Kenni;h and ]
nearly froze TO death. We had little
10 eat, nothing al times. and | could
not get work. Yes, ] think no one
would give me work because o. Nj.
Cummings influence.
sent TO Jail for Four Days.
Mrs. Cumming maintained n quic;
calm until she mentioned the time
Mayor Sc!ate- had her puu in Jail
four days on complaint made by Mr..
Cumming, NJ which time Cumming
took the child and sent it away.
Here she broke down and sobbed
Later She somewhat recovered her
composurc. But at every mention OF
the child. tears well up fresh and
her whole body was rackcd with
st:ficd sohs. Coming to the day OF
the shooting. she said that she had
been iii for several days. She could
not sleep and could not remember
things. She and the child had been
i'll nourished and she was worried
She had only four cents and could
get no work.
Il saw Mr.. Cumming in 81. Johns
! churchyard j had Kenneth with me-
Mr.. Cumming saw us and turned on
his heel. This cut me terribly.
left and went home. Kenneth went
Off with n friend. was so worried
l did not notice IL. When got home
| opened drawer and picked up
revolver. / did not know was doing
it."
Again Threatened Her.
Il saw Mr.. Cumming on the street
later and asked him for money. lie
refused and threatened to have me
| locked up. ] don't remember any
thing else until ] saw him lying on
the pavement. ! staggered 10 a door
way, and was carried to Jail. Two
days later they told me all about IT,
He had told me he controlled the
courts and that he was going to
take the boy
George u. Cumming first cousin OF
the dead man, was among the last
witnesses called hy the Common
wealth. Hc said he was ono of the
first to reach Cumming after he was
shot
II. F. Snow. rhoebus merchant, told
OF lending Mrs. Cumming a revolver.
She told him she was moving to a
lonely part of the city and wanted il
for protection. He was shown the
gun with which the shooting was
done and said 1t looked like tho one
Mrs. Cumming had borrowed.
Nellie Johnson. an aged coiored
woman who worked for Cummings s
mother, testified that some time be-
fore Christmas she passed Mrs. Cum
ming's house. II had never seen
Mrs. Cumming before. She asked
me to go across the street and get
some fiour for her. did. and when
came back sho told mo she was
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