Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1920-05-25
COMMON LAW WIFE, CAST OFF, T0GE:T
 PART 0F FORTUNE
Did Manual Labor 90 Years Then He Married
 Another

 E11m to build up his fortune and liv- 1 Ing with him as his wife. constitute a common law" marriage as bind Ing as that sealed by minister's ce- remony in Texas, according to a de | clS'oh ot the court of civil appeals at Amarillo. in the case of Mrs Mary iIfeen Bobbitt against l. R. Bobbitt. wealthy grain man, farmer and bank, CT of this city. Not only does such actlon constitute common law mar rage in Texas, but carries with if the right of the common law wife to nall the property of the husband, the court decTeed.
 This means Mrs. Mary Green Bob pitt Will receive one half of the 950o,0OO fortune of l. R. Bobbitt. who in 1917 told his companion of 30 years, Eve quit" and who a wear later married Mrs. Rowena Smith Coover of this city, daughter of R. E. Alfalfa King) Smith. Mrs. Bob bltt began her action for a divorce from her husband and a division of the propert ywhen Bobbitt was mar rled here to Mrs. Coover. The yer dict of the jury in the district court of Sherman was for a divorce and a division of the property on fifty fifty basis. The jury was made np of young men ranging in years from 20 to 30. The court of civil appeals has sustained the verdict of the dis trict court and Bobbitt, who cast Mrs. Bobbitt off as "a cool-a very good cook, but not my wife" must tufn over to her and their son half of his fortune, which was accumu- lated prior to his marriage to Mrs Coover, with the help of his com mon law wife.
 The case was one of the strangest Tn the annals of jurisprudence in Texas and the results have been watched over the nation, and while the question of a divorce in con- mon law marriage and the division of the property were the chief legal points raised in the case the ques- tion of moral obligation was not lost during the long legal battle for the rights of the common law wife.
 Mrs. Mary Green Bobbitt is now 52 years old and frail. Her son now resides with and supports his mother at Denison, Tex. Mrs. Mary Green Bobbitt was content to let matters rock along after Bobbitt told her he was through until he married a younger woman. Then the fight for the boy, as Mrs. Mary Bobbitt put it., began.
 According to Mrs. Bobbitt's story on the witness stand, she met Bob- Pennington on Christmas eve, 1885. bn olL "A. She fell in love with him and they ran away. Mrs. Mary Green Bobbitt declared that it was that step that led her to 30 years of drudgery cooking, "skinning mules" !" building levees, chopping wood and working with her husband, later to be cast off.
 She testified that when she first left her home she and Bobbitt worked near Fort Worth, They chopped cotton, picked cotton and did other hard work to make a lv- ing. Later they bought some mules and went to Louisiana. Here she donned mems clothing in her hus- bands camp. She did the cooking, chopped the wood, and broke the mules for he work in building levees. Many times when help was scarce she drove the mules and dumped the scrapers. It was while they were working in Louisiana swamps in 1895 that the child was born. He was christened Earl R. Bobbitt.
 Never Had Vacation in 30 Years.
 Mrs. Bobbitt testified that while ~>~~~~~~-~~~~~~--~ ~~~--->~~o~~~~o-~~~ Brewster have returned home for the summer vacation from Wabbaseka, where they taught the past term.
 Bernard Frazer of Warren and Hall Frazer of Hamburg are visiting Mrs. Roy L. Harley and Mrs. Monroe Brown.
 E. L. Harley of Warren is visiting MT. and Mrs. Roy l.. Harley.
 Mrs E. w. Freeman is improving after her recent illness.
 The Sesame club will meet today at the country home of Mrs. Pierce Oracle.
 Ths Junior Missionary society of the Lakeside church will meet this after noon at 3:3O at the church.
 Mrs H. M. Fuller will be hostess to the young ladies of Lakeside church this evening at her home at 8:oO o'clock