May And December

chunk 1050 · paragraph 1566

May And December An Aged Ranchman Elopes With His Neighbor’s Wife, Accompanied by the Children Hugh M. Childress, a ranchman, who until recently resided on the Upper Gila, was arrest- ed in Lordsburg Tuesday and brought back to this city by Deputy Sheriff Baca Wednesday night. The warrant for the arrest v/as sworn out by C. C. Smart, a former neighbor of Childress’, v/ho claimed that Childress had eloped with his wife, Mrs. Maggie Smart. The news of the elopement created some- thing of a flutter, as the people are well known in this vicinity, and the disparity in the ages of the parties at interest, made the case assume a somewhat sensational character. The arrest was made under the Edmund’s act, but it may be extremely difficult to prove anything damaging to either party. Mrs. Smart was accompanied by her two little girls when overtaken at Lordsburg. The party having reached town somewhat late, the officer in charge took them to hotels, Childress register- ing at the Tremont house and Mrs. Smart at the Broadway. The bonds in the case were set at $1,000, and were secured yesterday by Chil- dress. The examination will be had before United States Commissioner H. W. Lucas tomorrow.