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Divorced:
- Divorce record (in 1879) for William M. Pack and his wife, Rebecca Deskins. William was a brother of Sarah Pack and brother in law of William Burress.
William was divorcing Rebecca, saying basically that she was a tramp and that he had an affair with one Adam Pack.
William Burress and Tinsley Pack are witnesses for William Pack.
Adam Pack claims he had sexual intercourse with Rebecca on two different occassions and gives dates and places.
Rebecca claims, they are making the charges up and lying for William Pack to give William an excuse to divorce her and take their 4 children from her.
She claims that William Pack "gave William Burress a horse to make the statements he did in his said despostion" and that Tinsley Pack "is a brother to the complaintant and would do or swear nearly anything to promote the complaintants interest."
27 June 1879, Tazewell County, Virginia
Testimony of William H. Burress
Asked if he is acquainted with William and Rebecca Pack, William answers "I am acquainted with them. I have known them about 10 or 12 years.
Q: Are they now husband and wife and how long have they been married
William's answer: They are now husband and wife and have been married about 10 or 12 years.
Q. Tell wheather you know of her having had carnal communication with any man other than her husband since her intermarring with the complaintant.
A. I saw a man on her one day and had her clothes up.
Q. Did you ever hear her comment with any man, other than her husband, to have carnal communication with him.
A. I have
Tinsley Pack is questioned next. He states that he has know both William and Rebecca since childhood and that they have been married for about 12 years. And that after she was ?? charges set forth in complaintants bill she had not slept a good nights sleep for fear that it would be found out on her. This she told me about three months ago.
Mary Jane Lawson testifies that she had seen Rebecca Pack and Adam Pack in bed together about 18 month ago in the state of Kentucky where the Packs were residing, and that she saw Adam Pack give Rebecca Pack a silver quarter the morning after she saw them in bed together. That when she saw them in the year of 1877 it was around Christmas time, close to midnight and it was at Rebecca Pack's house and William Pack was not home.
Asked who was at the house that night she claims it was Rebecca, Adam, Herself and 3 little children. She states that she went to bed with the children and left Rebecca and Adam drinking coffee and that it was her understanding that defendant was to get bed with ?? that Adam Pack was to occupy the other bed alone. And that when she woke up there was no fire or candle burning in the house.
She is then questioned about the weather on that night and the days leading up to that night and says most were warm, but that she could not recall all the days weather. When asked how she can recall some days and not others she states she can recall Saturday and Sunday because they had company on those days at their house which was close to William Pack's house and that on Sunday, the defendant, Adam Pack and Margaret Bishop were at her home and that "I remember distinctly that defendant got mad at Adam Pack because he talked to Margaret Bishop." She claims she remembers the time of the incident because her father died on the 5th of November 1877 and that "my best recollection is that this was about 2 weeks after his death."
Mary Jane Lawson is asked who was the first person she told and when. She said it was the 11th of August 1879 and she told Barbara Pack, and that she didn't tell before that time because she "thought it wasn't necessary to tell it" and that why did she think it was necessary to tell it now, to which she replied "Because I thought they were done parted and it couldn't do any harm for one to tell it."
She is then asked about her relationship with the Defendant and claims they are good friends and have always been such. That she used to sometimes stay the night over at Rebecca Pack's house, but she had not stayed there since the incident and that she had never said anything to the defendant about the affair because "I always hated to name it to her."
When asked how she saw the defendant and Adam Pack together in bed, if there was no fire in the home, she stated that the house was a log home and the moon shined through the logs so she could see. She is then asked what time the moon rose that night and if there were any hills or mountains or trees around and what direction they were in, and in what position the moon was in (I guess trying to establish how much light there was and if it was obstructed in any way) She claims there were some hills and that the moon was striaght over head. She is questioned that, if the moon was overhead, "how could she shine her rays through the cracks of a log house?"
She answers "the moon shines all around and of course light came into the house."
A different Mary Lawson is questioned and states that she knows for a fact that Rebecca and Adam Pack were together in the year of 1877 when William Pack was absent. And that Rebecca Pack had told her that Adam Pack had given her money and other things at different times. And that Rebecca told her that Adam had given her several things and would have given her more but that he was afraid of her husband.
She also states that she has seen Rebecca Pack and Adam Pack standing and talking to each other when no one else was around and it was through the summer of 1877.
She was asked if she had not frequently seen a man and a woman talking alone together before and she replied that she had, but "this couple had been staying together for several days and nights and this made me think strange of it."
Mary is asked if Adam Pack is a brother of the Complaintant and if the complaintant got Adam to stay with his wife when he was absent. She answers that Adam Pack is not his brother but a first cousin and that she does not know if the complaintant got Adam to stay with his wife while he was away.
When asked where William Pack was during this time, Mary states that he was in Virginia to see relatives and she didn't know that he had any special business while there.
Barbara Pack is questioned next. When asked if the defendant admitted to her that she was guilty of the charges brought against her, Barbara claims that she did admit to them and said she was guilty of all of them and believed Adam Pack loved her and had not slept a good nights sleep for fear her husband would find her out. When asked she states that William and Rebecca have not resided together since the charges were brought and that William Pack has been staying with his brother Tinsley Pack since then. Barbara Pack claims she is a neice of William Pack. That William Pack had told her that he had mistrusted his wife, but was not certain of her guilt until now.
Tinsley Pack is sworn in as a witness: Asked how it happened that that defendant made confessions to him of her guilt. "On one Sunday evening while my wife and niece had left home to attend meeting, defendant confessed to me that Adam Pack had told her that he loved her and that she had committed adultery with him and that since she was guilty with him she had not slept a good nights sleep for fear her husband would find it out through Adam Pack.
George W. Blankenship is questioned about Adam Pack's charater. He states his wife (not named) is a 1st cousin of Adam and that he knows his character for truthfulness is bad, that he doesn't think he has ever had a permanent home anywhere since he had come of age. "I think he has been a rambling person ever since he was 12 years of age."
William Bottimore gives testimory to the court regarding William Burress' character: "He lived very near me for I suppose some 20 years and I think I ought to know his general character for truth and veracity." He goes on to say that his character "was not good for truth and veracity."
The court then asks Mr. Bottimore if he thought William Burress' character for truth would be any better under oath. Mr. Bottimore replies, "That would depend upon the interst he had in the case - if he had any interest the case, it would not."
Mr. Bottimore also states he knows Rebecca Pack's, the defendants character to be good.
William Bottimore than goes on to explain that, "about the time they (William & Rebecca Pack) left the place where they had lived near my house, Tinsley Pack, brother of the complaintant in this suit, in a conversation with me about William H. Burress, in which he (Pack) spoke in a very disparaging manner of him (Burress) told me that Burress has tried to induce complaintant (William Pack) to believing that his wife, Rebecca E. Pack had had an improper intimacy with him (Tinsley Pack).
William Bottimore adds that he knows W.H. Burress' character for truthfulness is bad based on common report and personal knowledge.
Asked if Tinsley Pack denied the charge from Burress that he had had improper intimacy with William Pack's wife Rebecca, Bottimore states that Tinsley told that the charge was ridiculous.
Next to give statement is William Barrett (Rebecca Packs brother in law), who claims he has never heard Rebecca Pack's character of virtue to be bad. He also states he knows nothing of William H. Burress' character.
Mr. Barrett is than asked that "whether two months ago at Joseph Peery's Mill in this county, you had a conversation with William H. Burress relative to this case and if so, please state what he said."
He answers: "I did hae such a conversation with William H. Burress. He told me at this time that William M. Pack had told him that he intended to have him summoned to testify as a witness in this case and that he (Burress) had told him (Pack) that he need not do it, that he could not not swear in his favor but that he would have to swear in favor of his wife, Rebecca E. Pack, and that he had never known anything wrong of her in his life.
The next witness is W.G. Bottimore and he is asked if he is acquainted with William H. Burress and his character. His answer, "I am only slightly acquainted with William H. Burress - I have never had any business relations with him. I have however heard a number of persons say that they regarded him as a bad man and as an untruthful one."
Asked, based on what he had heard, did he believe William Burress to be a man of good or bad character for true and veracity, to which he replies, "My only inference was that he was a man of bad character for veracity." He also states he would have severe doubt in believing him under oath.
He is asked how far he lives from William H. Burress, and he claims 7 miles.
W.G Bottimore also claims he knows Rebecca to be a modest woman who took good care of her children and her home.
George W. Deskins (who lives 4 miles from William Burress) is next to be interviewed. Asked if he is acquainted with William H. Burress and his character, he replies, "I suppose I am. His general character, as far as I know, is not good."
Asked if William Burress could be belived under oath, George stated: "I don't think that a man could have much confidence with a man who was generally known to steal and lie."
George Deskins also claims that he has known Rebecca since she was a child and that he was always known her to be a good woman, and that he is her 3rd cousin.
James W. Smith is the next witness. When asked about William Burress and his character for truth and veracity, James states, "Bad" Asked if he would believe William Burress under oath, James replies, "I would not."
James is asked how far he lives from William Burress and where William lives: 3 miles from William and William lives on the Lower ? of Baptist Valley on the land of David J. Gillespie on the Clinch River.
Asked why he would not believe William under oath he claims: "Because I have heard so many people express unfavorable opinions before to his character.
James also vouches for the good character of Rebecca Pack.
J.M. McCall is the next witness, but he says he is not acquainted with William H. Burress and considers Rebecca Pack a virtuous woman.
George W. Gillespie (Witness), when asked about William Burress and his character, simply states BAD. When asked if he would believe William Burress under oath, George says, "I would not in a case in which he was interested." Asked how he knows William Burress' character is bad, he says, "By having business transactions with him and by hearing others speak of him."
George Gillespie lives 5 miles from William Burress.
Next there are witnesses brought in to testify to the character of Adam Pack. All of which say his character is bad. One states of Adam Pack "I have known him ever since he was a small boy - He is now about 36 or 37 years of age. His character ever since I have known him has been very bad - He has for the last several years been wandering around over the county aimlessly without any fixed place of abode so far as I know - he could not be said to be a citzen of any community."
Another witness claims that Adam Pack is a first cousin to the complaintant (William Pack)
Witnesses also claim that Adam Pack hasn't lived in the county for some 6 or 7 years, that he resides in Kentucky and will occassionaly wander back to Tazwell as he has no permandent home. And that when he does come back to Tazewell, he never stays more than 8 or 10 days at a time.
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