More details emerge over century-old 'SCANDAL' involving 'Breach of Promise' in Wilcox County, Alabama

Longtime readers of this column know that I love hearing from readers of The Progressive Era. A week or so ago, I received a nice message from Marian Perdue Furman of Camden, who wanted to know if I had any information regarding a “scandal” that involved her great-uncle, Estin Purefoy.

Some of you will remember reading in these pages on Jan. 6 an item that was originally published in the Jan. 26, 1922 edition of The Progressive Era. In that week’s paper, under the headline “SCANDAL,” it was reported that the “people of Camden are taking rare interest in a Breach of Promise Trial that will be settled in the near future. Miss Mary Alma Stanford is suing Mr. Estin Purefoy for failing to keep his promise to marry her.”

Elsewhere in that week’s paper, under the headline “Judge Turnipseed,” it was reported that “it may be news to some people of Camden to learn that Mr. J.W. Turnipseed has been sworn in as a special judge to try the case of Stanford vs. Purefoy. The public is delighted with the selection – as the quiet dignity of Mr. Turnipseed comports well the deportment of judge.”

Marian Furman contacted me after all this was reprinted in the newspaper to say that stories in her family circle tell what supposedly happened before this local “scandal” erupted in 1922. The story handed down in her family says that Estin bought a diamond ring that he intended to give Miss Stanford. Rumors around town got back to Estin that Stanford was telling people that she couldn’t decide between Estin and another suitor, who happened to be a doctor.

Supposedly, Stanford said that if Estin had the doctor’s good looks or if the doctor had Estin’s money, then she would know which one to marry. Marian said that her family does not know the name of the doctor who was trying to win Stanford’s heart, but when Estin heard these remarks, he withdrew his offer of marriage and gave his diamond ring to his niece, who grew up to be Marian’s mother. This ring is still in the family today as is the unusual story of its origin.

Marian contacted me to say that she and her family have always wondered about the outcome of the trial between Estin and Stanford. They wondered if the trial was actually ever held, and, if so, what was its outcome. With that in mind, I got to digging, and Marian and her family may be interested to know that the local “scandal” in 1922 was nothing more than just a good bit of tongue-in-cheek fun for the benefit of a local church.

The Progressive Era, in its Feb. 9, 1922 edition, published the complete cast of an upcoming “mock trial,” that was to include a short variety program of singing, comical readings and “several other numbers.” The curtain was scheduled to rise at 8:15 p.m. Members of the cast included Dennis Casey as Estin Purefoy, Dotty Perkins as Mary Alma Stanford, Dr. J.H. Jones and about 20 other actors from in and around Camden.

In the Feb. 16, 1922 edition of the paper, the results of the mock trial were reported, saying that a “well-filled house at the school auditorium last Friday night greeted the amateur performers in the presentation of the comedy, the Mock Trial. From start to finish, the parts were well-rendered. All in all, it was a creditable play, and, as all’s well that ends well, the reconciliation and marriage of the plaintiff and defendant was a happy climax.”

The newspaper noted that the play was given under the auspices of the ladies of the Camden Baptist Church and a “generous sum was realized by them.”

Despite my best efforts, I was unable to determine what became of the real-life Estin Purefoy. The last mention of him in local newspapers was in the March 29, 1945 edition of The Progressive Era, in a story saying that he was among a group of farmers who took a trip to Marion Junction for a meeting of area cattlemen. Who he eventually ended up marrying, if anyone, and where he is buried, I do not know.

Mary Alma Stanford is a different creature altogether. Her name appears in dozens of old editions of the Camden newspaper, and she was heavily involved in a wide variety of local plays and performances. In September 1923, she married Wm. W. Boykin Jr. of Camden and the wedding “was of genuine interest to a wide circle of friends and acquaintances of both the contracting parties.”

In the end, I hope that Marian Furman and her family enjoy learning that Estin was not some type of local scoundrel. Rather than being some type of rogue, my feeling is that he was the type of fellow who enjoyed a good joke and didn’t mind being the “villain” in a tongue-in-cheek play to benefit a local church. If anyone in the reading audience knows what ultimately became of Estin and Mary Stanford Boykin, please let me hear from you.