Commonwealth v. McNutt

SWEET, P.J.,

Florence and James McNutt were married on December 28, 1969, in Erie, Pa. This marriage followed an unusual courtship, conducted entirely by correspondance and telephone, as “penpals,” and the marriage arrangements were made the first day the parties saw each other.

Florence was in the unfortunate position of having borne a baby to a soldier who disappeared into the jungles of Viet Nam and had never been heard from since. She lived in New Mexico while McNutt was serving at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. The aspiring bridegroom promised Florence’s father that he would take care of her and of…