Los Angeles herald., 1892-12-15
THE BRUNSON AFFAIR.
A HARD FIGHT TO BE MADE BY
THE DEFENSE.
The Contest Apparently Has just Com
menced-A Northern Papers
Point of View of the
Matter.

1t is probable that the public will
soon have occasion to hear some weighty
evidence on the part of the defense in
the sensational divorce CAGE OF Brunson
vs. BrupsoD. The HERALD has informa-
ton which goes to chow that the judge
will be able to make a stronger defense
than perhaps most people think for,
and that the fight has just commenced.
The following clipping from the Peta-
luna Courier gives one point of view OF
the matter:
ga report is current that the wife of
Judge Anson Brunson OF Los Angeles
has commenced, or is about to COM
mence, an action for divorce against her
husband, in which she names as core
spondent Mrs. Mary o. HI. Stoneman,
wife OF the great cavalry leader and ex-
governor OF this state, George Stone
man. This is accompanied by state
ment that General Stoneman has been
spirited away, and that for months his
whereabouts has been q subject of anx-
ious speculation in the community
where he has lived.
ga letter has been published, having
no address and signed only with an
initial .'--purporting to have been
written by Mrs. Stoneman to Judge
Brunson, full Of romantic effusiveness,
after the style Of silly, love-sick board
ing school miss. Mrs. Stoneman has
been interviewed. Her interviewer
mentions, and evidently regards it as a
suspicious fact, If not criminative, that
as a rule during the interview she did
not 'evince the slightest indication OF
nervousness, or in any degree lose that
complete self f.possession' which is char
acteristic. She gave the report naughty
denial, treated it with contempt, and
finally intimated her desire to be rid of
her interlocutor's presence.
Judge Brunson was interviewed. He
made a dignified denial; said he was
perfectly prepared to meet the matter
whenever it should come into court; de-
clared there was nothing that could be
said of him that he was not willing to
admit; expressed his admiration for the
literary talents of Mrs. Stoneman, whose
attorney he has been and is, and accord
ing to the modern police and scandal
mongering idea, deported himself with
that coolness and freedom from nervous
excitement which is exceedingly suspi-
cious, if it does not conclusively estab-
lish guilt.
"Mrs. Stoneman emphatically denies
that che wrote the letter that is pub
liehed and attributed to her. She
comes of good stock, has filed high
social position, and is admitted to DE a
woman OF great pride and splendid in
tellcctuality. Such letter from a
woman of 80 (Which she admits she is)
to man of 60 would afford evidence OF
hopeless imbecility. Her lineage, her
character and standing, her recognized
intelligence and her positive denial sup
plementing the internal evidence OF the
improbsbilities that such woman OF
her age could be the writer OF such let
ter, should entitle her to the benefit OF
more than doubt; to a charitable
judgment which nothing short OF the
most positive ividence could shake.
'It would take more than one expert
to convince the Courier of the au-
thenticity of that letter, and each one OF
them would have to prove his expert
knowledge, his own good character and
his impartiality by more than one un-
impeachable witness. The story has
all the earmarks of improbability, and
until it takes some other aspect it is the
part of brave men to take up the cudgels
in favor OF lenient judgment and fair
hearing for this scandalzed lady,"