Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-11-24
MRS. DEACON DENOUNCED
Scored in Severe Terms by
Her Husbands Counsel.
THE WOMANS CASE PRESENTED
Says Her Husband Treated
Her Like a Slave.


| PARIS. Nov 1.-THE room in which the
| first chamber of the court of appeal hold
| its sessions was crowded with fashion
able throng to-day to listen TO the pro-
cecdings IN the appeal Of Mrs. Deacon
| from the decision of the tribunal of the
Seine, awarding the custody of the Deacon
children to the father. Among those
| present were number of Americans,
| whose sympathies throughout the case
| have been with Mr.. Deacon Maitre Clunet,
who appears for Mr.. Deacon, continued
his argument, begun yesterday, against
the court of appeal reversing the judy
ment of the lower court
MR.. DEACoSs CASE.
Yesterday, in presenting Mr.. Deacon's
case, NJ. Clunet gave the history Of Mrs
Deacon's liaisOn with, Abelle from its be-
| ginning to the time ABelle was shot by
Mr.. Deacon at the Hotel Splendide, Cannes
Mrs. Deacon, he said, had brought an
action for divorce in Paris so that she
might avoid condemnation for adultery
| by the court at ak. lie denied that Mr..
| Deacon had misused his wife, and said
| that the statements that lie was nun of
| violent temper was untrue.
| The Tribunal of the Seine, before which
| Mrs. Deacon had brought proceedings for
n divorce, had given to Mr.. Deacon the
custody Of his muchloved eldest child
| Mrs. Deacon had abducted the child as
/ soon rs she learned of the courts decision,
and, it is claimed, threatened that Mr..
Deacon would never see the girl again
unless his suit against her for iniidelity
| were abandoned.
Mrs. Deacon, in her appeal. asked the
court to withdraw Mr.. Deacon's rights as
the natural guardian OF the child. Mrs.
Deacon WAS woman of pleasure. Her
intrigue with AbeiIle was not a sudden
| weakness. Five weeks after her conline-
ment Abeile was found with her Mrs
Deacon admitted this Then she left Paris
for Cannes. She stopped at the Grand
Hotel de Noaillcs at Marseiles, and there
Abeille joined her under an assumed
name. lie adopted the name Adam, and
Mrs. Deacon used the child to screen her
conduct; Maitre Clunet concluded his
| speech by declaring that u woman who
behaved as Mrs. Deacon had done was not
fit to have the custody of a child,
SEVERE ARRANGEMENT.
This morning he was none the less severe
in his arraignment Of Mrs Deacon. He
said that Abeille, under his assumed name
Of Adam, took rooms in the Rue Il Aniou
Mrs. Deacon, heavily yelled, constantly re-
sorted to these rooms for the purpose of
meeting her paramour. They stayed to-
gether for hours. rheliasiOn was habit
ual one. Mrs. Deacon, NJ Clunet declared,
was bad woman and worse mother.
She took u two months trip with Abeille
iii Switzerland, and all this time she had
her children with her. She was degraded,
immodest and cynical woman. Can the
court" he; asked, deprive tho father of
his natural rights for this creatutaPn
In conclusion, NJ. Clunet declared that
Mr.. Deacon was generally respected and
was devoted to his children, whose future
required their fathers guardianship. He
demanded that the court of appeal rciterate
the order OF the Tribunal of the Seine, di-
rectiIg that Mr.. Deacon have the custody
of the children; that Mrs. Deacon be com
PEELED to surrender the child she had abb
Quoted and that the court impose tne
upon her, in order to prevent her from
further treating the court with contempt.
The court announced that it would
reserve its decision until Tuesday.
SUGGESTION.
Acknowledgement ltau reviewed the case
He said that both Mr. and Mrs. Deacon
had acted wrongly. Mrs. Deacon's adul.
terry with BELLE had been amply proved
as had also been the fact that Mr.. Deacon
was man of violent temper. Mr.. Deacon,
he declared had condoned his wife's ndul.
terry with Abeille. The Acknowledgement
urged that, pending the divorce proceed
ingS instituted by Mr. Deacon, the court
give Judgment annulling the decision
placing the children in the custody of Mr.
Deacon, and that the daughter, now in
possession of MIS-. Deacon. be sent to 4
convent, where both Mr.. and Mrs. Deacon
could visit her.
While the decision i'll the case will not
be made known until the nd instant
there is reason to believe that it will be in
accordance with the line urged by the
acknowledgement.
MRS. DEAcoN's DEFENCE.
Mrs. Deacon has always steadfastly re
fused to give her side of the case, but to DAY
her friends made what appears to be Ut
authoritative statement in her defence
According to this statement Mr.. Deacon
has treated his wife, since the first week!
Of their marriage with brutality, which
Mrs. Deacon says. she endured. hoping bS
forDearanCe to subdue a temper that d
times bordered upon insanity. \ grca
many of these brutal acts, say Mrs
Deacon's friends, had no witnesses, blu
certain charges il is claimed, can be estab
lished by sworn testimony.
, These charges are that less than a month
after their marriage, while they were il
London, Mr.. Deacon became furious ut Iii
wife because her hair was not arranged t
his taste, and knocked her down.
In February, 1850, five days after tn,
birth of their first child, at the Hote
. Brighton, Paris, Mr. Deacon left for Eng
land, leaving his wife alone for ten DAYS
and upon his returning, finding her still
an invalid, he went into terrible rage
His violence was such that the physician
, and nurse had to interfere, and forbid hin
access TO her room.
yAGABoND EXISTENCE.
: During eight years, it is alleged, Mr.
Deacon Obliged lis wife to lead vagabon,
existence. In all the hotels where the,
stopped he treated her like slave, FORBID
ding the servants to wait upon her and no
allowing basket of wood to be bruugh
without his written order. His violenc
= was such that occupants of adjoining AZ
partments would inquire if Monsieur hal
beaten Madame badly.
In Paris, during the winter Of 1884. Mrs
! Deacon was about leaving for ball. Sh
! learned that one of the nurses had gCn
out without permission. 1t is claimet
= that Mr. Deacon insisted upon his wifi
going alone, promising to Join her latel
: At o'clock. uneasy at his delay, she II
turned home and found her maid waitin
for her outside. Mr.. Deacon had give
orders for the concierge to not let hi
wife enter, and had himself barrcade
the door of their apartment. When at las
!. an entrance WIS effected Mr.. Deacon wa
found rushing about undrcssed, IN stat
of frenzy.
MORE ACCUSATIONS.
The accusations continue to the effeC
: that in 1855 the DeacOns lost child, an
, one night, while the mother was weeping
Mr.. Deacon, after approaching her for he
tears, beat her so cruelty that the mark
remained for many days.
In 1858 Mrs. Deacon inherited consider
able fortune from her father, the late Rea
= Admiral 9. II. Baldwin, of the America
! Navy, The lady Claims that since tina
! time Mr.. Deacon has resolutely refused /
, contribute one cent to the household eS
penses or the support of his family.
q 1t is further alleged that i'll the winter q
lss0, while returning from the theatre