Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-12-03
THE SLACK CHILDREN
Afidavits Made at the Injunction
Proceedings Today.
ATTACKS ON MRS. SLACK
Barry Buckley Tells Of a Dinner
PARTY.
THE WIFE'S TATEMENT

! fren of the late VIM. H. Slack two girls
! of tender age, was again before the court
| today, he petition of the little ones grand
| father, VIM. B. Slack, for an injunction
| restraining all parties from seeking by
| legal proceedings mere or elsewhere to dis
turb Mrs. Addie Slack Perrines possession
Of the children. being brought up before
| Judge Hagner in Equity Court No. this
morning.
| AS heretofore stated in The Stac. the petit
| ton for the injunction recited the fact
| that MIR. and Mrs. Slack had separated
several months previous to his death, last
| October, and also the fact that by the pro-
visions of his will, made July II, 1885, his
| entire estate was left to mis- sister, Mrs
! Perrine, in trust for the children until they
| married or reached the age OF twenty-one
years. Mrs. Perrine being also appointed
| by the will the guardian of her nieces.
| Accompanying the petition for the in
J junction were number of exhibits, includ-
| ing the records of the legal proceedings in
New Jersey, where Mrs Slack sought to
| recover possession of her children, and
where she was finally awarded the custody
| of them, ] ut not until after the Perrines
| had removed the little ones out of the juris-
| diction of the New Jersey courts to this
| city. In the hearing today the petition
| and exhibits were read by counsel for the
| Perrines. Messrs. Carlisle and johnson and
| Jere M. Wilson. One of the papers read
was an affidavit OF servant woman in the
| Slack family who testified that Mrs Slack
early in 1884 drove her husband from the
house, applying a profane epfthet to him.
This woman the nurse of the children,
| also swore that upon one occasion late in
April, 1894, Mrs. Slack took Mr.. Barry Bulk
| ley. teacher in the Emerson Institute to
her bed room where they remained,
| cording to the woman, until 3 oclock in the
morning. the door of the bed room being
| locked. .
Mr.. Buckley Explains.
| The testimony of Mr.. Buckley, introduced
| by counsel for Mrs. Slack, Messrs. A. s.
Worthington and Geo. f. Hamilton. was
| also read to the court. 1t was 10 the eff
| feet that after a dinner at Harvey's given
| by Mrs. Slack, April 30, 1894, to Mr.. L. s.
| McCa1mont, Miss Morrison and himself
| a great deal OF wine was drunk, and that
| number of mint juleps We're also drunk
| when the party repaired, after the dinner
| to Mrs. Slacks residence. There, Mr.. Bulk
| ley stated. he was overcome by the Wine
| and liquors to such extent that he stag
| gered into a bed room upstairs
| He became dead to the world there. and
| upon awakening found himself lying upon a
| lounge in the room, learning from Mrs. Slack
| that he was in her bed room. He apologized
| to her as well as he could. he stated, and
| subsequently inquired of Mr.. McCalmont if
| it would not be best for him to apologize to
| her husband. Mr.. Mccalmont thought not,
| however. because of the enlargement be-
! tween Mr.. and Mrs. Slack. In his examina-
! ton it appeared that Mr.. Buckley was sep
arated from his wife, but in answer to the
| direct question of Mrs. Slack s counsel he re-
| piled that, as God was his witness, he had
| not al any time been guilty OF improper con-
| duct with her nor had she at any time acted
| improperly.
| After these affidavits had been read to
| Judge Hagner the record Of the proceedings
| in the New Jersey courts was read also the
| answer of Mrs Perrine in which she denied
| the jurisdiction of the New Jersey courts.
| In her answer Mrs. Perrine also claimed
| that until her brothers will was set aside
she was, under its provisions, and under
the laws of the District, the sole and legal
| StOlian and Guardian of the children
and that right could not he disturbed by
either injunction or habeas corpus proceed
| ingS.
| Mrs. Stacks Answer.
The answer of Mrs. Slack was next read
by her counsel, in which she states that she
supported her husband and family, and
| that she settled upon him the income from
$4,000 besides giving him at one time
$4,000 to enter business. Frequent quar-
rels occurred between them. she said, te-
| cause of his addiction to drink and because
| of his neglect of herself and children. They
finally separated in March, 1894, and she
| subsequently allowed the children to visit
| him in New Jersey. their father promis-
ing in return that they should be returned
to her. But they never have been al
| lowed to return to her. Mrs. Slack then
referred to the effort made by her in New
Jersey recently to gain possession of her
children, stating that after the PerriIes
had taken them out of that jurisdiction she
was not only there awarded the custody
| of them until they both reach the age of
| twenty-one years. but warrants for the ar
rest of the Perrines for commitment to
| Jail were issued by the New Jersey court
for contempt.
| The decision of the New Jersey court, de-
| clared Mrs. Slack, is conclusive in the mat
/ ter, and that she is, therefore entitled to
the custody of her children and to a dismis-
| sal of the petition for an Injunction re-
| straining her from seeking here to obtain
| possession of them by writ of habeas cor
| pus. She not only denied the charges of
| immortality, indecent language and bad tenn
per. saying that they have been made to
| poison the minds of her children against
! her, but also charged that the Perrines are
not proper persons to have the custody of
the children. saying that she has always
| been n kind, affectionate and devoted
mother. Mrs. Slack stated that she is
worth about 100000. and therefore is well
able to provide for her children. Attached
| to her answer was the testimony taken on
her behalf in the proceedings in New Jer-
sey, in which Mrs. Gen. Sheridan. Lieut..
Geo. p. Colvocorreseer of the navy, DR.. S. S.
! Adams, Mrs. Amanda Il. Belknap, Mrs
Rucker, Miss Anna H. Easton and other
| people well-known here testified that in
| their opinion Mrs. Slack was devoted
mother and a woman of the highest char
| acter.