The herald., 1896-11-26
A COMPLICATED CASE
Conspiracy Story in the
Smith Divorce
.A TRAP LA|D FOR The HUSBAND
Which He Entered, Acting Under
Legal Advice
IS RETURNED TO HIGHLAND
An Important Legal Point Missed by His
Attorneys
IS RETURNED TO HIGHLAND
Important Decision by Judge ork Ruling
Against the City
The Opening of Ash Street Through the
Maud Estate Will Now Be Post
poned-Decision in Favor of
State Loan and Trust Co.

| state Loan ana Trust 20.
| The Smith divorce case again came up
for further hearing in department 1our
| Yesterday before Judge Van Dyke. Sew
eral witnesses were put forward by
counsel for the husband to combat the
| testimony given the other day regard
| ing the amateur detective Taylor having
seen Smith and Miss Anderson in
! room at the Narragansett and also in the
| lady apartment at the Gray Gables. The
| first of these witnesses produced piece
| of string nine feet in length, which he
| stated was the height of the window sill
| at the room referred to at the Gray
Gables. If this accurately described the
place then, necessarily, Taylor must
| have spoken untruly when he said he
saw the couple from the sidewalk.
DIR. r. s. Willard. the dentist, further
complicated the situation, for he testi-
fed that he, with his wife and two child
| rem, had occupied room at the Gray
Gables during the month of September,
1895 Now this particular room is the
very one that it is claimed was occupied
on a certain night in September by
, witness was positive that he occupied
the room from June until November and,
furthermore, he had never given permits
sion to Smith or anyone else to indulge
in any amorous playfulness with any
women during that time
There is something very ludicrous in
the idea of the stenographic detective
cooling his heels on the sidewalk while
watching the window in a room other
than the one occupied by the parties he
was sent to shadow.
With regard to Miss Andersons al
legged visit to the Nara lgansett. Archi-
tect S. o. Wood testified while upon the
witness stand that for Taylor and his
companion to have seen the foot of
Smiths bed from the opposite sidewalk
on Broadway would have necessitated
their standing Is feet SO. inches in height
| and to have seen the center of the bed
! about 90 feet 17s inches.
! With that technical testimony dis
posed of the most trying point of the
| case was reached. In the pleadngs the
husband ACKNOWLEDGED to having been
found in room in the st. Lawrence, cor
, ner of Main and Seventh streets in COM
| pany with "a girl known as Lizzie King.
That both of them We're partially un-
| dressed. but that there was no legal
| guiltiness in the apparent compromising
situation.
statement it appeared that Olaf Hanson
| mony being challenged. Attorney Moss.
| counsel for the plaintiff. briefly outlined
what he expected to prove with regard
to the st. Lawrence episode From his
statement it appeared that Olaf Hanson,
who testified in behalf of Mrs Smith,
was the one who rented the rooms at the
st. Lawrence, representing Lizzie King
as being his wife. AS matter of fact,
| however, the blonde beauty was the wife
| or ostensibly such. of the man Beckett
dnip lnt
| lived right opposite to the ST Lawrence
| on Seventh street. Hanson and Beckett
| were close friends. and when the friends
swapped the wife CD and Hanson took
| her to the st. Lawrence during the fair
| week Beckett visited their rooms two or
| three times daily When Smith was in
veigled into the rooms it was at the di-
| rect instigation of Mrs. Smith who. so
counSel maintained. frequently asked
her husband to allow himself to be
caught in a compromising position in
| order that no slip be made in the divorce
| proceedings. as on two previous occa-
sfons but that she might be granted a
| decree without fail
I In substantation of these allegations
Mrs. Getty. the proprietress of the ST
Lawrence. testified to the couple yho
| engaged the rooms and to the white dos.
| that they had with them on their arri
| val.
| Miss Gilday. living at ia East Seventh
| street testified to the man Beckett rent
| ing from her small shanty on the rear
or her lot, Just opposite to the St Law
| renee. She identified the girl known ne
Lizzie King as living in the shanty as
! Mrs. Beckett. but stated that after a few
| days the girl left. and she didn't know
| where she went
Mrs. w. A. Gray. who for A time was
housekeeper at the St Lawrence. identi.
| ned the photograph of Olaf Hanson as
| the man who occupied rooms in the no.
| tel during the fair week, with q fair.
| halred young woman who was repre.
sented as his wife She also identifed
Beckett as the man who used to come ev.
| cry DAY to visit Hanson and Iizzfp
klng. Upon the arrival Of the latter
they had with them a white dog which
| was, however, sent away, as II vac
| against the rules for roomers to keen arv
animals. The dog was sent over t1
Beckett. who kept it.
| Alfred Smith. the plaintiff in the case.
| While upon the witness stand told Of
| the circumstances much as related
above. Repeatedly his wife irnportuned
him to engage In liaison With some
! woman and perrnit himself to be caught
! with her. To this Smith objected. when
! ne went to the st. Lawrence with Lizzie
! King he did So as he stated upon the
advice of his attorney in order that the
| conspiracy be more fully deyaloned
When the emissaries If Mrs Smith broke
| INTO the room he was sitting upon the
edge Of the bed. having simply removed
ms coat. He states that upon entering
! the hotel he passed the amateur detec{
i've. Taylor. on the staircase and felt
certain in his mind that he was shad-
owed. He was, consequently. not alto
gether surprised when his room was bro
ken into.
The testimony offered in this s,,it has
been of such sensational character that
1t Is hard to say what remains yet to be
told. For ways that are devious and
dark. however. the case is especially no.
ticeable in the annals of divorce proceed
ings in this city
1t will come up again for further hear
ing on Friday. and will in all proba-
bility, close on that day.
A POINT MISSED