The herald., 1896-11-24
FOR CONTEMPT OF COURT
Smith Divorce Case De-
velops New Interest
A SNAP" DETECTIVE IN TROUBLE
His Neck Not So Long as His
Imagination
THIRD TRY FOR A DIVORCE
Suit Involving Two Local Tailor
ing Firms
How One Was Razzle.dazzled Out OF His
Business
THIRD TRY FOR A DIVORCE
A Suit Involving Two Local Tailor
ing Firms
How One Was Razzle.dazzled Out Of His
Business
Ernest Barada wants $4,000 Damages
From Two Santa Monica Residents.
A San Bernardino Water Com
pany Incorporated.

A new phase of sensation developed in
the Smith divorce suit.
Heretofore the charges and counter
charges have more than sufficed to keep
interest in the proceedings alive. and
the proof in court has been of a particu-
larly racy character. Yesterday, how
ever, a climax of interest was reached
when r. A. Taylor, one of the witnesses
for Mrs. Smith, was placed under arrest
in open court for contempt. The con
tempt" charged against him was the
result of certain testimony put forward
in behalf of the husband last Saturday
Taylor has been acting as stenographer
In the Office of Attorney Holcomb, coun-
sci for Mrs Smith, and previous to this
trial switched off from his stenographic
work to play the part of amateur detec-
tive and hunt UP evidence forthe Smith
trial. He, as well as other witnesses,
testified on the witness stand that they
had seen Mr.. Smith, accompanied by
Miss May Anderson, enter the Nara
gansett house, on Broadway. and go up
to Smiths room. While Smith went
and pulled down the blinds the young
lady was seated at the foot of the bed.
etc. This they saw while standing on
the sidewalk on the side of the street
across from the Narragansett house.
On Saturday a civil engineer, in CIV
ing evidence. stated that after making
measurements he had found that per-
son standing where Taylor and others
had said they had stood, to see per-
son seated at the foot of the bed in the
room would of necessity have to have
neck almost as long as giraffes and
stand about nine feet tall. Similar tes-
timony to this was forthcoming, and it
looked as if Mrs. Smiths detective had
been swearing to too much. In order
to see just how the land lay Taylor
skipped out of court on Saturday after
noon and upon making certain repre-
sentations was admitted by the people
at the Narragansett house to the room
occupied by Mr.. Smith. Once in there
he was able to form an idea regarding
the measurements that had been testi.
fled to earlier in the day. When MT.
Smith returned to the Narragansett
however, and found what had happened
he informed his attorney, with the re-
suit that Taylor was arrested for con-
tempt of court in having gained admis-
sion to Smiths room by representing
that he did so by order of the court In
other words, he had taken the name of
the court in vain, and was called upon
to answer for it.
When the case was called Mrs. Alice
True, the daughter of the landlady of
the NarraganSett, was the first witness
put forward. She began by giving an
apparently straight story, to the effect
that Taylor had told her that he had
come from the court to examine the
room. Upon cross examination, how
ever, the witness weakened, and in an
swer to the direct question said that
Taylor had stated that Mr.. Holomb, and
not the court, had sent him.
Then Mrs. Jennie Baker, the landlady
herself, mounted the witness stand with
very determined mien, and the air of
one surely about to cinch the unhappy
Taylor. She began by desiring that
unhappy wight to come close to her
and put on his hat. She then positively
identified him as her Saturday visitor.
She then told the story of Taylor's visit
when she had returned from court on
Saturday last. Under cross examination
she, like the previous witness, was un-
certain as to the exact words Taylor
used Finally when Attorney Holcomb
asked her. as she was leaving the
stand, if she had not, while walking
with him, volunteered any assistance she
might be able to render. she bounced
across the court, muttering reputation
after having made emphatic denial
These two witnesses had made rather
failure in testifying to Taylors repre-
sentations, but the third and last wit
seat upon the stand with a look in her
swapping eyes that boded i'll for the de-
fendant. Miss Trimmer is chamber
maid at the Narragansett. and a very
pretty one at that She stated positively
that Taylor said "he had been ordered
by the court" to see the room; that Mrs
Baker was up in the court ROOM and
everything was all right. Upon cross
examination the witness was non-com-
INITIAL and sharply answered counsel by
saying; Il suppose l had right to ...n
the door of the rooms when he said it was
! ordered by the court
| That last portion of Miss Trimmer's
testimony made things look black for
| Taylor, but he went upon the stand
| and gave his version. He said that at
| quarter to four o'clock he went in
| obedience to Instructions from Mr.. Hol-
! comb, with two others, up to Broad
| way to try and see into the room from
| the sidewalk The blinds were down,
so he told his companions to wait where
| they were and he would go into the
| house and have the blinds drawn up.
He went upstairs and told Miss Trim
| mer that he ''came from the court room
where the trial was going on, and we
want to find out who is lying in this case
| and whether things can be seen or not -
The pretty chanbermaid opened the
door for him and he saw what he
wanted.
| Miss Trimmer being recalled, showed
no inclination to back down after hear
ir,S Taylor's testimony but she was
| altogether too earnest, ard in repeating
Taylor's statements spoke of him as
having said that he had been 'orGered
| from the court" very different thine
from being ordered by the court. A.
matter of fact it was shown that Tay.
lor had been ordered from the cour
by Attorney Holcomb.
Judge Van Dyke said that if Taylo
had said he had been ',sert by order O
the court it would be a criminal Of
fense, but as it was the matter was in
VOWED in doubt and for that reason h
ordered the defendant discharged.
That ended the contempt proceeding
and the divorce suit was continued un,
ill the 25th inst. This is the third at
| empt made by the Smiths to break thei
martial bonds. and it does seem odd tina
when both of them desire freedom tina
they could rot have agreed to disagree
sshout making so much fuss. The frs
;uit was brought by Mrs. Smit