The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-09-15

ability of the story, the abSurGity OF a
lady of culture and refinement, sur
rounded by luxury and elegance, going
to a filthy stable to have criminal re-
lations with an unwashed and uninvit-
ing individual like Stahl, whose own
wife was in the house close by at the
time. It was a very strange thing. Mr..
Zane observed, that Stahl should be
spirited away few days before the
trial came on.
Mr.. Zane then referred to the incl
dent of Mrs. Griffin taking laudanum
with the intent of committing suicide.
She was driven to desperation by the
apprehension that her child was to be
taken from her. She dreaded the dis
grace Of divorce proceedings, and to
spare her husband and her child the
disgrace which this trial had brought
upon them she was willing to go to her
grave and by that means set Griffin
free to follow his own devices. 1t was
a terrible thing for the boy if he re
! allied it, or ever came to realize it.
The conduct of Griffin with Miss Berk-
man Was dWelt upon and the appear
ance and deIneanor of Miss Berkman
on the witness stand. These gentle
men, Mr. Griffin'S attorneys, may think
she is a perfect lady. but she looks to
steel, said counsel.
Counsel traced the career of Miss
Berkman and Griffin from the time
! they met in California. How Griffin
! followed her around, went and lived
! at her house on First street when he
had room paid for at another place
! Then went to the Harmon block with
MISS Berhman and four other women
taking care of the collection. Mr.. Zane
referred to the singular coincidence of
the disappearance of Mrs. Perkins the
landlady of the Harmon block, who
Knew more about the goings on there
than anybody else. She, like Stahl
disappeared and could not be found
The dispositions of Mrs. Thurston and
Mrs. Klummp to the effect that Miss
Berhman was seen sitting on Grifin,s
lap in very seanty attire were men
toned and counsel argued that as a
man of the world his honor could come
to no other conclusion than that the
guilty act had been committed
Counsel then referred to the state
ments that high kicking was INDUCED
IN in the rooms in the Harmon block.
and connected it with the fact admitted
by Miss Berknan that she was taking
lessons in high kicking. Mr.. zane
touched on the testimony of Miss Berk-
man, who swore that she was very
sick and suffering great pain in No
! Vember, 1896, but was forced to admit
that she was at the same time taking
mans testimony was reviewed at length
and the many weak places in it clev-
erly brought out by counsel. Griffin.
| IN the street, said counsel, and among
his associates would not admit that he
was such an elephantine fool as to be
running around as he did with and
after that woman unless he was liv-
ing with her. The East Third South
street place was mentioned by counsel
of GtifT
ing her husband in that house where he
/ had gone to be nursed back to health
ny this woman and her associates, and
! the forgiveness of Mrs Griffin when
she assured him she didn't come there
to have him arrested, but to take him
home But he wouldn't go. the move
ments of Miss Berkman around the
country to Leadville, Denver and other
places was referred to and Griffin meet
| ing her at Denver with Joe Richards
! chaperoning Griffin to see that the pro-
I prieties were observed, and her grayi-
| tation back to Salt Lake in July, and
| Griff1n's further association with her.
( The pet names. Pop" and 'Podge,"
and Dear Dotts," and the note writ
| ten by Griffin to Miss Berkman when
! she was at the hospital, which Mr. Zane
/ characterized as "the playful gambol
of an amorous elephant, were referred
| to as showing the terms of intimacy
upon which Griffin and Miss Berknlan
We're, going to substantiate the depo-
| sitions of Mrs. Thurston and Mrs
| Hlummp and the charge of adultery
which counsel contended had been fully
! established
| No man, who is worthy the name of
man, would make charges, knowing
| them to be false. to damn the charac-
! ter of the mother of his child No man
! whose conduct would appeal to the
! equitable consideration of the court
would put such testimony before the
! court as the opium den story merely
TO rend the feelings of his wife, empty
upon her all the sewers Of the town
and cover her with shame and dis
| grace.
QUESTION OF ALIMONY.
Coming to the matter of alimony Mr..
Zane urged that Mrs Griffin was en-
| titled to the homestead, to the ranch of
a few acres Of land and to the stock
and other things, valued by Griffin at
! SI,I60, which belonged to the child,
Harvey. The homestead was mort
gaged and if the mortgage was to be
paid by Mrs. Griffin the equity in it
was ali she would have from that, and
! that was not very valuable Counsel
! asked that Mrs. Griffin be awarded a
! lump sum as alimony, because monthly
| payments in such cases we're undesir-
able and Griffin's income from year to
year depended on the whim and ca
price of the city council.
! Mr.. Zane thanked the court for the
| courtesy. patience and consideration
which his honor had accorded them
during the trial. and submitted the
case in the firm belief that his client
| had been kind, considerate and good
wife; that the truth would come out
| triumphant and that justice would be
! done.
MR.. RICHARDS CLOSES.
Mr.. F. S. Richards closed the case
and in the first instance devoted his
attention to refuting the argument of
Judge Young in regard to the number
of times which IL had been proven, If
the testimony of plaintiffs witnesses
| is true, that Mrs. Griffin was drunk
| Mr. Richards said that counsel for. the
other side had mentioned only the
most iiagrant cases and that there
| were numerous others in a less degree
and he considered that the charge Of
habitual drunkenness had been proved
| Counsel thought it strange that the
gentlemen on the other side had not
referred in their arguments to the al
! legations of the cruel treatment by Mrs
! Griffin of her husband. When she found
fault with him in everything he did
! and Inundated him before his friends
| and the general public and spoke dis
paragingly of his family and so forth.
This kind of treatment Griffin had to
stand for years and years until it be-
came uncomfortable. The only thing
counsel wondered at was that he lived
under such guardianship as long as he
did. True. he issued an emancipation
! proclamation once in q while, but she
Immediately nullified it. The prepon-