The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-12-30
IseRCrAL TO THE PREss.l

1 u
IseRcrAL TO THE PREss.l
Bath, Dec. 29-The bearing in the
divorce suit brought by DR.. Charles l..
Brown of New York. formerly of Bow
doinham, against his wife Mrs. Edith l..
Brown, formerly Miss Deak of Portland,
is proceeding before Judge Foster. Judge
Davis Of New York and Chas. W. LARA
bee of Bath appear for the libellant, DR..
Brown, and Gen. G. P. Mattocks and
Judge S. L. Fogg for the libellee The
| charge is cruel and abusive treatment.
DR.. Brown testified that he was born in
Bowdoinham Al years ago, and that his
profession was dentistry, which h had
practised in Maine, Vermont and New
York. He said he was married to Miss
Edith l.. Deak in the Episcopal
Cathedral in Portland in January, 1881,
and that at the time he had very little
money and his financial condition was
known to his bride.
eve were married about noon," said
the witness, "and went to the hou e of
her aunt on State street. We were to de-
part for New York at 3. Just before that
| time I went to her room and asked her if
she was ready. She showed her temper
| then. saying she would not go to New
York. She damned me and called me
devil.
"We left Portland at midnight, and as
soon as we arrived in New York she
called me a liar, thief ,scoundrel, ,fend and
| rascal. Those epithets were bestowed
| upon me almost every day from the day
of our marriage in 1881 to the separation
! in 1885,
| Witness said his wife had struck him
several times in an angry manner, and
| that she had scratched his hands many
| times when in rage. Gotten my hands
were so y{scratched by her I was as
hamed to attend patients in my office,
| said the witness.
The doctor told of one time when he
feared she might take his life, and as a
precaution for safety he took his razor
| from the house and carried it in his
pocket SO she would not get it.
''She had told me she would like to see
me dead, and that she would like to grind
she would use the razor in one of her
| fits of temper"
Thesdoctor said his average income
annually was from $4,000 TO $1,000 aud that
Mrs. Browns income was from $500 to
$500, and that their living took his en-
/ tire income.
/ Witness told of buying the yacht Temp
est in 1891, and said he was commodore
of the. .Knickerbooker yacht club, whose
members are men of moderate means.
| "In 1894 I;took women on the yacht
once and in 1895 twice" he said. ] took
Mrs. Browne on the yacht three or four
times and asked her frequently. She de-
clined several times, saying she did not
wish to meet the men at the club room.
| The women on board OF the yacht in 1895
were friends. On the annual cruise there
were quite number of women on board
whom I did not know. They were guests
of the club and came from Thimbls island
cottages and hotels near New Haven.
They were on board about two hours to
see the rowing matches and athletic
| games.
Wednesday forenoon, the direct exami-
nation of DR.. Brown was resumed. He
said he had never used personal violence
on his wife, nor did be begin any of the
TRADES that she frequently precipitated
in. The doctor said the trouble with his
wife greatly impaired his health, and
much of the time he was under the care
of physician, who advised him to get a
yacht for the preservation of his health,
and take him out into the sunshine, and
givo him change Of scene.
The witness said that from 1891 TO 1895
he occupied separate sleeping apartments
while they lived in the red brick house at
Spyten Dyvul and that his wife came to
his room three or four times week and
applied epithets to him and that he had
been obliged to sleep upon the floor to get
away from his wife's abuse.
Witness said in February, '95, he dis
covered that woman detective was fol-
lowing him and he told his wife, who
promised to stop it; that later two de-
tectivesswere almost constantly tracking
him. II told my wife ii she could spend
| T
spend some in enjoyment, said he. The
doctor told of taking Mrs. Clark and
members of her family to the theatre
three or four times, and of taking them
to dinners and luncheons at several hotels
sometimes one and sometimes the whole
Clark family, and that the meals were al
ways taken in the hotel dining rooms.
1t was near noon when Gen. Mattocks
began the cross ss-examination. DR.. Browne