The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-01-05
LU9HS OUT OF Tune.
Sensational Testimony at To-
days Hearing Of a Jersey
City Divorce Suit.


Perrine Lutes of the Adams Express
Company against Mrs. Viola Lutes, came
up for a hearing this morning before Vice
Chancellor Pitney in Chancery Chambers,
and the testimony was sensational enough
to meet the desires of the women VINO
hocked to hear it.
Lutes and his wife formerly lived IN
Mercer street, opposite the Scotch Church.
During last summer he took his children
away from her because, he alleges, OF
| confession she made to him that she nao
been intimate with other men. Lutes'
thereupon, filed a petition for divorce
naming as correspondents George W. hop-
| ertson, of No. 36 Madison avenue; man
named Schopp OF No. u Coles & street, r,s,, anu
| This morning Lutes went over theSe
facts in examination by his counsel, r
McDermott. He said that When ne Iouna n
| that Robertson was named as being init
mate with his wife, he Went 70 hoperl-
| sons father and told him what had oc,
fbaf be- had foowea his wife up
avenue where she stopped to speak 70
some men, coquette with others, whom
Mrs Weeks, of No. 6o3 Jersey avenue,
| was the next witness. She is-a widow
| and a bosom companion of Mrs Lutes
Being a hostile witness, counsel had some on ne
| from her. She, however, admitted that
Robertson and Mrs. Lutes met repeatedly
|
| .sWhat do you mean by carried on r.
| asked the Vice Chancellor.
.sWell. just fooling," replied Mrs. Weeks
tWere they hugging and kissing?" asked
Lawyer McDermOtt.
"Y-e-es,'' was the reluctant answer.
on q Mr fSa Robertsons stso 81 ap s asked the
sion yeai said said Yes s1ie "''Aess Ai'si li1
Mrs. Weeks said that on one occasion
I c 10 mr. 9cc0mnan1ed
men, one named sDoc,' who lived on the
Hill, and the other was Robertson, took
1 a ride to Bergen Point. Mrs. Lutes ana
| Robertson were together, and when they
reached the end of the road the couples
| separated, to rejoin each other later. Mr.
Robertson, she said, often escorted Mrs
4 at her house. where Mrs. Lutes was in the
| habit of visiting. Beside the kissing and
| hugging, she saw nothing improper be-
| tween them.
Mrs. Ainsworth, who knew Mrs. Lutes,
| was next called, and she testified that SO
| far as she knew Mrs. Lutes was lady
| Mrs. Lutes herself then took the stand.
She is an extremely lively young woman,
with snappy black eyes, red cheeks, and
/ talks so fast and so often that she told
/ the Vice Chancellor that she talked SO
much she couldn't remember half the
time what she had said, and the Vice
/ Chancellor implicitly believed the lady.
| Counselor w. H. Speer, who conducted
| the examination, asked that certain let.
| ters purporting to be the confessions OF
| guilt to her husband should be introduced,
| so that he could ask Mrs. Lutes to ex-
plain them. Lutes counsel objected. and
| the Vice Chancellor at first seemed IN
| clined to refuse the counsePs request, but
Mr.. Speer cleverly put the question in
| such a light that the court gave way and
1 the letters were produced.
| Mrs Lutes smiled on the lawyer the
court, the stenographer, her .lady frens,' =
and after darting a whitening look at her
| husband proceeded to deny that the let
j +1i,, fr,t emil until h
ertson, Wakefield or Schopp. They We're
i a confession to acts committed before
! her marriage, fifteen years ago, AS to
| improper conduct with the men, that was
not true, she said
..You sat on Robertson's lap?" asked
| counsel in cross-examination. Mrs. Lutes
smiled again on everybody and airily re-
! plied:-
"Certainly, lots of time
Didn't you think that highly fmprop-
er?'' asked the lawyer.
"Oh, dear, no had no comfort at
i home l had to get it elsewhere" was
| the reply, and Mrs Lutes stuck her little
| chin up and sent another whitening look
| at her husband.
Didn't you hug and kiss him-Robert-
Eyes. of course. caressed him always,
| because I had to have fun outside when
I couldn't get it at home
1 "And that was perfectly proper?"
] Eyes, think So"
Mrs. Lutes said, continuing, that she
| stayed out only until IL o'clock at night,
and she attended services at the North
| not seen coming home with men after
church. she replied
sYes, of course. Often one of the dea--
| cons would see me home. That was all
4 right
Mrs. Lutes Indignantly repelled the ac-
cusation that she had been guilty of inn
1 moral conduct with Robertson.
The case was adjourned until the after
nom