Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-11-21
RACY DIVORCE
SUIT IN COURT
GIlmpses Behind Scans Of MatrI-
monIaI Bliss at Bingham,
HARD WORDS AND GUN PLAYS
story Of the Infatusiion OF a Woman
For an Ex-Convict-- william
Burdettc Tesuacs.

william ]. Burdette, the defendant IN
the divorce suit brought against him
by his wife, Gabrielle Burdette, was pui
ON the witness stand this mornlne,
where he remained during the entir.
forenoon. lie testified as to his wife
infatuatlon for Wallace Mcneil, the OK
convict. His wife had replied In an
swer to his taunt that she could not
resist Mcneil In anything that he
asked her for, He had retorted thar
that was nice admission for wife u
make TO her husband, and said 10 her
that even COW would be more atteh
tive 10 her young than she was. Defend
ant stated with regard to the dance ul
Bingham, on the night Of March II last,
that his wife ana her sister, Miss Baker
had attended the dance after she had
told him that she was not going. w
coming home his wife admitted 10 him
that Wallace Mcneil had ben at Their
house, after defndant had expressly
forbidden her to ever receive Mcneil At
their home again. Defendant said thar
when he came home he was carrying q
basket with s0me dishes OF straw
berries and cream and other light re-.
treshments. When his wife made the
admission with regard to Mcneil, ard
excused herself by saying that the lat
ter had such an influence over her thar
she could not resist him, he became
angry and pushed her from him and sht
fell over on the bed. Defendant denied
no sttV .hf cd nj xfftf o., al
had testified. He said that shortly al.
ter he sold their home, giving half Of
the proceeds, amounting TO S4SS, to Mrs.
Burdette, and with the other half going
TO southern Nevada to look for work.
His wife had written TO him that peo-
pie We're stunning her, and he had sold
his outfit and returned to Bingham on
June 10. lie called at Mrs. Ivie Is
house-his wlfes mothers. Here he
found Wallace Mcneil. who rushed out
Of another room to where he was, and
hourishing O gun, demanded iiercely
II II was 20 be war to the death be
tween them. Mrs. fvie had forbidden
him TO return TO her house on the plea
that he had insulted one OF her board
ors-- Mcneil. He said that shortly after
lie met his wife and mother-in- law
ON the road, when he was carrying his
baby,
Mrs. lyie had ilourished q revolver, and
his wife has struck him three times
with stones. They had used vile lang
uage towards him and his wife had
thrown at him taunt that was cal
culated to arouse any fathers ire,
Judge Varian introduced letters from
Burdette TO his wife In which he
blamed himself for having been too
hasty In condemnng her. His wife
called Burdette 'Bylow' as q pet name,
Burdette answering Judge Varian snid
that he was not sure that he meant
what he had written but was willing
10 give her the benefit Of the doubt.
You seem to have been leading a
double life, saying one thing and be-
lleylng another. You are sort OF Dr.
Jekyl and Mr.. Hyde" remarked Mr..
Varian. Counsel then examined the de-
fendant exhaustively as to his state
ment with which II Is proposed TO
amend his cross complaint, that bis
wife had committed adultery with Nc
Neil last July, under her own mother s
family roof where McNie was boarding
at the time. Defendant said that he did
INbht lilttl rlultiltIl aii 'of 'af'N
proof of II. AT this juncture recess
was taken till o'clock this afternoon.
The substance OF Mrs, Burdett's tes-
tmony yesterday was that her husband
had treated her with great cruelty, IRE
quently choking her and striking her
and using the vllest and most insulting
eplthets 10 her Mrs, Burdette also ties
tilted that her husband had accused her
OF unchastity with one Wallace Nc.
Neil Mcneil II the man who served
long term in the state prison under
the alias of Fisher, having been con
vIcted OF having single handed, held up
a Rio Grande Western train near
Thompson's Springs, and later robblng
a gambling house at Ogden. After sery-
ing out HIS term the ex-convict went 10
Bingham, where he became head TIM
herman at the Highland Boy mine,
Mcneil moved in the best society at
Bingham, until the scandal about him
and Burdette's wife gained credence'
after which Mcneil was more or less
Stunned.
Ella Ivie mother of the plaintin,
testified that on one occasion she haa
sent Mcneil with Mrs Burdetle
20 the Burdette's house 10 fetch
some qulnine, that the husband
had returned home and, finding the