The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-05-23
DENIED ALL
THE CHARGES
ms. 11poIwAY's TESTIMONY
IN DIVORCE CASE.
witness for the Libsllant, She Says,
Tsstifasd to Series Of Occurrences
That Were Purely Imaginary.
Claude Newton Went on the Stand
ana denied specifically All Of the
Instances Of Intimacy with Mrs.
Z Gidgsway Which Were Recited.
0oes to Jury To-day.


1idgsway Which Were Recited.
Goss to Jury Today.
All of the evidence in the divorce
case OF r. II. Ridgeway against Mary
{4iAgeway has been heard and this
morning the attorneys will make their
arguments to the court The feature
Of yesterdays session was the testi-
nony of Mrs. Ridgeway who denied
specifically all the charges Of intimacy
with Claude Newton, who was en-
ployed by her husband during the sum-
mer of 1900.
When court opened in the morning
Attorney Joseph O'Brien resumed his
cross-examination Of Mrs.. Mary
Lamoreaux, who was employed as
servant by the Ridgeways during the
year 1900. She stuck resolutely to the
story she told the preceding afternoon
during her examination in chief.
Lafayette Brownell was the next wit
ness sworn. He lives at Dundaff and
during the summer of 1900 was en-
ployed by Ridgeway 70 construct a new
house about 100 feet from the then
Rideeway residence. The understand
ing was that he should be driven to
his home early Saturday night.
CAME THROUGH WINDOW.
On one occasion there was no one to
drive him home and he looked around
the place for Claude Newton but could
not find him. He went back to his
work on the house and soon afterwards
saw Newton Jump out of window OF
the Ridgeway residence. 1t was shown
that this was a window in the room
occupied by the servant and that the
only way to reach It was by going
through Mrs. Ridgeway's room.
Ridgeway was called to prove that he
resides in Benton township and has
voted there ever since November, 1900.
Before his wife left him they resided
lust across the line in Lenox, Susque-
hanna county.
Thomas Williams testified that he
was a farm hand on Ridgeway's place
ana frequently at meal times, when
'Ridgeway was away from home. he
discovered Mrs. Ridgeway and New
ton exchanging winks and slyly kick
ing each other beneath the table.
He thought this most extraordinary.
One day while he and Newton were
planting corn. Mrs. Ridgeway came out
to them with a drink Of water and
then she sat down alongside of New
ton and they chatted for some time,
while the witness went on with the
corn planting.
SKINNARDS TESTIMONY.
William Skinnard, another Of the
hired men, who was Newton's compan-
Son when they went to Pratt's grove
near Hopbottom on July 4, 1900, testi-
fied to seeing Mrs. Ridgeway and New
ton in carriage in the grove about
1886 that night and also described the
homeward Journey in much the same
way as, Mrs. Lamoreaux did. Several
times he was looking for Newton dur
ing the succeeding summer to get his
assistance in doing some work and on
these occasions found him in Mrs.
Ridgeway's bed chamber. She was
lightly clad. Skinnard also described
the scene in the sitting room told of
by Mrs. Lamoreaux when Mrs. Ridge
way and Newton were on the couch.
the former attired in a night robe. He
heard a noise in the room and went In
to ascertain the cause. With this evil
dence the libellant rested his case and
Attorney r H. Holgate opened for the
defense.
Mrs. Ridgeway was the first witness
called and her examination was con-
Quoted by Attorney Joseph O'Brien. He
led her carefully over all Of the events
testified to by the witnesses for the
libellant She was not with Newton
in a carriage in Pratt's grove on the
night Of July H. but he drove her and
her nephew home because the night
was stormy and the horse apt to be
"skittish." In most emphatic way
she denied ever having had any unlaw-
full relations with Newton. She said
he was never in her bed chamber. that
she was not in the dark room with him
as testified to by Mrs. Lamoreaux and
that the story told by the servant and
Skinnard about her being on the
couch in the sitting room with Newton
was fiction. The couch, she said, was
In the form of settee. The head and
foot rose to a heighth of about two feet
and there was about four feet Of space
between them. The back was straight.
The couch was less than two feet wide.
WHY SHE LEFT RIDGEwAY.
She said she left her husband be-
CAuec OIL IlS uunihuucoo w 1tci' I1c
would not speak to her. take her any
where or treat her as husband should.
She left his home u5out o'clock on
the afternoon Of N.l /. Newton left
on the previous day,Iais term of SER
VICES with her husband having ex-
pired. On cross-examination Major
Warren tried to show that in the de-
sertion proceedings she instituted some
time ago, she testified that she thought
she left her husbands house toward
evening on October 81.
The effort Of Major Warren yester-
day to get her to admit that she left
about the same time as Newton was
fruitless. She insisted that 1t was the
afternoon OF the following day. She
went to her parents house, she said,
and Newton was at the home of his
parents a mile away. She saw him oc-
casionally and Waited at his home and
he at hers. They talked several times
recently about the divorce case, she
admitted. Since she left her husbands
house she has never been back but
once and then her husband was not at
home. She had carted off the articles
In the house she believed to be her
own. Among the articles taken was
the sitting room couch. 1t is now at
the home of her parents and both her
father and mother testified that 1t is
not such an article Of furniture as
person could lie on. They also testified
that 1t Is very narrow.
There was a stir in the audience
when the name "Claude Newton" was