The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-08-11
Army Officer Who Is Suing His
Wife for a Divorce
Takes the Stand in His Own Be.
half at the Trial.
DRANK TO GET FAT.
Tells How Mrs. Taggart Hap
pened to Begin Drinking.
He Always Kept Various Liquors
in His House.

Wooster, O., Aug. 11.-At the opening
of the Taggart divorce case objection
was made by the defense to the intro
duction of the deposition of Dr.. Bonf-
field. of Christ hospital, Cincinnati. Mrs.
Taggart's attorneys kept informed by
their client, were ready with the objec-
ton that Bonifield had been present In
the court room during the taking of tes-
timony, though the plaintiffs witnesses
were supposed to be excluded. It seemed
that the physician out of curiosity had
stepped over for a day on his way to
the lakes.
AS Mrs. Taggart was Bonifeld's pri-
vate patient it is said he is the only
witness who can fully state the cause
of her illness.
The point was left pending and the
deposition of DR.. Schallenberser. house
physician, was read. An exhaustive ex-
animation was then read, covering many
hypothetical questions and medical gen.
eralities having no proved bearing on
the case.
Judge Easton finally sustained the OBJ
lection of the defense.
Captain E. F. Taggart took the stand
in his own behalf. Captain Taggart took
| the stand without the slightest degree OF
embarrassment He appears slightly
d
| he is handsome man and has the bear
| ing of soldier of experience and man
| of the world. Mrs. Taggart did not once
| look at her husband, although he fire.
| quently gazed in her direction. often
| with a very quizzical expression upon
| his face.
Taggart's Story.
Captain Taggart's story. as told by
| himself, follows:
After graduating from the military
school was given the rank of second
| lieutenant and assigned to duty in the
During the next year at Chicago, where
1 was ordered with a company of men
| to quell an anarchistic outbreak, met
| Mrs. Taggart. We were married that
| fall. I was assigned to duty at Platts-
burg, N. Y, and was followed there
by my wife in about six weeks. 1t was
/ here that my wife took her first drink
/ of intoxicating Equor-at least. the first
| time 1 knew of such a thing. thought
| nothing of it at the time and was told
she was taking it for medicinal pur-
poses. She was at that time q very slim
girl. It was her ambition to become
stout and beer was recommended to her
| as a fattening beverage. She drank
about two pintS of the beverage a day.
1 thought nothing of this. I have all
ways kept liquor in my house, and
| when guests call it is the custom in the
army to take a social glass. Mrs. Tag
CART drank moderately on these oc-
casions.
THE first time 1 was particularly
alarmed about this was at Fort Thomas,
KY. All of our children were born at
that post. Two of them died in infancy.
1t was after the birth of 'Tiddles' that
his mother commenced eintoxicants
to excess. I learned that she had par
ticipated in a drinking bout with an
other woman at the army canteen- Z
learned that her opponent drank eight
glasses of beer and that my wife drank
four glasses, losing the wager, which
had been placed on the result. remon-
strated with her severely for this, telling
, her that the performance was in plain
sight of the soldiers and that it was ON
her account a very wrong thing to do.
. Another time she played what she
/. called joke upon my brother, Howard,
! who was then only 18 years old. She
mixed two glasses of some kind of a
, concoction which had in it a little OF
, every brand and description of liquor
there was in the house. She gave 81
glass to Howard, drinking the other her
self Howard was made beast1y drunla
and put him to bed. The drink did not
/ seem to affect my wife much, however"
) Did Not Finish.
The captain did not finish and will
go on the stand again, HIS testimony
then will bear upon the life of himself
and wife at Fort LeavenWorth, where
Lieutenant Fortescue and Major Miner
ICaptain Bash, another alleged CO.
respondent. will come upon the scene as
/, the man who figures in the most sensa-
tional deposition of the plaintiff.
The last of Captain Taggart's testf~
mony was concerning events whiclz
! happened at Matanzas, Cuba, where
2 Mrs. Taggart remained with her hus-
2 band for six months, leaving, as the
/ captain accuses, their child, baby in
: the United States, in the care of a ne
j, gro nurse. Captain Taggart was asked
if at Matanzas his wife did not uso
! wine and champagne to a great excess.
He replied that she did, but that every
D one in the habit of drinking would use
more in Cuba on account Of the warm
j er climate. 1t was at Matanzas that,
: Captain Taggart alleges, he found his
t wife and her cousin, Mrs. Safforns, at
= a low drinking resort at an unseemly
n hour of the night.
s The Matanzas Incident
'It was an evening when I had re-
tired unusually early sail Capt. Tag
CART Mrs. Taggart and Mrs. Safforns
went for a walk and awoke at.
o'clock in the morning to find that they
| had not yet returned. The only place
1 knew of nearby where women could
possibly be at that hour of the night
was a short distance from our house. I
went to the place, but did not find my
1 wife of Mrs. SafornS. I next sought
and found them in a saloon several
s blocks away. Mrs. Taggart and Mrs.
e Safforns We're seated at table with
!, two young officers whom I did know.
, All four were drinking as came in.
a .'As approached the table, Mrs. Tag
|, gart stood up and extending her glass
e toward me, said: Here's how dashed
e the glass from her hand. One OF tha
:. officers arose to resent my act, but he
: was SO drunk that he fell back in his
a seat I obliged Mrs. Taggart to &c
lheme with me and warmly censured the
< officers for taking a woman into such