The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1905-04-17
SCANDAL REVEALED
BY DIVORCE BILL
Ohio Society and Army Circles
Surprised
MAJOR TACCART'S WIFE
CHARGED WITH MANY BAD DO
iNGs AND PROMINENT OF
FlcERs ARE IMPLICATED
HER DEFENSE.

Wooster. Ohio, April 16.-An amend
ed petition for divorce had Just been
| filed here by Major Elmore f. Tag
eart, u. s. A., whose original plea, en-
| tered some time ago, for legal separa-
ton from Grace Viola Culver Taggart'
caused sensation in society and n
army circles.
In his original prayer for divorce the
major set forth that his wife had de-
serted him and had received the at
tentions Of Captain Louis Bash, Y. 5.
A.
She came here from San Francisco
to file cross-petition for divorce ana
for the custody of their two children.
She set forth that in Ft Leayenworth
Taggart threw her with such force
against chiffonier as to dislocate her
law, and that he beat her repeatedly.
She says that while living in Ft.
Leavenworth, at the request Of her
husband. she attended a social affair
with Captain Poore and wife and Lieu
tenant Granville Fortesque. Lieuten-
ant Fortesque is a relative OF Presi
dent Roosevelt. Sho said that when
she returned to their home in com
pany with Captain Poore, Taggarf
charged her with being intoxicated,
and when she passed through the door
grabbed her and tore her clothing
from her body She named Filipino
woman az CORRESPONDENT.
The Amended Petition.
In the amended petition Taggart not
only reiterates the charges in which
ho named Captains Bash and Fortes-
Que. but cites other instances Of all
legged misconduct on the part Of hts,
wife with officers Of the United States
army, one OF them with the rank OF
colonel. He wants a divorce on stat
utory grounds, and names Lieutenant
Rither, William Taggart, Clinton
Spencer and Colonel Charles w. Miner
at present stationed at Columbus Bar
racks, Ohio. He declares that Captain
Poore and Colonel Miner conspired to
have him confined in the Fort Leayen-
worth hospital on the charge OF acute
alcoholism. In addition he names
Colonel Miner as party to relations
with his wife that are held to be
grounds for divorce.
Some of the alleged acts of miscon- |
duct on the part of Mrs. Taggart, ac. |
cording to the amended petition, were |
committed in Cincinnati and in Fort |
Thomas; others in Chicago, where the |
were married. Still others are |
alleged 10 have been committed in /
teh home of his parents; in the Wind
sor Hotel, in Akron, Ohio; in his own |
home in Orrville Ohio; in Mantanzas,
Cuba in Manila, p. l., and elsewhere.
In the Orrville instance the major
names one William Taggart In the
home of her mother in Chicago he de
clares she received Clinton Spencer,
who is also named in the instance in
which Cincinnati is alleged to have
been tho scene.
He says that in 1896, at Ft. Thomas,
KY, she engaged in a drinking contest
in an army post canteen with one Mrs.
Poore and other women, to determine
who could drink the greatest amount
of intoxicants.
Drunk in Saloon.
He says that In the year 1898 he
found her at Matanzas,, Cuba, at 2
O'Clock in the morning In highly in.
toxicated condition i'm, saloon drink
ing with two men; at Highland Park
IN 1900, while associating with one
Spencer, she became so intoxicated
that Spencer carried her upstairs and
put her to bed. At TT Leayenworth,
while sociating with Lieutenant For
iosque, she became intoxicated with
Fortesque and other men Major Tag
CART declares also that Mrs. Taggart
with two men and another woman, Wis
!ed a resort in San Francisco and wit
messed strange conduct upon the part
)f women.
He declared that she squandered his
money for liquor and cigarettes and
hat she was wont TO smoke cigarettes
n the presence OF their little ones.
Major Taggart is now in charge of
he United States army transport
Thomas. en- route from Manila TO San
Francisco.
Attorneys for Mrs. Taggart are au-
-hority for the statement that the Of
icers whose names are mentioned in
with the suit for divorce
have sent word that they will be here
% give evidence in Mrs. Taggart's be-
hall when the case Is called