Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-17
SCANDAL IN ARMY LIFE
WINE AND WOMEN FIGURE IN A
DOMESTIC ROW.
Prominent Officers Named in Major
Taggart's Suit for Divorce
Wife's Counter Charges.

With the filing by Maj. Elmore F. Tag
CART, United State army, of an amended
petition for his suit for divorce, which is on
the calendar for trial at Wooster, Ohio.
this week, futher sensations have been
added to the case which has been the sub
ject of gossip in military posts from the
Philippines to Kansas.
Major Taggart has served at many
stations in this country and in Cuba and
the Philippines since his marriage to Grace
Violet Culver Chicago society girl, in
1859. He is now daily expected home from
the Philippines, whittier he sailed in jan
uary IN command of the transport Sher-
man. He has named half a dozen officers
of various ranks as correspondents.
Among them are Capt. Louis II. Bash,
husband of Bertha Runkle whose Helmet
of Navarro placed her in the front rank
of young American writer's Before Capt.
Basins marriage his name was spoken by
gossips in connection with the Taggart
troubles, and on account of it Capt. Bash
offered TO release Miss Rumble from her be-
trothal, but she declared belief in his in
nocenee and they were married on october
- last.
The Taggarts. have two children, aged
ten and six respectively.
High Life" in Manila.
In his first petition for divorce Major
Tagsart charged his wife with deserving
at Fort Levanworth He alleges that she
went with the children to San Francisco,
where her conduct was such that it created
scandal.
1t was while in Manila that Major Tag
CART alleges that Capt. Bash and Mrs. Tag
CART figured in episodes which are re-
counted in the petition. Major Taggart
specifies that in August, 1901, Capt. Bash
was frequent visitor at their home in
spite of protests which he made to Mrs.
Taggart.
In reference to Capt Bash, Mrs. Tag
CART said recently:
Il scarcely, know Capt Bash While |
was In the Philippines three years ago with
my husband I met Capt. Bash, but we
never became Wen acquainted / saw no
more of Capt. Bash than l did of many
other fellow officers of my husband"
In the first cause for action named by
Major Taggart he says that his wife was
guilty of improper conduct with Lieut.
Kither at Fort Thomas, KY, in 1895. He
also relterat rates the charges as to misconduct
with one William Taggart, and alleges that
his wife and William Taggart lived for a
time in 1900 in the latters home in Orryille.
Ohio.
Ma1os Iaggart further AYERS that on sew
eIal occasions in 1903, while he was station
ed at Fort Leavenworth, Mrs. Taggart was
guilty of improper conduct with Col
Charles W. Miner U. S. A. 1t was about
wife and Lieut.. Granville r. Fortesque, a
relative of President Roosevelt figured In
incidents which furnish grounds for naming
the lieutenant as one of the correspondents.
A Drinking Contest.
For his second cause of action Major Tag
CART charges his wife with squanderng
much of his earnings for intoxicants for
herself and others, and for presents Of
clothing and other articles to William Tag
CART Major Taggart alleges that his wife
was addicted to cigarette smoking and
drinking. He instances an occasion at For.
Thomas when. as he alleges, Mrs Taggart
engaged In drinking contest at the can
teen with Mrs. Poore and several other
women to determine which could stand the
most liquor He alleges that in 1898 he dis
covered her with two men In saloon in
Matanzas, Cuba and that she was in an
Intoxicating condition. Two years later he
alleges, while under the escort of a man
named Spencer, she became so Intoxicated
that Spencer had to carry her upstairs and
put her to bed Mrs. Taggart is also charg-
ed with conspiring with Col. Miner and
Capt Poore to cause his confinement in the
Army Hospital at Fort Leavenworth on a
charge of acute alcoholism.
Mrs. Taggart's Reply.
Mrs. Taggart in her answer and cross
petition, says that she has always demean-
ed herself as faithful and obedient wife
and charges extreme cruelty and neglect of
herself and children. She alleges that while
living in Manila in 1901 her husband struck
her with his fists on two occasions while
drunk. She also charges him with improper
conduct with a native Filipino woma
named Augustine.
Mrs. Taggart alleges that after returning
home from a dance at Fort Leavenworth
to which she had been escorted by Capt
Poore and Lieut.. Fortesque at her hus-
bands request, he met her at the door,
tore her gown completely off and beat her
a "a a ha foil rt,er el,, II
leges, he came to her bed, threw the cloth
ing the floor and shouted:
You must have been on a - of a bal
last night"
Mrs. Taggart alleges that her husbands
superior officer at Fort Leavenworth learn
ed of his conduct and threatened him with
court-martial and that for time a SEN
tinel was placed over him.
Counsel for Mrs Taggart said today that
several of the officers who have been named
by Major Taggart have signified their in