The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1905-08-25
GEN. MINER DENIES
ANY IMPROPERLY
FAMOUS DINNER PARTY HARM
LESS, HE SAYS.
Declares He Never Skipped Out OF
Tasgart's Back Door or Any
Other One.

Wooster, o., Aug. 22-The central
figure in the testimony taken in the
Taggart case today was Brigadier Gen.
eral Charles Wright Miner, U. s. A.,
retired, who is named a correspondent
by Major Taggart and who is accused
by the major of maliciously imprison.
ing him at Fort Leavenworth.
The general was asked about the
famous dinner party at which the first
alleged impropriety between himself
and Mrs. Taggart took place. Miner
said he sat at the head of the table
and that events which we're alleged to
have taken place underneath the table
did not come or He said he had
called to see Mrs. Taggart upon one
occasion only, and that was to deliver
a message from his wife. This took
twenty minutes, he said. He denied
that he had ever gone out the back
door of the Taggart home, or any
other back door, except his own. He
denied going to see Mrs. Taggart when
her husband had been detailed on food
duty in May, 1903, in Kansas City,
Gen. Miner denied totally, upon ques-
tioning from Attorney Smyser, any in
discretion whatever with Mrs Taggart,
az charged in the amended petition of
Major Taggart and any conspiracy
with Others to falsely imprison the
major at Fort L.eavenworth.
Gen. Miner described the famous
scene at Fort Leavenworth, when he
brought Taggart before him on the
day after the trouble occurred between
the major and Mrs. Taggart. Captain
Poore officially reported the matter to
him, he said
When he asked Taggart about It, he
said he must have been crazy and
spoke of Mrs. Taggart as being "as
white as the driven snow" and "called
God to witness that he had never
struck his wife before" He said he
did not prefer charges against Taggart
for court-martial, but he went to Tag
gart's home, and Mrs Taggart pleaded
with him, for the sake of the children,
not to prefer these charges.
Mrs. Miner was also witness this
afternoon. She was rather nervous, but
answered questions very precisely She
described the dinner table episode,
and said that nothing occurred that
was hot all right. She never witnessed
any impropriety on the part of Mrs.
Taggart while at Fort Leayenworh.
Mrs. Irene Vose, niece of Mrs. Tag
gart. was on the witness stand this |.
morning when the pdivorce hearing
opened. Mrs. Vose had testified Mon !
day to family quarrels and had init /
mated that Captain Taggart's rela-
tions with Augustine De La Cruz,
Filipino girl, were not what they
should have been.
Gensra Miner and his wife were in /
the court room this morning and were
interested observers of the proceed !
ings. They attracted great deal of !
Mrs. Vose was cross-examined at /
length by Attorney Sterling coacern-
ing the quarrels of the Tagglrts a, I
Manila. Captain Taggart was cross
and always surly, while Mrs. Taggart I
had very sweet disposition, she said
Mrs. Vo1e said she had not told
Mrs. Taggart about the alleged impro-
prieties between Major Tagglrt and
She was asked to describe
the two alleged indiscretions. The
first time she said she and Emma.
servant, were in one room in the early
evening, when Major Taggarl and
Augustine went in room nearby and
locked the door. The second time was
on an afternoon, when she said Tag.
CART had followed Augustine into a
room and locked the door
Mrs. Vosc was Gu tic stand all the
but her testimony did not
develop any new points. She was
asked by Sterling why sl* had re-
Trained from telling Mrs. Taggart
about the allege incident between the
major and the Filipino servant She
said it was because they seemed so
very happy and because she dislilied
% come between husband and wife.