New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-12-17
MORSE TELLS HIS STORY.
UNFOLDS UNCLE'S PLOT.
Banker Says Former Mrs. Dodge Is
Still His Wife.

Charles W. Morse banker and business asso-
ciate Of ex-Mayor Van wyok, was the most en-
pertaining witness in yesterdays trial OF A h
Hummei Indictment charging conspiracy
in the Dodge divorce suit
Mr.. Morse was put the stand by the prose
cution. and while he said various things to
strengthen the prosecutors against Mr..
Humrel, under grilling from De Lancey Nicon
he entertained the crowd gathered in the Grim
NAL Court with what is believed to be an honest
account of his marital woes.
Mr.. Morse, according to the prosecution was
the victim of the conspiracy Matched by his
uncle. Captain James T, Morse, to separate him
from his wife. All told, Mr. Hummel is sup
posed to have received $4,000 to keep the
Morses separated
In addition to this the prosecution brought
out that Mr.. Hurnmel had hired sewing ma
chine agent named Herbitch for S25. who, IN
consctentiously posed as Charles T. Dodge. ana
upon whom William A. Sweetser served a di-
vorce summons. taking him for Mrs Morse's
first husband. This bit OF evidence was brought
in to show some of Mr.. Hummel's alleged
shrewd work in his capacity as counsel.
On the stand Mr.. Morse testified that Mr.
Hummel told him there were many irregulari-
ties about the divorce of his wife from Dodge
all grave enough to nvalidate his marriage.
Answering one of Mr.. Rand's queries. Morse
IeveIled his eyes on Hummel and said:
Mr.. Hurnnlel said that the divorce was rot
ten and irregular" Later in his testimony, Mr..
Morse asserted that he had told Mr.. Hummel
| that if 1t was money he wanted he wouldn't
get a cent
'I told him would not compromise the mat
ter In that way he added
| Asked If the woman who was Mrs. Clemence
| Cowles Dodge was still his wife, he replied en-
phatically, "she is
The cross examination was in part as follows:
| o.-when did you marry your present wife Mrs
cearf n s R9aSa @ ad 1901 sou receive
munication from the defendant. Hurnmel? Al
| Q.-And afterward did you go Humniels office?
Al did and told him that you'd not not co a PFC
going 70 have the divorce set aside. a :,
qsSt 9Dd you 9f f6 go to HummeiS mousse IN
9Andd sEsstser was there as to the
regularity the and um mf1 5oed that
the divorce was corrupt and bad.
And h9t did y9q sa a right f there was any
In what oaEe 9ntb in 1s was your marriage t'
.Q.--When did YOU take up residence in this
ne. A 4 h Re tine Of y9gr marriage had you rsa
| o-Who is Uncle jim? Where does he livei
Gle IS q single man? - A Yes : ,,,
Q-sweetser was present when you visited Hum
-aT yoq sen ssssser after getting the let
! Q.-And the meeting for the purpose OF
sweetser convincing aunamel that he had servee
I s.-IYoG have seen .sweetser several times al
h Me56dop ao oao Ali him Of the servIc. OF
the summons? Al did -, .u,.n.ra- ,,ct,,r.
Of og q Md he e said you he had W him @hf
he served the summons? Ale did, and have
Q.EAnd when you called his attention to the
fact that by the date on the paper the picture
| wa no months service
! the summons, what did he say? A--IhaI ne
~ene Aaxs t. ag sos 86e e sTfose of
1s, isa Inc pu'ilsA'i'n = '''e D-sS'ts'
00I long had you kn9SP yo YEARS. present wife
Q.-Aad you kept your marriage to Mrs podgs
f Gdes sar f be y0 TAX fhaffh yr
M To14 t aS 70 WIN VIII Ronr Boston uncle
he taken the view that Mrs. Morse was not proper
Ing your children an Injustice? Al cant answeI
S-You are largely interested in various enter
prises? A;-Yeg. and 50 is my uncle 49, 80.
n hags herd y6 20 SAY a Mrs. P9ase was
Q-You have heard MIN say also that he woult
Q.Is it not fact that in your talks with sweet sweet
ser that you did not believe that he mad NOT
| Q.-When was it you heard that your uncle ma, had
taken legal steps 10 annul your marriage to Mrs
9dge? A o Nay aeT 2f tan gsa thai YOU did not
come see them as often as you shouidS A
o-Your relatives in Maine are reiigiousy an
o@ARd they felt that you had wrenged them b
9rryPg GigoTSsa % spak to me- on the sub
iect Of my second marriage
The prosecution hopes to rest It's case by the
end of this week and will follow up Morse's tes
tirnony by making an effort to get Captain
Morse. his uncle on the stand All the lega
napers in the case, together with the letter:
written by Dodge 70 his attorney, Mortimer
Ringer. and those written by Mr., Humnel t.
C. w Morse, are now before the jury.
William A Sweetser lawyer. was the frs
witness called He represented Mrs Dodge II
the original divorce action against her husband
He admitted that he appeared in all the action;
of Mrs Dodge against her husband and added
that Mortimer Ruger was Dodges attorney.
The substance of Sweetser's testimony was
that he had served the summons on Charles +
Dodge. the first husband of the present Mrs
Morse without having the proper evidence
against him. He said. in brief, that ne had the
facts, but not the evidence. Sweetser sale
he had been practising law since 1854 ana tha
on the day he served the summons on Dodge ne
had gone from stationery store to stationery
store n. search Of summons blanks, and that he
finally got one in a 4th-ave. store for cents
Assistant District Attorney Rand continued
the cross examination. saying:
oWas Il not unusual for a lawyer to serve
summons in divorce case when he dtcnr nave tiie
LISA YOU 20 into more than one stationery
etcTs in the hunt for blank s1rr mons paPei g., -
di1. bur cannot remember just now many suoi
piaces entered before bought the p5ala a sesr
GSAnd IN 70 that time you nad 1teVel -.
-1s,-lee p T5odgea AZ had never seen him oeIor'
| that 49,, x,.e,etf House for the
-,,,1,osa of' serving the summons on MIN A. %
our sgS + 70 nm in he main hall in l7th-st
charles K. Herbitch testified that in 1908 h
vent n rIunrnels Office. Humne told witness
wanted "a use him for about fifteen minute