The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1905-08-25
DRAMATIC SCENE IN
TAGGART DIVORCE CASE
Husband Of the Young Woman
Whose Conduct Taggart Crit
i%cises, Threatens Violence.
SHOW TAGGART's PLEDGE
latter. Under Alleged Du-ess, Agreed
to Resign If He Ever Drank Again
TELLS of Wife's Alleged
lnfidelity.

-leilS OF wires Alleged
lnfidelity.
Wooster, o.. Aug. 1S-Under the fierce
s%hrapnel fire of Judge Smyser's cross
examination yesterday Major Taggart
was entiladed in such a way that he
was compelled to tell of the conduct Of
Miss Irene Shields While she was a
member of his household in Manila.
md there arose Il situation that fore
BODIED another conflict between the ma
jor and DR., Nose. army surgeon. who
is now her husband.
DR.. NoSe. a young athlete, sat beside
his wife, facing Major Taggart, and in
the same row of seats sat her parents.
Mrs, Nose will be a witness for Mrs.
Taggart to testify that there is Moth
Ing In the charge of intimacy of Mrs.
Taggart and Lieutenant Bash.
Criticises Young Woman's Conduct.
What is your opinion of Miss
Shields conduct while she was in your
household in Manila" was Il question
shot at Major Taggart.
We'll. generally it might I've said to
be ~passable,' replied Major Taggart.
1T was offensive III particular" He
leaned over in the witness chair and
held a steady glance Of anger at DR..
Nose, as II ready for trouble.
The intensity of silence vas oppres-
sive. Even the cool. collected Smyser
slowed short in his questioning FOR a
moment.
DR.. Nosc. pale with suppressed anger.
looked -Iajor Taggart In the eye. Mrs.
Vose was quivering with excitement.
Tell us in what way the conduct OF
this lady, then Miss Shields, now Mrs.
Nose. was Otfensive?" asked Judge
SmySer.
There was a shutting of feet as the
spectators half rose to witness what
they expected to be a tragedy.
We'll. | guess you had better pursue
@nnotl,rr line of examination just at this
time" said the court. Judge Smyser
ncquiesced and the terrific uspensc
was Over.
Tasgart's Pledge Not TO Drink Shown
Just before court adjourned Mr..
Campbell e the following pledge to
which Taggart's name was affixed:
II, E. i. Taggart. do hereby promise
my commanding officer to abstain from
the use Of all intoxicants while I am an
nrmy officer in the United States army,
and | furthermore promise never again
to wrongfully accuse my wife OF
wrongdoing. ] write this of my own
free vii! and without mental reserva-
Ion, and write this as my resignation
from the army, to be forwarded to
headquarters as my resignation when
ever, In the opinion of my command
'ng officer, | shall have violated this
pledge. L. +. T%agsart.
July 5. 1903.
Tagyart's attorneys objected to the
offering of the pledge. and declared it
uad been given under duress, as the
only method the major had of securing
his release from captivity.
JOIN Smyser began by taking up each
specific charge of inndelity against Mrs.
Taggaru and made the major admit
from one to the other that he had no
direct proof of any of the charges men,
toned today. BY this process of elimin-
alton the day closed with apparently
The intidelity charges with Lieutenant
Ityther. Lieutenant Fortesque and
Lieutenant, Bash OF the army. and
Clinton Spencer. an old friend In Chi
Aago. melting away into a mist of jeal-
ouSy.
Suspicious; Not Proof.
Witnesses admitted that he never
abated one jot from his regular drink
ing at Fort Leavenworth. He drank.
beer, whisky and Wine.
He was aiken suddenly to Fort
~Lelvenworth and Intercepted about
The inndclity of his wife with Lieuten-
ant l'ortesque.
Tho first time that had a suspl-
sion that Mrs. Taggart was not what
she should be was when l saw her
.ome out of my house at night with
Lieutenant I'ortesque during a party
there" announced the major, and a
,ook Of pain spread over%his face.
After a half hour Of rapid questions
the major admitted that his auspicions
were solely grounded that night on the
tact that both their faces We're Rllshed
when they came out of the BASEMENT.
and that his wife had spent the whole
evening sitting on the lower step Of
the stairs with the lieutenant" Later
she danced too frequently with him
and a week after the house party the
major ordered f'orteSque from his
rouse when he called to see Miss
Berry.
Another feature OF army life at this
post touched upon was the enormous
amount of liquor drunk at the social
functions. The major said he made
forty or fifty gallons Of punch to be
sery d at Mrs. TagSarts suggestion.
He declared his wife got drunk at his
home after this cotillion was over,
when Captain Breese, L~ieutenants
Briggs, Cavanaugh and Fortesque and
Miss Berry, Miss Yost and himself
drank wine until the reveille sounded
at daylight. but that he remained sober.
He insisted he Carried her upstairs to
ped.
In L~eavenworth he admitted that he
nad struck his wife with the tips of
MS fingers and tore two skirts off, but
denied that he had hurt her nose.
Looked BAD to Him.
Taking up the charge that Clinton
Spencer of Chicago had gone with Mrs.
Iaggart from Chicago to Newport.
ky, and had accompanied her to a
louse in Cincinnati. witness admitted
hat the only proof he had was an
anonymous letter. When Spencer and
she were visiting in the nome of Judge
Berry he thought something wrong be-
ause he did not think Spencer a man
IF good reputation.
AS to the infidelity with Iieuteuanf
2yther at Fort Thomas, the only proof
lie had was the fact that his brother,
Howard. had seen Ryther tip-toe into
MS parlor and out again in ten min
ltes at midnight.
In Manila the witness only proof
that Lieutenant Bash and Mrs. Tag
CART were duly familiar in the majors
own house in the daytime was the dep
osit.on of the Filipino servant. August
ina De Lacruz, taken after Mrs. Tag
CARTS cross-bill had been filed. He
thought this story probable. notwith-
standing that Miss Shields and a half