New-York tribune., 1905-01-10
SUIT TO ANNUL WEDDING.
B. L. DUKES son ACTS.
Wfe's Companion Testifes at Dis
frils ! tsfffI5j7i E89's (}l5lj7ca.

While investigation of the circumstances
surrounding the recent marriage of Brodte l..
Duke and Alice Webb is being conducted by
the District Attorney. suit for the annuIment
of the marriage has been started by Lawrence
Duke, Mr.. Dukes son. Papers in the annul-
ment suit were served Mrs. Duke at the
Park Avenue Hotel before she left that hotel
on Saturday.
Lawrence Duke instructed TO bring an &C
tion for the annulment Of his fathers mar
riage," said John D. Lindsay. of counsel for the
Duke family yesterday The members of the
family tried TO prevent the marriage when they
heard that 1t might be contracted but they
failed Now they will ask tE9; Ia marriage
be set aside on the ground that Mr.. Duke did
not know what he was doing when he married
Miss Webb"
Mr. Lindsay was asked about a report that
the Duke family had offered $3O0,O00 to Mrs.
Duke to consent to an annulment of the mar
riage. and he contradicted the report fatty.
why should the Duke family make offers
to Brodie L. Dukes wife," he asked. There
is something ridiculous in that"
Mr.. Lindsay would not admit that counsel for
the Duke family had made any charges against
Mrs. Duke on which the District Attorney was
contemplating criminal action, but he said he
had prepared the papers on which Mr.. Duke was
taken away from the Park Avenue Hotel last
week and committed for examination as TO MS
sanity The papers included an affidavit by
Victor g. Milcn. of No. 2I2 ST. Nicholas-ave
that Mr. Duke was acting in a strange manner
at the Park Avenue Hotel on January 4, D ana
6 behaving In a dazed stupid, or 'dopey man
ner and apparently under the influence OF al
cohol Mich declared in the affidavit that lie
believed Mr. Duke was "disordered in his senses
and unft to be at large" 1t was said that
Tote A1nDlOVp0
watch Mr. Duke at the request of Mr.. Dukes
son.
Lawrence Duke went to the sanatorium at
Flushing TO see his father yesterday, 1t was
said In the afternoon and asked why he had
married the Webb woman. and MI Duke re-
piled that he could not remember having mar
ried the woman lawyer interested IN the
case said that, while IT would be easy to have
the marriage arnulled, no case Of conspiracy
could be maintained unless Mr.. Duke was
willing to testify. when he recovered from the
alcoholic condition in which he was committed
for examination that he decoyed into the
marriage when he did not know what he was
doing.
Assistant District Attorney Lord, who is
ducting the investigation for Mr.. Jerome.
asked yesterday II there a charge OF con-
spiracy In the Duke case. and he asked in re-
ply: do you mean pending?'
WAS any nader he was asked.
No"
"Is any contemplated"
Mr. Lord laughed and answered;
You can say this office considers charges OF
conspiracy against almost any person"
Testimony which given at the investiga-
ton Yesterday by Mrs. Desplaines. Miss Webb's
oompanion, was that Mr. Duke was not decoyed
into marriage. but had been persistent in urging
Miss Webb to marry him I'm their short ac-
quaintance previous to the marriage. Mrs
Desplaines was companion to Miss Webb all the
time. and both women were served with sub
poenas to appear as witnesses at the District
Attorneys ofrrs The subpnnas were placed in