Los Angeles herald., 1905-03-04
BABE PLAYS AS
PARENTS QUARREL
yoUNeSTER HAS TIME OF HIS
LIFE IN DIVORCE COURT
While the Husband Accuses His Wife
the Little Child Amuses Himself
with Lively Game Of
"chooschoo"

With superior court room for
great play house and the judge, at
torneys and clerks as necessary wit
nesses of his game, little Hugh Will
lard, the three-year-old son of Mr..
and Mrs. willard, spent the afternoon
in playing yesterday, while around him.
the attorneys argued and his parents
called each other names from the wit
ness chair.
But the sad accompaniment had no
effect upon the spirits Of the little
golden haired youngster as he dashed
UP and down the carpet in the attor-
neys' enclosure and shouted to Judge
Trask.
After thorough inspection of the
clerks desk, little Hugh started to-
ward the jury box AS the boy reach
ed the wheeling chairs of the jurors,
he paused as he heard the voice of
judge Trask, reading. Il have here
a petition entered by Mrs. Alice A.
willard, against her husband e. A.
willard, asking that divorce be
granted her and charging the defend
ant with cruelty neglect and with taxi
ing her child from her." The youngs-
ter gave a shout as he climbed into one
of the jury chairs and started to play
train.
Plays "choo-Choo"
when and where did you marry this
MANI" came the judges question to
Mrs. Willard. a pale, sweet faced lit
tie woman who occupied the witness
stand. Indianapolis, at my home,
several years ago." came the answer
from the woman while in nervous ac-
compartment from out of the depth
of the jury box came the rattle of the
moving chairs with the voice of the
driver "Choo, choo," came the voice
and the cars ratified around the Jurors
compartment, guided by the skilfull
hand of the youthful motorman who
has hopes of following in the trade of
his father at some future date
But as the trial progressed the boy
grew nervous and came forth from the
jury box. Unheeded he slipped across
" Tic NOulI ltpullclo dCoh anu bOi
rowed a pencil from the scribe with
which he began series of modern in
terror decoration on the walls of the
superior court room.
Wearying of this occupation he ran
races with himself up and down the
court room finally coliding with a
cuspidor into which he sat.
Husband Accuses Wife
In the meantime. Mrs. Willard ac-
cused her husband of having neglected
her, treated her harshly, called her
vile names and of having taken her
child from her. Willard had answered
in a lengthy statement accusing his
wife of behaving in an unseemly man
ner with man who boarded with the
Willard family and had entered many
accusations against the woman.
Mrs. Willard took the stand and her
little boy climbed up beside her and
laughed at the lawyers and the court
attendants, while his mother indig-
nantly denied the accusation made
against her character by her husband.
The court then pondered over a
decree and the boy sat in the witness
chair, beating a tattoo on the rung of
the chair and laughing and making
faces at the lawyers. Judge Trask
watched the antics of the youngster
as he pondered the question before
him and then issued his decree.
You, Mrs. Willard, are more intel
lectual for woman than your hus-
band is for man. but he has better
knowledge of the relations between
man and wife than you have. You
may never be happy again with him
but 1 will deny the decree of divorce"