The San Francisco call., 1905-08-16
MRS. TACCART
ONCE ACCUSER
Special Dispatch to The Call.

WOOSTER, Ohio, Aug. 15.-After hav-
ing been on the witness stand ever since
last Thursday, and having oeen subjected
to a rigid cross-examination since Sat
urlay morning. Major Taggart's cross
examination was concluded at o'clock
this afternoon. All of Judge Smyser' s
questioning led up TO a climax, and, al
though the plaintiff was MS match at
nearly every point and frequently made
hits, the last efforts of the Judge were
productive of better results.
Major Taggart was led to identify a
mass of about twenty letters which he
had written to his wife in most abject
terms, begging that she forgive him and
again live with him Following are ex-
cerpts from a letter written at Fort Leav-
enworth:
1 never knew what it was to be unhappy;
in all these years L could see all day an
affection which made my home a heaven on
earth If all the saints had come below to
never have believed it. l humbly pray to God
that He and you will forgive me for the part
| have taken in all this.
together. 1 am the one to make it over again.
and all 1 wish you 10 do is 10 show me the
way have faith IN your hard, common
sense-sense that will take you and me and
Culver and Tfddles through life together.
want TO get down my knees and plead
as none has ever done for your forgiveness and
kneE Il. was my awful conduct which made
YOU 90 TO California and 1 must make proper
amends for your good. II ever man has been
punished for his rash acts BY all the tortures
by day and night, have suffered them
Some Of the letters were written in the
hospital. while the plaintiff was recover
ing from the shock of separation. In
another letter he says:
In the meantime do not talk about my case.
ana destroy the unfortunate remembrances of
our affair at home.
The unfortunate remembrances referred
to were torn clothes
Here Smyser produced a mass of flimsy,
lace-lfke material, evidently torn into
small shreds and asked if these were the
clothes his wife wore on that fatefu
night.
@Thev may be-" answered the witness
'.The destruction, you see, is not my
work"
Taggart said that Colonel Hoff, who
was General Miners envoy, had urged
him for two hours and a half to write tc
his wife and urge Cancellation
| Asked if his wife had not kept him
from being court-martialed, Taggart saie
he did not know.
The most sensational incident was wher
court opened to-day. and Judge Smyser
| by placing Mrs. Taggart at one end of a
table tried to show that 1t would have
/ been impossible for General Miner to
have touched Mrs. Taggart's limbs al
Fort Leavenworth, as described in the
proceedings a few days ago. Taggart
went down from the stand, stood between
| his wife and Smyser and said:
..Oh. this table is not anything like g
( dinin groom table.
The way the cotillon was broken VI
was described. The major said Mrs
Taggart took small cream pitcher
/ from the table and filled 1T with
! whisky. said the milkman had come
gave all present a drink and then al
! went home.
WASHINGTON. Aug. 15.-It is now
stated at the War Department thai
! charges were fled there last Apri
! against Major Taggart. who is suing
/ his wife for divorce in Ohio, but nc
| action has been taken on the charges
| nor will anything be done until the ter
mination of the present suit. The
| charges relate to matters out of which
] the divorce has grown. Taggart also
| fled charges against Colonel Miner
/ some time ago, but they were con-
| sidered trivial and were dismissed
Il