Los Angeles herald., 1907-01-10
MAN AND WIFE
IN LEGAL FIGHT
DIVORCE AND POSSESSION OF
CHILD SOUGHT
Marital Troubles of Member of One
Of Best Known Spanish FAM
lilies of Southwest Are Aired
in Court

Judge Hutton, in department of the
superior court, today will decide the
divorce petition and cross-complaint of
Mrs. Beatrice Arnaz against James
Arnaz, whom she accuses of cruelty,
and will award the custody of little
Julia Arnaz, the baby who has caused
the desperate legal struggle between
husband and wife for her possession.
Mrs. Arnaz is a daughter of the late
]. A Yorba, former county auditor of
Los Angeles, and she is a member of
one of the best known Spanish families
of the southwest. Her family allege
she married below her station when she
accepted James Arnaz, a team con-
tractor, and that this mismatement has
been the cause of all their marital woes.
The young woman yesterday, on the
third day of the trial of the case, stated
that her husband had become angered
at her and had struck her in the face,
fracturing the bones of her nose. De-
spite that fact, however, the young
woman is very pretty and the fracture
could not have been bad one.
Husbands Story Is Different
Arnaz came back with the statement
that his wife had hurt her nose by fall
ing against the bed when she had been
drinking.
He alleged that that was one of the
accusations in his complaint against
her-that and the choice of her COM
panions.
Like a flash Attorney Appel repre-
senting the woman, was on his feet and
addressing the court.
This man taught this woman to
drink said Appel. 1T was he who first
took this innocent little girl and per-
suaded her as his wife to drink. He
took her to places of amusement where
she did not belong: he took her to
cafes. If he complains of her habits
he has himself to thank for them. For
his companions he took to his home men
of notorious character One of them
had spent the greater part of his life in
jails and had spent a five-year sentence
in states penitentiary. He committed
suicide in the Arnaz home, and that
man there took him to his home to asso-
ciate with his wife 1t is the law that
if a man selects companions of that sort
as frequenters of his home he cannot
complain of them or his wife if she
speaks to them in friendly manner"
Attacks Wife's Character
Arnaz was on the stand the greater
part of the day yesterday and he spent
most of his time attacking his wife's
character and giving evidence regard
ing her actions.
For the woman it was testified that
her husband had made a trip to San
Francisco with companion, a woman
of notorious character and had lived
with the woman after his arrival in the
northern city.
A number of letters were introduced.
and while their contents were rare and
racy they had but little bearing on the
issues of the trial.
Before the day was over many con-
tradictions had been made. One man
testified that he had gone to Mrs.
Arnaz' rooms and that she had enter
tanned him, but he could hardly identify
the woman and remembered nothing
whatever of the room, whether or not
it was round or square. Because of
various testimony of peculiar odor
wherein witnesses have been caught
deliberately contradicting themselves
some perjury warrants may be the out
come of the divorce proceedings.
Today the case win be finished, and
it is thought Judge Hutton will give the
little one to the custody of her uncle,
A. p. Yorba, no matter what he may
do in the divorce troubles.