Los Angeles herald., 1907-03-09
NEIGHBORS HEAR
SPICY EVIDENCE
CROWD COURT ROOM TO LIS.
TEN TO STORIES
Edward G. Henry Tells Of His Ex-
ploits, but Judge Doesn't Believe
Him and Grants Wife
Divorce

If an old pepper tree on South Olive
street, near Fourth, could have been
subpoenaed and brought as witness into
department nine Of the superior court
yesterday afternoon It would have had
even stranger tales to tell than those
given by the witnesses.
Mrs, Enda E. Henry, a pretty young
wife of West Twelfth street, brought
suit for divorce against her husband,
Edward G.. Henry, who is an employee
of the city under civil service rules.
The pepper tree figured quite promi-
nently.
The couple were married in Los An
geles about three years ago and for
time they got along well, but trouble
came soon and Mrs. Henry was forced
to go to work for living, despite the
fact that her husband was receiving
salary Of $100 a month from the city.
Last June they separated. The hus-
band went with his friends. The wife
returned to her mothers home, and di-
vorce papers charging Henry with the
most fragrant kind Of breach of marital
etiquette were filed.
Curious Throng on Hand
When the case came up for trial be-
fore Judge Bordwell yesterday the
court room was thronged with those
row. AS the young couple had spent
most of their stormy lives in fashion
able downtown boarding houses the
residents of those various apartments
were all on hand, eager to hear the
trouble that during its performance had
whetted their curiosity.
Henry fought the case, it is said, be-
cause his wife asked for alimony, and
he entered the court room becomingly
gowned in black, fashionable suit. He
wore his hair parted in the middle,
carefully oiled and plastered down, and
its raven blackness was set off by a
pale lavender taffeta neck scarf
According to the statement of Mrs.
Henry's attorney, refutation was made
of Henry,s only allegation against his
wife, an allegation to the effect that
she had big bills for clothing charged
to him. A tailor testified that Henry
paid $50 and $50 for his suits and over
coats, and that he was constantly hav-
ing them pressed and cleaned. Evil
dence was offered to the effect that
Henry was in the habit of going to a
barber shop every Sunday morning and
spending $1.50 for work done in oiling,
shampooing and cutting his hair, and
that frequently after having work of a
tonsorial character done he would stand
in front Of a BARRIERS glass and remark,
well, boys, l guess 1 amt a pretty
smooth sort of looking young fellow"
Liked to Have Good Time
The only evidence of his wife's ex-
travagance was that she once ordered
q SIS suit made at the tailoring estab-
lishment and had the suit charged to
her husband.
Mrs. Henry was the first to take the
stand. She alleged that her husband
had been familiar with a certain wom-
an and that his actions toward one
woman in particular had been the talk
of every apartment house where they
had ever lived.
II did everything I could for him."
testified the wife; "I worked for him
and frequently toward the end of the
month when he did not have any money
I would give him some of my money
and tell him to go out and enjoy him
self at the skating rink the theater or
to some party, for he always liked to
skate and have a good time, and fire.
quently was too Ill to go out with him.
His actions became such that I
could not tolerate them any further,
and last June he left the house and has
not supported me since"
A friend of Mrs. Henry was then
called to the stand. She told of meet
ing between Mrs. Henry and the woman
in the case; that Mrs. Henry had gone
to the landlady of the apartments
wherein dwelt the woman over whom
the trouble had begun; that there Mrs.
refuse Henry admittance to this other
womans apartments, and that on COM
ing out of the place Mrs. Henry had
met the other woman going in and had
asked her to leave her husband alone,
that a reconciliation was being at
tempted at the time. The witness fur
ther testified that upon the other wom-
an returning an insolent reply the wife
had struck her across the face with a
glove, but that the other woman had
not accepted tie insult.
Under the Old Pepper Tree
Then came a host of witnesses who
had testified that beneath the shade of
an old pepper tree on Olive street Hen
ny and his lady love would nightly
breathe a last good by, locked in one
another's arms, with their lips pressed
tightly together. There We're quite a
number of the witnesses who testified
about the love tryst beneath the tree,
and from the evidence it was learned
that that tree is quite popular in the
neighborhood as a good by spot for
spoony couples and that sometimes op-
era glasses are trained upon its gloomy
depths from nearby boarding apart
mentS.
One. woman testified that on a certain
evening she was sitting on the front
porch of the boarding house and that at
a late hour Henry and the other wom-
an came out of the house and bid fare
we'll on the porch.
The witness stated that Henry
"kissed the woman right on the porch" (;
later she retracted because Of the evil
dent perplexity of the attorneys, and
she stated that the woman received the
kiss on the lips but that the osculatory
ceremony was performed while they
were standing on the porch. She also
testified that when she saw what was
about to happen she stood up so she
could see better If there was anything
to be seen.
Neighbors Are Delighted