The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1908-10-07
PASTOR NAMED
AS correspondent
FIGHTS DIVORCE
Rev. Thomas Newton Owen
Seeks to Set Aside Re-
port of Referee.
CALLS CASE A FRAME-UP.
Declares He Was Only a Stu
dent at Time Mentioned in
Perkins Complaint.
CALLS CASE A FRAME-UP

The Rev. Thomas Newton Owen. OF the
Congregational Church OF Bristol. r. l.,
does not intend to LET Frank w. Perkins
get a divorce without contesting what
he calls the 'keyhole evidence OF a
shabby lawyer" concerning acts alleged
20 have been committed by him and his
landlady, fifteen years his senior, when
he was a mere theological student.
When 7. n. jacobson, of May & ia
oobson, No. 10 Park Row, applied to
Justice Dayton in the Supreme Court
to confirm the report of Edward w.
Reddington. referee. and sign an In
terIocutory decree in favor of Mr.. Per-
kins against Nellie F. Perkins, a settle
ment worker, Charles La Rue, counsel
for the clergyman, made vigorous oppo-
sitton.
He said that the Rev. Mr. Owen did
not know that he was charged as a
correspondent in the Perkins divorce
case until the hearings before Referee
Reddington had progressed almost to
completion. He then learned It by ac-
cident.
He Hires a Lawyer.
He promptly employed a lawyer and
came TO the city 70 fight the case, but
his attorney was not allowed to cross
examine the witnesses who had black
ened his name AMI character by their
Testimony about events alleged to have
happened thirteen years ago. on the
ground that he was too late, several OF
the witnesses having left the State.
Tho chief witness for Perkins was
Guy c. Dempsey, brother of Lavinia
Dempsey. once famous as the queen of
the Holland Danes Dempsey Is now
In the Staten Island Office Of the City
Tax Department.
while Perkins was enjoying an In
crease of from $500 to 5000 a year"
said Lawyer La Rue, ''his wife-in 1895,
when the events described In the evil
dence are supposed to have taken place
the mother Of Ave children, was
obliged to slave as boarding house
keeper. The correspondent was only a
boy theological student
The lawyer said that two Of the Per
k,ns children We're I'll OF diphtherta ard
that young owen and another student
gave assistance to the mother. He re-
manned In the house several nights Ia
help nurse them. This was in 1894
The following summer said the
lawyer. owen was one of the twenty
boarders at Mrs. Perkins's at Arverne.
Dempsey came dow. He slept with
Perkins and Perkins loaned him cloth
ing 10 wear and paid Dempseys board
Story Dempsey Told.
Dempsey testified before the referee
that he saw Mrs. Perkins and the divin-
ity student walking morning, afternoon
and evening He testified that he To-
Gated voices in the parlor. The door
was locked, but he ooked through the
keyhole and saw Owen and Mrs. Per-
kins caressing each other"
Lawyer La Rue attacked this story
Of Dempsey. He ridlculed the corrob-
Grating stories Of other Witnesses. and
called the entire case a frame up.
He asked that the decision Of the ref
cree be set aside and new trial or
dered.
We want to present this case to O
jury" said the lawyer.
Arthur A Michele, counsel for Mrs.
Perkins, also opposed the confirmation
Of Referee Reddington's report.
Report of the Referee.
Referee Reddington's report shows
that Frank w. Perkins and Nellie +
Perkins were married thirty-one years
age. on Dec. 4, 1877. 1t finds that Mrs
Perkins and Thomas Winter owen were
Intimate az sheer's College Cedar ave
nue.. Aryerne, l.. l., during the summer