The San Francisco call., 1908-09-24
NAT GOODW|N'S
DIVORCE PLEA
is DES[RTION
Settles Rumors of Sensations by
Making Public Sealed
Complaint
Maxine Elliott to Be Served To-
day With Notice of Hus-
bands Action
Actress Will Not Contest Suit
and Property Arrange
ment Is Settled

RENO, New, Sept. 23.-Under in
structions from Nat c. Goodwin HIM
self the text of the sealed complaint
for divorce which he yesterday filed
in this city against his wife, Maxine
Elliott, was made public today and
has dispelled all the rumors that SEN
sational charges were contained in the
document and that scandal would
accompany the court proceedings.
The suit for divorce is based on the
single charge of desertion and is de-
void of all sensational features. In
three sheets of typewriter matter are
set forth the fact that Goodwin and
his wife were married on March /.
1897; that his wife. deserted him on
September /, 1906; that for more than
a year she has continued to live apart
from him against his will; that they
have no children and that there ex-
lists no community property. That is
all there is to the complaint concern
ing which there have been so many
reports of alleged scandal.
No names are mentioned m the COM
piaint filed by Goodwin, and the docu-
ment itself brands as untrue the story
sent out from New York City to the
effect that j. Pierpont Morgan, the
noted ffnancier, was brought into the
case as correspondent.
WAS ON SAME SHIP
That his name was connected with
the case at all is undoubtedly due to
the faot that. he recently returned from
Europe on the same steamer with Miss
Elliott and at the time was reported &c
be the angel behind her new theate1
in New York. Morgan denied that he
was in any way connected financially
with the theater enterprise, but stated
that he intended to secure a seat r0r
the opening performance at the new
playhouse in December, when Maxine
Elliott will produce one of Clyde
F'itch's new plays.
With the authorization of his client
one of Geodwin's attorneys issued the
following statement today:
MIR. Goodwin has brought suit fol
divorce on the ground of simple deser-
tion This and only this is alleged In
his complaint. He has too much regard
for Mrs Goodwin as woman to sur
mise or allege anything scandalous OF
in any way rejecting on her honor
ENDS ODD RUMORS
Goodwin's action in making known
the contents of the divorce complaint
was due, 1t Is supposed. to his desire tc
bring to an end the sensational rumors
that have been afioat since the papers
were filed. For this reason he with
drew the secrecy which was largely
responsible for the reports that have
been given out, and made public the
facts involved In the suit. Goodwin's
attorneys scout the suggestion that tbs
actor entered business in this city fol
the mere purpose of establishing resi-
dence as required by law in order tt
bring his suit. They point out thai
he has lived here more than IS months
and that the present suit had not beer
thought of at the beginning of thai
time.
Goodwin himself admitted today thai
he and Maxine Elliott divided equally
between them $160,000 in cash as thu
profits from the last season in which
they appeared together In the Altar
of Friendship four years ago. This
establishes the fact that his wife IL
financially Independent.
The summons in the case will reach
Maxine Elliott tomorrow, having beer
mailed from here Monday. She ha.
been notined by telegraph Of the flins
OF the suit. and 1t IL understood that
there Will be no contest.