Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-10-14
decree SOON GIVEN GREAT BODY OF WATtR|
Court Quickly Grants Divorce Sea Which Formed Before
to Barrie Adam Was Created.
CONFESSION OF HIS WIFE |MILE ABOVE TIDEWATERl
Largely Reduced by
With Correspondent Process of Evaporation
TELLS STORY WITH EMOTION NOW KNOWN SALT LAKE
Scientists
Contrte, Wonderfully the Home
fol Mormons
Repeats Admission of Misconduct
With Correspondent.
TELLS STORY WITH EMOTION
Says That She Refused to Return to
Him Contrite, But Acknowledged
Preference for Canaan.

LONDON. October 14.-Fourteen min
utes suff1c ed for the proceedings in the
divorce court yesterday afternoon dissolV-
ing the marriage of James NJ Barrie to
Mary Barrie on account of her miscon-
duct with Gilbert Canaan. The suit was
undefended and the decree will be made
absolute in six months. provided there is
no intervention, which is unlikely.
Mr.. Barrie himself was the principal
witness, and was much affected while he
was testifying. The date Of the trial had
been so we'll guarded that there were only
nine persons in the public gallery during
the hearing. Mr.. Barrie's chief counsel
was w. T. Barnard, X. c.. instructed by
Sir George Lewis, a famous solicitor. The
playwright, who entered the courtroom
five minutes before the case was called,
was accompanied by Lewis. and sat at the
counsel table with bowed head, remaining
in that position until he was called to the
stand.
Barrie's Case Presented.
Mr.. Barnard. in his opening, said that
the parties to the suit were married In
Scotland. July 9. 1894: that they had no
children, and lived happily until about
eighteen months ago, when Mr.. Barrie be-
came acquainted with the correspondent.
In November. 1905. Mr.. Barrie lent Mr..
Canaan the Blacklake cottage. Farm
ham. Surrey, for short time. and part Of
the time Mrs. Barrie stayed there also,
Mr.. Barrie being away from home.
Suspicion was not aroused, however
Hunt, wife of the gardener at the cot
tage, told Mr.. Barrie certain incidents
occurring at the cottage in the proceed
ing November. AS a consequence he
wired Mrs. Barrie to meet him In Lon
don and told her what Mrs. Hunt had
related. Mrs Barrie replied: ut is per-
fectly true" Mr.. Barrie then offered to
forgive her on condition that she had
nothing further to do with Cannan or
would agree to separation. Mrs Bar
Barrie Testifies With Emotion.
When he was called to the stand Mr..
Barrie answered counsers questions in
a voice broken with emotion. With
blandhed face and eyebrows working
with agitation, he leaned forward on
the witness stand, nervously toying with
a ring on his wedding finger and scarcely
ever looking up. Asked as to the date Of
the marriage, he replied: Il thought it
was in 1895; that was my idea" Shown
the marriage certificate, he agreed that 1t
was a year earlier, adding that the cere-
mony was performed at the preachers
house, he. Barrie. being i'll at the time.
Mr.. Barrie said he first became ac-
quainted with Mr.. Canaan about eight
cen months ago. when Canaan came to
his house as the secretary of a little
committee connected with the censorship
of the drama. He called frequently after
that
I'm November. 1905" Mr.. Barrie said
IT lent Mr.. Canaan our cottage for two
or three weeks while his own was being
redecOrated"
July % last, the witness proceeded, Mrs.
Hunt told him how one morning in No
vember she took tea to Mr. Cannan's
room and found it empty. Going then to
Mrs, Barrie's room. she heard her ex-
claim, GILBERT GILBERT
did you tell your wife about this?'
counsel asked.
Mrs. Barrie's Confession.
Eyes. She said. 1T is all quite true
Mr.. Barrie replied, and quite broke down
in giving his answer. He pulled himself
together. however, to explain how. after
he had told her he must consult Sir George
Lewis, she had replied that this was the
only time such a thing had happened.
II told her. said Mr.. Barrie. eff she
would return contrite l would forgive her.
and she could come back and no one
Would know anything about it. but she
said how much more ignoble it would be
to come back knowing that Canaan was
the only person in the world for her.
Decree Awarded.
Mr. Barrie, on resuming his seat at the
side of Sir George Lewis, wiped his eyes
with his handkerchief. Other witnesses
were called, but soon Justice Bigham
stopped the case, saying:
II have heard quite enough. You may
take a decree, with costs, against Can
man,"
Mr. Barrie and Sir George Lewis then
quietly left the courtroom. Neither Mrs.
Barrie nor Mr.. Canaan was in court, nor
was either represented