The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-12-14
Mrs. BrOkaW Testifies That Her
Marital Experience
Qualities Her to Tell When a
Man Is Drunk.
SHE SPENT $4,000
For Clothes the First Year of
Her Married Life.
Both Sides Issue Statements to
the Press.


New York, Dec. 14-Prospects of fur
ther rapid fire questioning by counsel
for her husband did not appear to worry
Mrs. Mary Blair Brokaw when she ap-
peared in court at Mineola. L. l., today
for her fifth successive day on the wit
ness stand in the trial of her suit for
separation from her millionaire hus-
band, w. Gould Brokaw.
Mrs. Brokaw's eyes were bright and
twinkling as ever. and she wore her
customary self-possessed air as she en-
tered the court room and consulted for
a moment with her lawyer. John F.
Mcintyre. Mr.. Brokaw's attorney, said
that two hours and hall more ques-
tioning probably would conclude his
cross examination of the plaintiff.
1t was expected that Mr.. Mcintyre
would interrogate Mrs. Brokaw as to
whether she had not spent large sums
of her husbands money on her friends
and that he would. as WELL go into the
details of the occurrences Immediately
preceding the separation of the couple.
AT the time you say your husband
threatened to blow out your brains,
did yo1 believe him?'' asked Mr.. Nc
lntyre.
Not when he was not drinking re-
turned the witness adroitly.
did he say he would or could do 1t, y
pursued Mr.. Mcintyre.
I'm Paris, he said he could and in
the south he said he would
well, he did lot. did hep asked Mr.
Mcintyre. as a clircher.
'I Think said the witness, sweetly,
you find I am still left
Defines "Psralyzed.''
At another time there was a ques-
ton of what Mrs. Brokaw meant by
.paralyzed'' an adjective she applied to
Mr. Brokaw's condition on night when
she testified she telephoned for his Sec
retary to take care of him.
Mrs Brckaw amplified her definition
into "a condition of helpless intoxica-
ton" and Mr.. Mcintyre Immediately
qualified as a judge in the symptoms
of drunkenness.
my varied experience after mar
riage made me an expert she re-
torted. ----~.., -
The worst weather an Atlantic coast
northeaster can show did not daunt
the curious. Many women, richly
robed in furs motored over to
Mineola, L. l., through the slush and
rain and crowded the little court
appoint them.
Mr.. Brokaw just before court con-
vened, gave out a statement for the
press, in part as follows:
st have been grossly misrepreSented d
by Mrs. Brokaw and by members OF
sition has been made to me by the
plaintiffs side to abandon this case if
I should submit to large settlement
of money
Mr.. Baldwin, Mrs Brosaw's law
YER issued q counter statement, IN
part as follows:
'"The statement given out by the
defense that the plaintiffs side had
made overtures to him to abandon the
case upon payment OF a large sum OF
money, is an unmitigated and deliber-
ate falsehood, and consistent with the
policy adopted by the defense by try
ing the case by unsubstantiated state
ments made without the sanctity OF
an OATH
The Poison Incident.
After these preliminaries, both
sides got down to the serious busi-
asked if she had not once taken
poison by mistake with no intention
of killing herself.
wasn't that only bluff" queried
Mcintyre.
mo, it was. not" she replied in
dignantly 81 wanted to die
Cigarettes had proved an en-
barrassing subject for Mrs. Brokaw
in previous testimony. She triumphed
over cocktails, of which she had only
tasted four in her life, she said, and
never before breakfast.
Champagne, she thought, tasted
very much like ginger ale.
Mr. Mcintyre began to delve into
Mrs. Brokaw's bills for dresses. Her
lawyer cut him short with an admis-
sion that Mr. Brokaw had spent $780,
900 on his wife in their first year OF
married life. Mr.. Mcintyre thought
the items spoke for themselves.
"I will hardly agree" he instanced
"that a couple of hundred dollars
worth of corsets were used by Mr..
Brokaw.'
Mr.. Brokaw himself who is far
from puny, Joined in the laugh that
followed.
eff I recollect rightly" put in JUS
tice Putnam. General Hancock used
them during a campaign
she had cabled from Paris for money
with which to pay her travelling ex-
penses.
.'It is not true that 1 ever said ]
wanted to get a divorce from my hus-
band so that I could marry another
man." replied Mrs. Brokaw sharply to
one of Mr.. McIntyre'S interrogations.
Counsel asked Mrs. Brokaw if her
husband had not on an accession walk
ed into her room and laying flowers
Down on her bed, remarked that he
would rather be putting flowers on her
coffin The witness had no recollection
of such an incident.
Morgan's Daughter Wants to Join.
New York Dec. 14.--Miss Annie
Morgan, daughter of J. p. Morgan, is