The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-12-14
SHE HAS BECOME
EXPERT ON DRINK


New York Dec 13-The ready wit
and cool head of Mary Blair Brokaw.
who seeks a decree OF separation with
alimony OF S60.000 year from her
millionaire husband " Gould Bro
kaw. flashed again and again today
throught the persistent plotting OF her
cross examination
AT times YOU say your husband
threatened 10 blow out your brains.
did you believe him" asked John f.
Mcintyre. counsel for the defense
Not when he wasn't drinking" re-
turned the witness adroitly
Did he say be would or could do
IT." pursued Mr. Mcintyre.
In Paris he said he could and in
the South he said he would
Well. he did not, did he?" asked
Mr. Mcintyre as a clincher.
Il think not" said the witness
swcetly. You see am still left"
Mrs. erokaw Defines Drunkenness.
Mrs. Brokaw amplified her defini,
tlon of drunkenness into a "condi-
tIon OF helpless lntoxication. and
Mr. Mcintyre Immediately wished TO
know how the witness had qualified
as Judge in the symptoms OF drunk.
cnness.
My varied experience after mar.
riage made me an expert" she re-
torted
The weather on the Atlantic coast
did not diminish the curious crowd
Many women. richly attred. motored
over to Mlneola. through the slush and
rain and crowded the little court
room. The testimony did not disap-
point them. Mrs. Brokaw just be.
fore court convened gave out
statement for the press in part as
follows:
Statement Of Press.
Il have been grossly misreprcsent-
ed by Mrs. Brokaw and by members
OF her family. Proposition after prop
osition has been made by the plain
tiffs side to abandon this case. 1t
should submit to a large settlement
OF money.
Mr., Baldwin. Mrs. Brokaw's lawyer,
Immediately issued a counter state
ment in part as follows:
THE statement given out by the
defense that the plaintiff S side had
made overtures to him to abandon the
case upon payment of large sum Of
money Is an unmitigated falsehood,
and consistent with the policy adopted
by the defense by trying the case by
unsubstantiatcd statements made
without the sanctlty of an oath "
After these preliminaries. both
sides got down to the serious busi-
ness of the day. Mrs. BrolIaw was
asked If she did not once take poison
by mistake with no intention oil kill
ing herself.
Now. wasn't that only bluff?"
queried Mr.. Mcintyre.
No, 1t was not" replied the wit
ness Indignantly. Il wanted to die"
Triumph Over Cocktails.
Cigarettes had proved an embar-
RAISING subject for Mrs. Brokaw in
previous testimony. Today she tri-
umphed over cocktails. of which she
had only tasted four in her life, she
said and never before breakfast
Champagne. she thought tasted
much like gingerale.
Mr. Mcintyre began TO delve into
Mrs. Brokaw's liking for dresses. Her
lawyer cut him short with an ad-
$4,000 on his wife in their first year
OF married life.
Mr.. Mcintyre thought the items
spoke for themselves.
Il will hardly agree" he instanced,
that a couple of hundred OF dollars
worth of corsets were used by Mr..
Brokaw -
Mi Brokaw. himself, who Is far
from puny, joined in the laughter that
followed.
MI Mcintyre, counsel for Mr.. Bro
kaw. questioned the seriousness of the
Gum episode" as he termed It He
wanted to know If Mrs. Brokaw
screamed or made an outcry. Mrs.
Brokaw declared that she was fright
ened and believed that she did call
for one of her maids.
Asks About Flowers
Mrs Mcintyre wanted to know if
her husband had not always been at
tentive to her and brought her flowers
every day"
The witness said that he did not
buy flowers every day. and sometimes.
when he did. he would accuse her of
not appreciating the attentions he
paid her and OF not thanking him for
the flowers.
Mrs Brokaw said that Jimmy"
Martin and her brother also used to
buy her flowers occasionally, and that
this was objected TO by her husband.
The witness said that while they
We're stopping at the hotel and Essex
she heard a great commotion in her
husband room,
Il went to his room," she said. "and
found him paralyzed."
"Paralyzed from drink, or do you
use the word in a medical sense?"
asked MIR. Mcintyre,
"Paralyzed from drink was the
prompt reply.
Asked how she knew her husband
was drunk, she said she had had con-
siderable experience with drunkenness
since her marriage.