The San Francisco call., 1909-03-01
DIVORCE SUIT LAY
BARE A MARRIAGE
Comrades of Captain at Preside
Thought Him Bachelor
Until Action
No Hint Ever Given That Cav
airy Officer Was Husband
of Army Beauty

So quie. did Captain Rush S. Wells
Fourteenth cavalry, U. S. A, stationed
at the Pr sidio,s keep his matrimonial
misadventsre that the first intimation
most of his brother officers and Pre-
sidio ladies had that the officer was
married came with the news of his suit
for divorce But the officers. and
ladies of the post and the public out
side the reservation gate may soon be
in a position to learn much about the
affair, for General George H. Burton,
U. S. A, retired, father of Mrs. Wells,
has strongly intimated that the divorce
suit Twill be contested and that the re-
tired general himself will probably
take the witness stand in the action.
Captain Wells was the only person
at the Presidio yesterday who was not
discussing the divorce case. He de-
clined to review his troubles even with
his closest friends. The ground he
named was desertion. but he would not
go into the details of his gspouse's al
legged dereliction of wifely duty.
The wife against whom the suit was
brought was formerly Miss Leila Bur-
ton, daughter of Brigadier General
George H. Burton, u. S. A., retired, OF
Los Angeles, and in her lgirlhood days
was noted army beauty. Mrs. Wells
is now living with her father in Los
Angeles, and on top of the news of the
suit being brought in this city came the
further announcement from the wife
that this is a second suit. former hav-
ing been brought by her in San Bernar-
dino county more than a year ago.
SUPPOSED TO BE BACHELOR
While Captain Wells has never made
any attempt to- pose as a bachelor, no
hint had ever been given the officers
at the local post that he was the hus
band of the beautiful Leila Burton.
When he came to the Presidio
year ago he came alone and no men
stion was made of Mrs. Wells. He
moved little in the social whirl of the
post and it. was generally taken for
granted that Ire was a confirmed old
bachelor. Captain Wells spent last
summer. in the Yosemite in command
of Troop of the Fourteenth cavalry,
but neither at Yosemite nor in San
Francisco, did Mrs. Wells ever join
him.
Captain Wells states ina his complaint
that his marriage to Leila Burton took
place. December 27; 1902, and that his
wife deserted him in August 1907.
When asked about the case last night
lie refused to discuss 1T further than
to admit that he had caused the action
to be filed.
Mrs. Wells was found last night at
her fathers home in Los Angeles, but
General Burton acted as her spokes-
man, saying that she was indisposed
and unable to discuss her marital trou-
bles. She had not learned that her
husband had brought an action for di-
syorce, he said, until last night and had
not known that it was Captain Wells
intention to file suit.
CHARGED CRUEL TREATMENT
Speaking of the suit, filed more than
year ago by Mrs. Wells, General Bur-
ton expressed the belief that his daugh-
ter would have secured divorce be-
fore thfs time had not her husband
been granted a continuance. Mrs.
Wells, according to her father, left her
husband two years ago in the Philip
pines, alleging cruel treatment, and
came to her home in Redlands No.
specific charges were made in her suit,
but it was alleged that Captain Wells
was possessed of an Incompatible tenn
per and that husband and wife We're
unhappy together from the first Mrs.
Wells accompanied her husband to
Fort Leavenworth, then to Jefferson
barracks, and then to the Philippines
before leaving him. She made no
charges of immortality or infideIity
against him.
General Burton intimated that the
suit brought by Captain Wells will be
contested vigorously and expressed the
opinion that he would be called as a
witness in the case.