The San Francisco call., 1909-12-24
CHAMPAGNE
AT BROKAW TABLE
New York Millionaire Tells How
He and His Wife Deceived
Guests

| NEW YORK, Dec. CIV. Gould
Brokaw, whose wife is suing him for
separation with alimony of 100000 a
year, took the stand in his own de-
fense today. He said that his father
in law, Joseph a. Blair, had threat
ened to kill him because he loved his
wife too much. When he told Mrs
Brokaw of this she laughed and said:
! Don't mind father. Billy; he's crazy
Brokaw described the night when
his wife took poison. In minute de-
tail his lawyer led him through the
two years of their married life with
painstaking attention to charges of
drunkenness, cruelty and abusive Ian
guage brought against him in the
testimony of his wife
Brokaw made good witness His
attitude was easy and his answers
were ready and firm Occasionally he
peered daintily through a lorgnette in
examining papers submitted to him.
MRS. BROKAW UPSET
muf1ied in furs. Her head tossed
scornfully when her husbands testi-
mony contradicted her own
Brokaw said that he had never been
drunk in his life.
The times when Mrs Brokaw said
1 was drunk" he testified, my face
was flushed from long walk or drive
Il never struck any one in my life
he swore. Mrs Brokaw knows I
could not harm her"
He admitted that he had called his
wife liar.
Yes" he said, Il called her a liar.
but not until she had called me a
Id liar. / had been out. and
when I came back, bringing her flow
ers. she accused me of meeting some
woman. / denied it. She said l lied,
and had to tell her the same"
Brokaw said that his wife had
smoked cigarettes before their mar
riage and that she had promised him
to stop it. He had never seen her
drink cocktails, but he had under
stood from the servants that cock
tails were taken to her room on the
sly.
THEIR BOGUS CHAMPAGNE
will you tell the court of your
drinking agreement with your wife?p
asked John +. Mcintyre, his counsel.
Yes" answered Brokaw, I'VE want
ed to mix ginger ale with aerated water
until it was the exact color of cham
pagne. 1 wished to appear to drink
with my guests. and yet not to drink.
This mixture bubbled and yet was
harmless. ] have used it for years I
do not drink
Brokaw did not recall any scene fol-
lowing an incident at table when a
guest had changed his wife's glass so
she got real champagne and not the
imitation
IF Mrs Brokaw drank champagne
she was the only one who knew it." he
testified.
Shown a list of Objectionable names
which Mrs. Brokaw said her husband
had applied to her when angry, Bro
kaw scrutinized them through his
lorgnette and said:
'Of course, do not use such lam
guage.'
Tell us what happened on the so
called poison night" directed McIn-
tyre.
THRILLING RESCUE
',On that night complied the wit
ness, Il had the Marquis Hermose and
others to dinner. Mrs. Brokaw did not
come down. After dinner | went TO
her room and knocked She did not
answer. Then 1 said: Mary. | want
to come in She did not answer.
Finally l pushed in the door. She was
furious. | told her l only wanted to
kiss her good night. and left.
when / came upstairs again Mrs
Brokaw was not in her room. I could
not find her and got a nurse to helm
me hunt. After a search the nurse
called to me from a room at one end
of the hall | got there Just in time
to see the nurse struggling to take
something out of Mrs. Brokaw's mouth
1t was some kind of white tablet, >
Brokaw then told of his wife's threat
to obtain divorce and marry another