Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-24
HONEYMOON OF
BROKAW CLOUDY
OUARRELS BEGAN EARLY IN
MARRIED LIFE
HUSBAND BLAMEs SPOUSE FOR
MARITAL TROUBLES
Millionaire Tells How He and His
Wife Called Each Other Liar"
Shortly After NuptiaI Knot
Was Tied
Associated Pressl

a separation, Win SuDsldHlltl dll-
mony, again showed evidences of the
strain.
Mr.. BrolIaw. on taking the witness
chair. was led by his attorney back
to the time of his marriage with Mary
Blair i'm 1907 and gave his version of
incidents on their honeymoon. From
his account the troubles between the
couple began early and were due t.
Mrs. Brokaw's actions.
While at the Hotel Seville, he testi-
fed, he went out and bought some
flowers for his wife. and on his return
she accused him of having been in
the company of another woman.
Did your wife call you liar?" he
was asked.
yes and I called her liar in re-
turn" was the reply.
Mrs. Brokaw also accused him of
drinking when he had not been doing
so, he said.
BroIlaw told Of undergoing an op-
Grafton and of having requested his
wife to remain at home and keep him
company while he was convalescing.
She insisted however, on going out
with the doctor When she returned
there was a quarrel
Mrs Brokaws version of the Incl
dents of that quarrel, however, was
controverted by her husband.
Dinner Episode Sighted
Brolaw touched lightly on the epi-
sode at the dinner table in which
Jimmie Martin was said to have fig
ured The witness declared he did
not leave the table because his wife
was flirting with Martin, who at the
time was only % years old and had
been married a year.
Another occasion when Mrs. BrolSaw
had accused him of visiting another
woman was referred to by the wit
ness. who said the epithet liar had
again passed between them in the re-
sulting quarrel.
Did you ever threaten to leave
your wife if she did not stop flirting
with Mr.. Gould?" he was asked.
His answer was an emphatic mega
tive. as was that TO a question as to
whether he had his clothes packed
ready for removal on this alleged oc-
casion.
Mr.. Brokaw repeatedly denied as
sertions made by his wife.
"Did YOU tell your wife that her
father had threatened to kill you If
you did not behave yourself?" Brokaw
was asked.
"Yes."
He objected to her returning to At
Iantic City after that, but she went, he
testified and he followed her because
he was lonesome" as he expressed 1t.
There was another quarrel and sep
aration at Atlantic City. When he
went back to New York he found Mrs
Brokaw at the Savoy. He bought
bunch of violets. and, going to the
hotel near midnight, placed the flowers
in bed beside his wife.
This is my coffin was her re-
mark, Brokaw said, and "she followed
It UP by saying she did not want any
flowers or me, either
Asked if she made any other re-
mark. Mr.. Brokaw replied:
"She said she was going to get a
divorce and marry another man.
That made him so angry that on
this occasion he believed he did go
back to his club, ordered his clothes
packed and got ready for removal He
finally signed a separation agreement
with Mrs. Brokaw on February p,
1908, he said.
Threatened to Kill
Brokaw said that his father-in-law.
Joseph A. Blair. had threatened 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 detail
his lawyer led him through the two
years of their married life, with PAINS
taking attention to charges of drunken
ness. cruelty and abusive language
brought against him in the testimony
of his wife.
Brokaw made a good witness. His
attitude was easy and his answers We're
ready and firm. Occasionally he peered
T., 81 rtrI1 "a n
ing papers submitted to him.
Mrs. BrokaW was ashly pale and
mufhed in furs. Her head tossed scorn-
fully when her husbands testimony
Contradicted her own, and she coughed
constantly with a nervous little hack.
Brokaw said he had never been drunk
in his life.
I was drunk" he testified my face
was flushed from long walk or drive.
Il never struck anyone in my life,
he swole. Mrs. Brokaw knows. could
not harm her"
lie admitted that he had called his
wife a liar,
but not until she had called me a
damned liar. I had been out, and when
I came back, bringing her flowers, she
accused me of meeting some woman
| denied it. She said / lied, and had
to tell her the same
Smoked Cigarettes
Brokaw said his wife had smoked
cigarettes before their marriage ana
that she had promised him to stop It,.
He had never seen her drink cocktails
hut he had understood from the ser
wants that cocktails were taken to her
room on the sly.
will you tell the court of your
drinking agreement with your Wife,"
asked John F.. Mcintyre, his counsel.
YES" answered Brokaw. I'VE wanted
to mix ginger ale with aerated water
until it was the exact color of cham
pagne. | 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. |
do not drink"
Brokaw did not recall any scene fol-
lowing an incident at. the table when
a. guest had changed his Wife's glass
so that 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, BrokaW
scrutinized them through his lOrgnette
and said
"Of course, 1 do not use such Ian
guage,"