The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-04-27
Court Holds That Wen
denburg's w ork for
Client Was Proper.
NO CONSPIRACY
COULD BE PROVED
Tenney and Pannill Exonerated
With Lawyer After All-Day
Hearing of Charges Made by
Royall-Going Next Into
Merits of
Case.


Judge Grinnan in the Chanccry
the rule against Louis o. wendenburg.
George O. Tenney and William Pan-
Mill, charged by Attorney William 1.
Royal with a conspiracy to injure ths
reputation of Mrs. Emma Schoonmaket
Tenney.
The case is an outgrowth of the pro-
ceedings for divorce now pending In
the Chancery Court between Mr. and
Mrs. Tenney. Last week Mr.. Royal.
counsel for Mrs. Tenney. asked for en-
order to protect his client. stating to
the court that the three men were
conspir!ng to manufacture evidence in
her disfavor. Directed by the court
to present his charges in writing. he
flied thom last Friday morning, sup
| ported by an affidavit of John Gootle-
| nough Tyler. of Baltimore. forlnerIy
connected with the Gaiety Theatre in
| this city.
On the strength of that paper, the
court issued rule for Tenney. Wen
| denburg and Pannill. to appear and
show cause why they should not ba
! committed for contempt. Wenden-
burg and Tenney were present in courr
| yesterday morning when the case was
| called. So was Tyler and Mrs. Tenney.
| Pannill was stated to be in Atlanta,
| but was represented by a sworn state
ment denying the charges
Question of Motive.
The entire day was consumed in
hearing the evidence. Tyler occupied
the chair during the morning. and the
chief witness in the afternoon was Mr..
ar tta
sion of the evidence Judge Grinuan
announced that argument was unuec-
essary. that he had heard all of the evil
dence, that the law on the subject
was plain and that the rule was Gis-
| missed.
| There is no substantial conflict OF,
4 fact In the evidence the question be-
ing one of imputa ton and motive. Mr.
Wendenburg admitting having had
various interviews with Tyler, but his
evidence showed 1t to be legitimate
effort on the part of an attorney to
/ elicit evidence in support of the case
of hts client, George o. Tenney.
Mr.. Royal was vituperative and in
| dignant. Mr.. Wendenburg, on the
other hand. was calm and collected
I He was represented by former State
| Senat tor Nj. ]. Fulton, and there were
a large number of attorneys and 9th
ers in court.
Mr.. Royals charge had hung large
~ on the statements OF Tyler. Mr..
Royal charged that first Pannil, de-
scribed as Tenney's right hand man.
and then Wendenburg. his counsel, had
gone to see Tyler in Baltimore. and
had endeavored to secure from him
statement as to his relations with Mrs.
Tenney. that they had threatened to
IL. IT ;,,tn 1,
respondent: promising on the other
hand that Tenney would be his friend
and see him through. or If he refused
that the name of Miss Tenney, now
Mrs. Tillman Bunch. on whom he was
ut one time a caller, might be dragged
into the case. Tyler told on tho stand
with apparent frankness, of his con-
versations with Pannill and with
| Wendenburg in Baltimore: of their ef-
! forts to get him to appear as wit.
ness in the case; of his final coming
! to Richmond to confer with Mrs. Ten
| ney. and of his refusal to give Mr.,
I Wendenburg the affidavit for which
| he had asked,
wendcrburg Takes Stand.
Mr. Wandenburs's story fitted in with
! the essential details. He said he had
been Informed by Pannill. and believed,
| that there had been improper rela-
| tions between Tyler and Mrs. Tenney:
| that Pannill had told him that Tyler
glad been seen coming from the Tenney
| home between and o'clock in the
! morning; that on other occasions Tyler
| and Mrs Tenney had ''wined and dined'
| in public places Mrs Tenney payin.S
| the bills. or all this Mr.. Wendenburs
| said he knew nothing of his own
| llnowledge---he was informed of 1t by
Pannil. who in turn had been told
by others. AT all events. he said he
had probable cause for believing that
there had been improper relations be-
tween Tyler and Mrs. Tenney. and with
that belief in his mind he went td
Baltimore to endeaYor to elicit the
| facts and so prepare the case of his
| client, George O. Tenney, who was
suing Mrs Tenney FOR divorce as
| counter action to her suit for separa-
tion and alimony
| Mr.. Wendenburg told in some de.
| tail of meeting Tyler in Baltimore, and
of talk of several hours, In the
rathskeller of the hotel. at which both
fenced for an opening" each endeav-
| oring to ascertain what the other
knew. without himself giving away
| his hand Finally, Tyler told him ha
would like TO see Mrs, Tenney be-
/ fore he gave any affidavit. and after
| further conversation, Mr.. WendenburS
| furnished sl5 for Tyler to come to
Richmond to see her, Later, Tyler
| informed him that he could not give
him tho proposed affidavit
Made No Threats.
..There was nothing said about HIS
ever having been visitor OF MISS
] Tenney, now Mrs. Bunch" asserted Mr..
Wendenburg,
s.I called his attention to the fact
| that Mr., Tenney had throughout re-
fused to allow her name TO be brought
1 into the case. I deny flatly that
ever entered into Il conspiracy with
any ono to. say that II we could not
4 bring the mother into the case wa
| would drag in the child y Is eiit-
ra geous.,'
examined by slr. Fsulton,s the wit
i nass. assartad that Tyler had naYar