Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-01-26
BATTLE OF WITS
IN PARSONS CASE
Attorney Hoppaugh Has a Merry
Time With Clever Witness
On CroSS-Examination.
GENEvA'S PET AvERSloNS.
Ordinary Americans Not Hardly Elig-
ibIc as Candidates for the Holy
Bonds of Matrimony.


Ordinary Americans were the pct
nversions of Miss Geneva Parsons. her
mother admitted in the course of the
hearing of the Parsons separate main
tenance suit before Judge Morse this
morning. The real purpose of tho
visit of Mrs, Parsons and her 1T-ycar
old daughter to the gay cities of the
continent, 1t seems, was to acquire for
the daughter a husband who might
have handle to his name. count,
duke. a baron or some other such per-
sonage OF Illuminated pedigrce-the
whole of which is declared to have
cost Parsons pater in the neighborhood
of $4,000 This mornings session was
largely occupied with the cross exam
ination of Mrs. Parsons who was on
the stand as yesterdays principal wit
ness Attorney Hoppaugh had a
battle of wits with the clever woman
who was pittod against him In the wit
ness chair. Mrs. Parsons sat through
tho morning with pale face. her white
hair and otherwise quite elderly ap
pearance being in striking contrast
with the yigor of her mind and the
ready-witted replies she made to the
questions put TO her. The defendant.
Will later come before the court
seeking divorce upon the grounds al
legged in his counterclalm.
Letters bearing the postmarks of
foreign centers OF gnyety Will play an
important part In the story as IL Is
unfolded In the court trial Mr. Par
sons seems to be well supplied with
letters which he seems sure Will sup
port many of his gravest charges
charge will be made that dates have
been altered on some of these letters.
that they arc not genuine.
1t developed that many times after
Mrs. Parsons and the daughter that
was to charm the mobiles of high de-
gree of the old world landed I'm the
quarter of their conquests their money
ran low. Repeated cablesrams to the
heads of the house OF Parsons were fol-
lowed by remittances and then the
word was received from the father
when finances were running low and
that some of the frllls of their quest
must be dispensed with. This was i'm
ncnsoly displeasing to the absent
mother and daughter.
CREED OF open SOUL"
1t was at this juncture that the
creed of the open soul" got in It's
work 1t would seem from the tcsll-
mony. though II Is very haZy through
out-it Is even difficult for the bar
risterS TO see through this open soul
the daughter, through
her association with those who prom
ulgated the doctrine of the open soul
had acquired the ability to foretell the
future, In this way she learned that
she was to receive some $4,000 from
the mother OF her own mother. This
she confided to Mrs Parsons and on
the strength of the bequost which the
open soul had told the daughter was
10 come. an advance was made by a
banker to cover pressing demands.
Then tho story of how Duse. the great
European actress, was insnnely
Jealous OF the talents of Miss Parsons
was unfolded. Then of tho d'AnnunzIo
and lorraine duel II was a romance
is only an open soul could contrve.
Mr.. Parsons was extremely kind to
lis family. ION OCCASIONS" related the
witness. She told of her unhappy life
With her husband while in Colorado
Springs. Denver. Paris and many other
places. At the times he was not kind.
,e was irritable and unbearable. and
lnally she came to have an abhorrence
or him. She said that at times she felt
to be her duty to effect reconcilia-
lop and that she thought after her
had acquired a husband OF
oble blood-for she had no particular
king for ordinary Amoricans-that !
he hoped they might once more live |
osether and be happy once more. AS |
1rs, Parsons related her hopes of hav- |
ng q happy home once more, she broke |
orth into a deluge of tears and the |
motion OF the mother seemed to great |
Y burden the heart OF the daughter, !
or her eyes grew red on their rims |
nd then her dainty lace handkerchief |
anne to her relief. preventing the over |
ow of her tears to her pink cheeks. !
Ter counselor. Willard Hansen, asked |
er II she thought a rest would be OF |
ny solacc to her perturbed feelings, |
nd she declined the invitation and evil |
enced a desire to have the matter |
ressed to a conclusion. Mrs Parsons |
'as followed by her daughter to tho |
fitness chair.
DAUGHTER TESTIFIES.
Miss Parsons was clad in sombcr |
eading to the chair she smiled on all |
bout her with the same smile that |
'as to cnchant the titled gentry |
cross the salty waves. She told of |
er trip to Paris with still a trace
+ her girlish delight in entering Into
he conquest that was to be almost
Ike the storybook love affairs she
ad read about. She said that she had |
rivate tutors In French, Italian and
terature. She was taught fencing,
ancing and riding She said that the
bject of her study along these sew
raj lines was not to prepare to earn
living. but that she might develop
er great gift, which she admitted
as literature. The daughter testified
hat though her father was in Paris
or two months, he spent only four |
ays with her and her mother In tho
ay French capital. Miss Parsons was
n the stand at noon recess and was |
0 be recalled this afternoon Hor
sstlmony had not proceeded far
noush to disclose more OF the cult
7hich Pnrisians designate as "rnmo |
uvert.' 1t Is expected that the yearn-
ngs of her heart for noble mate
I..t1