Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1911-04-13
MRS. CRAG|N SAYS
HUSBAND OFTEN
BORROWED CASH
Wife of Former Tennis Cham
piOn Defends His Suit
for Divorce.

when MTS. Nlllldnl Is. (Cd6lhi Jlsf VA
Trenton Junction, whose husband is
trying to get a divorce from her on the
ground of desertion, a called in her
defense before Vice-Chancellor Emery
today, she told in a low, h~esitating
sort of a way what she considered JUS
titled her in leaving him October IL,
1908, after they were married In New
York city.
William B. Cragin, jr., was at ono
time the national indoor tennis ham,
pion, is 8 member of the Seventh Regl-
ment, N. G. of New York, lives in
Plainf1eld and works as salesman for a
condensed milk concern in the metrop-
oils.
Mrs. Cragin was examined by NAL
colin Buchanan, of Trenton, who, to-
gether with Samuel Kalisoh, repre-
sents her interests, and after telling
of a trip to Europe with her husband
soon after her marriage, was asked
about his attitude toward her. She
complained that he was in the habit
of getting under the influence of iiQuop
treating her brutally and finally, when
the baby came, February %. 1907, they
separated.
Disagreeable During Honeymoon.
Even while We were on our honey
moon, or directly afterward. he was
very sulky and disagreeable,' Mrs.
Cragin swore, land he would become
so on the slightest occasion"
"Who would buy the tickets when
you went away?' asked the lawyer.
Almost always I did"
In order to show alleged stinginess
on his part, Mrs. Cragin swore that he
paid her $3.50 a week towards house
hold expenses and she was helped out
by members of her family, especially
by James Donald. her uncle, who Is a
wealthy banker in New York city.
What is the amount of your private
income?" asked Mr.. Buchanan.
One hundred and eighty dollars a
year."
And how much was your husband
getting at the time of the separation
"~Thirty-five dollars d week"
Mrs. Cragin insisted Chat she never
received enough money for her sup
port and that of the baby and added
that "he never put himself out of the
way in the slightest for me.
After he was helped out" she also
testified, "he made ~disparaging re-
marks about my family and money
matters"
How did he display his sulkiness?"
she was asked along that line.
H refused to speak to me for hours
at a time"
Then she complained that her hus-
band was slow in summoning a physi-
clan when she became sick. and then
came back to his alleged borrowing
propensities.
borrowed to Play Stock Market.
He once borrowed $500 from me and
said he used it to buy stock on mar
gins" she testified, land afterwards
borrowed several small sums"
Did he pay them back?"
Some he did ano some he did not"
On two occasions, Mrs. Cragin swore,
her husband struck her and hurt her
severely.
Did he ever apologize to your" she
was asked.
HE never apologized for anything he
ever did in his life," was the confident
answer.
Mrs. Cragin's testimony on the points
of brutality and addiction to liquor on
the part of her husband was diamet-
rically opposed to that of several of his
AASAi0G II AA1o CoLillS IAAa AO q
a most sober and Industrious man.
Among them were Henry H. Holley
and William C. Hayner, while Herbert
Parsons, former president of the con-
Germ where Cragin works, declared his
character absolutely perfect" and
two witnesses for the defense itself
were unable to show that they had
ever seen him drunk or abuse his wife.
Continuing her testimony, Mrs.
Cragin, in answer to a question, said
that her husband frequently used pro-
fame language towards her and often
declared that he was tired of his mar
ried life.
Once they had stew and lamb chops
on the supper table, she said, and he
made a most strenuous objection to the
smell of the stew. The objection led to
a row, while on another occasion he
locked her in her room, she said, and
did not aver apologize for that. His
attitude toward the baby she charac-
terized as indifferent"
On the cross-examination by Edward
A. Day, Cragin's counsel, she stuck to
her story of stinginess, abuse and in
difference, and admitted that she held
the household goods in storage in
Plainfield. She insisted that she was
devoted to her husband and home as
long as he behaved himself.