The Detroit times., 1911-11-10
ATTACKS HIS WIfps NAME
! BUT GIGS BACK ON STAND
IF Mrs. Root Is Not Entitled to
Divorce II Is a Fool Law"
Says Court.

"a ANN ARBOR, Mich Nov. 10
There was every indication when the
Root divorce case was finished last
night that Judge Kline would not re
serve his decision longer than today
and that he would repeat his decision
OF two years ago, granting Mrs. Root
the divorce she has been fighting for.
In taking the matter under advise
ment, the court said that he would
probably announce the result inside
OF "a hours, and i'm commenting on
the statement OF Roots counsel that
Mrs Root was not entitled 10 di-
vorce on the evidence introduced,
added: 'It may be that under the
law of this state, this woman is not
entitled to divorce. but IL is fool
law II that Is so. ! don't know
whether Mr. Root is mentally respons-
ible. IL he is not. he ought 10 be fore
IDLY restrained. II he is, | hope that
he will receive counsel very soon
that will prevent his giving vent 10
any more OF the slanderous state
ments that have been heard in this
case
The case=has been in progress three
days During that time, Mrs. Root
introduced a number OF letters which
Root admitted having written, and in
which he made questionable remarks
about his wife He claims that these
were written when he was temper
arily unbalanced as the result OF his
difficulties arising out of his wife's
leaving him in February, 1909, and
the consequent business troubles that
followed when she started rival mu-
sic business and fought his inJunc-
tion by asking a divorce.
That case was decided last spring
in the supreme court in Mr.. Root s
favor, and he was granted a perma-
nent injunction putting Mrs. Root out
OF business. The letters which formed
the basis of the present case, were
alleged to have been written after
the filing OF the other case and sew
eral of them very recently.
The ones TO his wife he claims he
wrote TO induce her to return-one OF
his inducers being Damn your very
soul, IL | must say il. The one to
Mrs. Roots father, the most import
ant Of all. contained damning &C
cusation against his wife. which he
SAYS was intended only for her father
II would have died rather than
have had that letter become public. ;"
Root testified. yesterday. 1T must be
very unnatural father that would
make such thing public.
In the fact OF that assertion, Attor-
ney Arthur Brown for Mrs. Root, pro-
duced the postscript in Roots hand
writing, and made Root read II. II
ran:
II have a copy of this letter and
shall use il freely for ! am after the
truth. That woman is now your
curse as she is mine. | am going 10
North Boston MRS. Roots former
home) soon to gather new evidence
The witness then Informed Mr..
Brown that a number of people had
told him he ought TO smash his face,
meaning Browns, the statement mere
" supplementing Roots testimony OF
the day before when he said that he
thought some power ought 10 take
his wife's legal advisers "out into the
woods and fill them full OF lead. One
of his statements in a letter TO the
editor of a musical publication, de-
cIared that Mrs. Root I'm establishing
herself in opposition TO him had re
ceived the backing of certain sport
ing man for $500" This he said he
believed when he wrote II and said
his informant had heard the story In
the barroom OF hotel in Detroit. Be
fore this Mr. Root had protested that
he still loved Mrs. Root and wished TO
protect her.
You didn't write that statement 10
injure her. did you?" demanded Mr..
Brown.
mo. sir, didn't intend to harm
her"