Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1912-03-27
MISS mercy SAID
SOUL DESTROYED
Expelled From Chicago Uni.
verslty Girl Creates Sen.
Sdti0D in Court

CHICAGO, Ill.,, March 2;.-Miss
Esther Mecy's temperament and the
fact that she was admittedly engaged
to a man who was being sued by his
wife for divorce when she meet him,
were the two causes for her expulsion
from the University of Chicago. This
was the statement made in court by
the attorney for Miss Marion Talbot
dean of women at the university, who
is defendant in Miss Aercy's suit for
100000 for defamation of character
now on trial in Judge Pomeroy's court
At on time, when It was testified
that Miss Mercy had known when she
introduced Warren Reynolds to Miss
Talbot as her fiance that he was a
married man With two children. the
Judge had to warn the witness to calm
herself. d ~. 4
They destroyed my soul,' she cried
at one time before the court could
silence her and order her reply strick-
en- from the records, An extra force
of baliffs was called in by Judge Pom
eroy to keep order in the court.
DR.. Vincent, president Of the Uni
versity Of Minnesota; Wallace Heck
man, business manager of the Univer-
sity of Chicago; Miss Sophronisba P.
Breckenridge, Miss Talbot's assistant
as dean of women at the University
Of Chicago, and other educators had
seats among the witnesses and listen
ed to Miss Mercys story.
did you think it proper for you
to be going around with man who
was married and had two children
and introducing 44Am as your fiance?'
asked Francis Walker on cross exam.
nation.
II didn't think it was any business
of the university officers whom was
keeping company with"
I'VE expect to prove" aQid Mr..
Walker, who represented Miss Talbot
during the course of tn witness ex-
animation, that her veracity is worth
nothing and that because of this she
was discharged from the university.
We will attempt to show that her
character was such that she was unfit
for the university. We are not trying
to prove she was immoral"
F. "A letter from DR.. Harry Pratt judi
son, president of the University OF
Chicago, to the registrar Of North.
western University, where Miss Mercy
was refused admittanee after she left
the University of Chicago, was intro
duced. It read
Dear Sir:-Miss Esther Mercy is
a regularly matriculated student in
the University of Chicago. She has
not been permitted to register in the
university for reasons that have no
direct bearing on her scholastic stand
ing, but her truthfulness has been
seriously called into question:
Miss Mercy told of her visit ~ the
Office of DR.. Judson after charges had
been made against her by Dean Tai
bot.
II said, For Cots sake cant yoa
help me OUT" she testified.
What did the president say?" was
asked.
HE told me he was too busy to
listen to me"
Collapsed on Witness Stand
Miss Mercy collapsed on the stand
after she had made dramatic attacks
on Miss Talbot, Professor George E.
Vincent, now president of the Univer-
sity of Minnesota. and others, whom
she charged with killing her SOUL"
Counsel for Miss Talbot asked Miss
Mercy If she had not connived with
her fiance, Warren Reynolds, mar
ried man, to sue the university in the
hope that she would get money to bal
ance an inheritance which Mr.. Reynt
olds looked for but might not get.
Miss Esther screamed a denial. The
attorney referred to Mr.. Reynolds as
married f1ance" and Miss Mercy
spoke of herself as tentative, fan:
cee.' @
At one point the. young woman
arose from the witness chair and,
flashing an angry glance at DR.. George
E. Vincent, shouted, Dean Vincent
knows what am saying is the truth,
and he cannot look me in the eyes,"
"Oh, yes, Dean Vincent" continued
the young woman, before the Court
could restrain her, you do not care
to look me in the eyes, -.-,.
With dramatic emphasis, in which
she repeatedly stood up and waved
her arms to give further force to her
statements, Miss Mercy described a
conference with Miss Talbot in which
she charged that the dean, made state
ment concerning Miss Mercy's char
actor which the plaintiff seeks to
prove are slanderous.
She asserted that at almost every
attempt to explain to Miss Talbot and
to get fair trial of the charges made
against her she was cut short with
the words "SAut up; you know
you're lying
She had reached the point where
she was describing how instructors
in her various classes had called her
up and asked why her class cards had
not come from the office when she
burst into tears, and Judge Pomeroy
hastily adjourned court.
MOVING IAN.
When you want to move call up
Wachters, phone 62. They have the
only van in the citv