Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-10-30
PROPERTY MINE TESTlFlES
MRS. HOOD IN HUSBANDS
100000 SUIT FOR RECOVERY
Declares He Her THE Roses, at Pantied Following
Ais Return from Abroad and No Time Did She Promise
to Deed 1t Back to Him.

on the phone and said, ] have kept
my word and bought Frances
home. bought her the Van Wyck
property
Mrs. Hood then told of the actual
deciding of the property in Plainf1eld
few days later. 1t was suggested
to her husband by a real estate opera
tor that the place be put in the name
of his wife, "a good thing for man
In financial difficulties
The wife denied the alleged promise
that the deed was made to her after
she had volunteered to return the prop
erty at any time he desired it. The
only thing that was said in this re
gard was her husbands remark: Ii
we're ever in a hole. Frank, the place
goes. too" Mrs. Hood declared that
she stated it certainly would.
Mrs. Hood told of the acquisition OF
additional land adjoining the van
Wyck property by purchase from
Mr. and Mrs. George A. Chapman.
The Chapman tract was bought for
IS. 900, with a horse and buggy IN
Guided. Mr.. Hood had stated that
after this purchase his wife said,
well, the land is yours, but the morse
and buggy are mine
MY husband told me that he
decided the Chapman tract to me be
cause he wanted to have The Roses
(the name of their Plainifeld home
stead) as all my own. l never said
the land was his because | thought II
was natural for him to give 1t TO me.
He had promised to, and l knew he
would keep his word" testified Mrs.
Hood.
Again the details of the transaction
by which Mrs. Hood returned her
Il la n IN Pl9inIiRld
property, pending a permanent settle
ment after their separation, in 1911,
was gone over. Hood agreed to pay
his wife 1916 for the sllverware she
claimed as her own If she would re-
turn the deeds. The deeds were re-
turned to Mr.. Hood, but sent back 20
the wife after the plans for a sepa-
ration fell through.
Mrs. Hoods will bequeathing all
her property TO her husband was in
troduced by Attorney George ". Nc
Carter The wife testified that the
real property mentioned in the will
was the Plainfield property, as she
held no other land. Hood was named
as executor in the will.
When Mr.. Hoods attorneys started
cross examination of Mrs. Hood she
steeled herself for q grilling, but was
given an agreeable surprise. Former
Judge Collins contented himself with
asking Mrs. Hood If she had brought
suit for divorce against her husband
on serious charges, and the witness
replied she had. She also answered
in the affirmative when she was asked
if the matter was still pending and
had not been decided. Mrs. Hood was
then excused.
Then the defense called Mrs.
Thomas W. Sparks, the mother of
Mrs. Hood. The witness told of dining
with her daughter and son-in-law on
the occasion of their tenth wedding
anniversary, July 81, 1911. Hood ex-
planned that he did not make his wife
any anniversary present for that year
because he had bought her their
homestead, 1.-THE Roses" testified
Mrs. Sparks. She also related the
conversation over the telephone with
Hood in April. 1908, when he told Mrs.
and bought his wife a home by secur-
ing the Van Wyck property.
Mrs Sparks was then asked if her
daughter had announced that she
would return the deed to the Plain
! field property to Mr.. Hood, as she
would be as good as her word" The
witness replied that on the occasion
referred to Mrs. Hood had not made
any such statement.
Attorney Parker took charge of the
cross-examina ton of Mrs. Sparks and
piled her with questions concerning
the incidentserelate "just to test her
memory" he 'explained when Mr. Nc
Carter objected. Mrs. Sparks was
allowed to leave the stand, and the
hearing was adjourned.