Arizona republican., 1913-05-29
Newspaper Man Who Has
Enjoyed Intimate Ac-
quaintance With Former
President Says He Never
Smelled Liquor on Colonel
OTHER WITNESSES
TO BE HEARD
Men Close to Mr.. Roosevelt
Say 1t Would Have Been
Impossible for Him to Be
Drunk Without Their
Having knowledge
ASSOCIATED PRESS pIsPArcHl

MARC ETTE, May zS--htH WHO
have been associated with Colonel
Roosevelt in public and private life.
who met him on the Nile when he
returned from his African hunting
trip and newspaper men who accom-
p3nied him on various political cam
raigns. testified today in Theodore
Roosevelt's libel suit against George
A. Newett, newspaper owner Of lsh-
rening Michigan. that the former
president was not only not drunk
ard but was notably extremely tenn
Lerate in the use of intoxicants.
II would have been impossible, the
witnesses said, for Roosevelt to ever
have been under the influence of
liquor without the fact becoming
known to his associates. 1t would
have been equally impossible. they
testified. for him to have drunk
hquor with any regularity without
the smell being apparent on his
breath to the friends who testified
Throughout the hearing, in which
the former president is suing for ten.
thousand dollars damages because OF
the publication last October OF an
editorial in Iron Ore. a weekly paper
published by NeWett. charging him
with getting drunk, Colonel Roose-
Welt listened with evident satisfaction
to the testimony of former members
of his cabinet and newspaper men.
Frequently his face lit UP with a
smile as some incident of his cam
paigns or hunting trips were related
from the witness stand.
Once Roosevelt gave vent to an
audible chuckle That was when
Robert Bacon, former secretary of
state. in telling of his acquaintance
with members of the Roosevelt fam
lily. said the colonel was the father
Of five children instead OF six
Roosevelts sense of humor was
awakened at once BY this lapse of
Bacon's memory and the hearty
chuckle which he vainly tried TO
smother in his hand, caused a ripple
of laughter about the court room.
For almost six hours during the
testimony taking or argument BY the
attorneys. Colonel Roosevelt Occu-
pied a chair just back of his counsel.
He SAT some times tilted back against
the railing, occasionally casting glints
cf his thick eye glasses toward the
balconies crowded with women. and
some times leaning forward to Wl1is-
per with his attorneys
The days proceedings were marked
hy an important ruling by Judge
Richard c. Flanagan, which in the
Introduction of evidence by the de-
fcnse will have the effect of eX-
. Guiding certain kinds of hearsay tes-
timony The ruling came after a
prolonged argument, during which
the Jurors were excluded from the
room. and after attorneys for Roose-
70 10 exclusion of
certain kind of testimony which it is
said might be introduced by the de-
fense through dispositions taken from
persons in different parts of the
country
The effect of the ruling is that
Colonel Roosevelts general reputa
tion is at issue in the case and tes-
timony bearing upon his reputation
may be introduced, but rumors or re
ports about his reputation coming
from persons not qualified by eX-
rerience TO judge. may not be ad-
mitted. In the future progress OF
the hearing, it was explained IN
court, person who has travelled eX-
tensively with the former president
or who has been associated with him
in any degree of cOnstancy may tes-
tify as to his reputation. But man
VINO has heard the colonel deliver
political speech or saw him for only
a few moments in a crowd may not
testify as to his general reputation,
although he may tell how the col
onel acted or appeared at that par
ticuIar time.
James II. Pound and William Won
Benschoten. Roosevelts attorneys,
said the ruling was agreeable to their
argument. Horace Andrews. one of
Newett's counsel, described the pre-
sent civil action as 'semi-crimina1
case and pleaded for unrestricted ev-
idence by the defense.
Almost every phase of Colonel
Roosevelt's public life was touched
upon by today's witnesses. All spoke
with emphasis when they expressed
personal knowledge in denying, as
the editorial charged. that the col
onel gets drunk and that not infre-
quently and all his intimate friends
know 1T. They asserted that when
Roosevelt drank wine or mint juleps
out of courtesy to his host at some
public function. he often took only
mouthful from wine glass. and
On one occasion ordered railroad
company not to place in his special
car a supply of liquors usually placed
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