The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1914-06-11
Once Practiced the Art but
Did Not Influence
Mrs. Curtis
DIR. LANDERS TAKES
THE WITNESS STAND
Nettled by Sarcasm of Plaintiff S At
torney Said Mrs. Brenton Was
Informed that she Was Voluntary
Patient-C Conflicting Statements.
Especial to The Reformer,
HARTFORD, Conn, June II.

Pat1ent-Con0icJln2 SLaCelisnuS.
Especial to The Reformer
HARTFORD, Conn, June II.
Another sensational element was add
cd Yesterday afternoon to the conspir-
acv suit on trial before Judge Edwin
s Thomas and jury in the United
States district court, in which Mrs.
Elizabeth Curtis Holman seeks $4,000
from her former husband, Rev Grams
ton Brenton, DR.. Oliver G. Smith and
DR.. Paul Waterman, when David f.
Fitzgerald. chief counsel for Mrs Hol-
man. accused Prof Brenton with
employing knowledge of hypnotism in
his effort to influence Mrs. Curtis
against her own daughter and thus
gain her consent to having the young
woman removed to an insane asylum.
Coupled with this is the statement
of the clergyman that after he received
the tell-tale love letters written by his
wife to Frederick Ernest Holman, her
present husband. he motored out TO
West Hartford and. IN the privacy OF
a clump Of woods in the grounds Of the
West Hartford reservoir, read the I'M
passioned correspondence that estab-
lished in his mind his wife : infidehty.
and shattered any hopes he may have
had of reeonciEng her 70 remain under
his roof
A new witness to be called Yesterday
was DR.. George b. Landers, at present
assistant superintendent Of the Fresby
terian hospital Of New York. who was
an inferno at the Brattlehoro insane
asylum during Mrs. Brenton s three
weeks stay there. Mrs. Holman $
chief consul, David f. Fitzgerald, EN-
ployed such biting sarcasm, in the
Cross-examination. that he was checked
finally by Judge Thomas upon the re-
quest of Ralph O. Wells. who brought
the witness to this city.
Assumed Wife Was Guilty
Because Judge Thomas missed a train
| at New Haven it was I1.20 when court
| opened. and the rest Of the forenoon
was taken up largely by AIRS. Hol-
man s counsel. Mr. Fitzgerald, in cross
examining Professor Brcnton. 1t was
| brought out that prior to Sept. , Prof.
| Brenton never said anything to his
wife about her letters 10 Holman, al
though they eliminated in her going to
the Brattlebcro Retreat. He said he
never asked her if she had been guilty
of anv indiscretion with Mr.. Holman,
but that he assumed that She had
been He thought the letters Indicated
that it was contemplated. Mr.. Fitz
gerald asked him to pick out one that
so indicated, but Prof Brenton SAID
il was impossible to pick out aay spc
cife passages. but that the genera
tone Of many of the letters had con
vinced him Of Mrs. Brenton S intent
Asked if he ever had heard o.
charges Of abnormal practices made
against him prior to his wife S divorce
petition in 1912 Prof Brenton said h
had heard that Mrs. Brenton was max
; ing such charges to her friends. bu
I that he never spoke to her about them
t because she was so essentially untruth
: full that he did not consider it wort
: while.
.'You mean to say that the onl
reason why you did not speak to he
about this charge was because you cor
sidered her SO untruthful?''
Yes, that was why.
'sThat was a serious charge to b
! made against man in your position
= = who is connected with the churcl
: wasn't it2''
Yes -
!, E And the information that she WI
saying these things came to you
e several days, didn t it?''
i Only in one way, sir. -
4 . And this was one Of your reason
&C for having her sent to Brattlebor
. wasn't it?
lg Contradictory Statement.
E Shortly after the afternoon sessi,
of began the jury was excused and an i
be gument was had on tn question
whether cross-examination of Pro
Brenton would be allowed in refe
ence to a deposition of DIR. S. E. La
BY ton, superintendent Of the Brattiebo
IS Retreat, dealing with the condition
TT Mrs. Brenton
st Dr. Lawton had written to Mr. Bre
M ton that he had made careful eXa
n; ination of Mrs. Brenton and failed
m find any signs of insanity. Then
IA had told Mr.. Brenton, according 70 t
at latter, that she was moral I'M lecl
at Mr. Fitzgerald read DR. Lawtof s t
~ timony in reply to questions previous
I'd put to him. He had made an examll
ce ton of Mrs. Brent0n, he had testltl'
NJ four DAYS after her arrival and fou
,st notbing to indicate insanity or patl
nd LOGICAL disturbance of any kind. \
was there any indication of moral
az oeppracy, he testified. He found her
,as be an unusually cultured and educai
ats woman. he said. His examination Y