New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-06-04
Mrs. Holman Says DR.. Bren-
ton Aroused Her Hate
by His Cruelty.
TELLS OF HER WOES
WHILE IN ASYLUM
Accuses Two Physicians of Aid
ing in Imprisoning Her
Love Affairs Barred.
rpv Telegraph to The Tribune. 7


Hartford. Conn, June 3.-That for
che had rot been wife TO the
Rev Cranston Brentcn because she
oo,,d NOT endure him and that he had
,orced her TO a life Of falsehood and
do ,eit by his prosecutions were some
If the allegations in the testimony OF
Mrs. Elizabeth Alden Curtis Holman, In
the United States Court. to-day
She testified in her $4,000 conspir-
nov and abduction suit against her
former husband, whom she accuses OF
heening her confined at Brattleboro,
W under terrible privations until she
s,cned a confession OF infldelity She
named her husband. FREDERICK Ernest
holman. Of Waterville, Me-. whom she
,,,orriod the week she was divorced
from Brenton in the confession
Brenton lives in Yonkers. ~ u ana
Is doing social service for the Episco-
nal church. He was formerly professor
t,roI;eb literature at Trinity College
In this city. o,
Two Hartford physicians, Or. Oliver
r. Smith and DR.. Paul waterman are
codefendants and are accused vi s'-
duction by Mrs. Holman.
Admission wa; made by Mrs. Ho'-
man that she was the author or Inc
Norseman," which ran 2Oo private
COMICS and she acknowledged the FIRST
letter OF each verse Of the poetic pref
ace form the acrostic, ITO thee. Ernest.
q my love-" She did not deny that
Ernest was her present husband AMI
continued:
ct may not havo been socially
proper. but Mr. Brenton could not nave
objected because I had not been living
with him for several years as his VIE
While I was confined in the madhon5e
some TOYS l sent my little boy were re-
turned by Mr.. Brenton, who wrote
must have nothing to do with my IL
tie son, who was being trained TO for
get me absolutely.
my husbands conduct and his
tyrannies compelled me to faisehood'
and my whole life with him was a It's
sue of falsehood and deceit"
Mrs. Holman said she was member
of the Authors Club, OF Boston, and
that she had been taking stcnographyN
lessons to support herself in case shea
left Brenton.
NV letters to Mr.. Brenton appear
affectionate because | was playing a
penitent part to placate him and thus
shorten my imprisonment. lie made a
tremendous disturbance over my sur
frage work and my last pls1 was
written by stealth because Of has
tyranny"
She denied THE Norseman" was a
thinly yelled story of her relations
with her present husband. and the al
ternoon session finished with Mrs. Hol-
man doing well under sharp cross
examination and calmly Identifying
letters to her former husband couched
in endearing and playful terms.
Her testimony was suspended this
forenoon to permit Miss Lucy ToT J.
send, of Barre, VI, TO appear ~
was special attendant on Mrs. III
man at the asylum and later at liz cot
tage adjunct, Linden Lodge. in Brat
tleboro. She fully corroborated Mrs.
Holman's testimony of privations at
the asylum.
Miss Townsend declared homicldal
patients threw chairs and dishes and
struck Mrs. Holman, and that they
crept into her room ct night and made
her existence hideous at all hours.
The nurses spent most of their wages
! buying decent food for themselves and
/ gave some Of it to Mrs. Holman, she
said. Her cell was cheaply furnished
with a small iron bed. There was no
4 light and the barred and grated win
dow opened only five inches, though Dr.
! s +. Lawson, the superintendent, told
: the witness Mrs. Holman was not in
sane