Evening star., 1915-02-09
DIVERSION IS PROVIDED
IN THE HUTCH|NS CASE
Caveatees Regard Dante as Real
CaYeator, Attorney Perry
Declares.
Counsel for Opposition Voice Objec.
tions Amid Confusion-Family
History Sketched.

Events flowed smoothly in Criminal
Division 2 Of the Supreme Court Of the
District of Columbia today until R.
Ross Perry, of counsel for the caveatee
in the effort of Lee Hutchins to
break the last will of his father, Still
son Hutchins, attempted to introduce
into the opening of his case state
ments which counsel for the younger
son of the dead fnancier regarded as
improper and contrary to legal rule.
The storm broke over the peaceful
course of Mr.. Perry's address to the
Jury, when the senior counsel for Walter
ttutchlns, his voice rising from the care
fully modulated tones employed earlier
1urymen for a moment. and. pointing to
William j. Dante. who sat in the court
room close by Lee Hutchins, shouted:
And now we come to Dante. whom the
In this case!'
Instantly the entire counsel for Lee
Hutchins were on their feet, voicing
objections to the unexpected statement.
dnere was no immediate ruling by the
court, and Mr.. Perry continued with
the statement that the evidence hither-
to on record in the case established the
fact that Dante considered Stilson
Hutchins well enough to accept money
and deeds from him as late as 1910.
For nearly an hour Mr.. Perry sought
to get this statement on record. Frank
); Hogan OF counsel for the caveetors
objected repeatedly to Mr.. Perry's in
Producing into his opening statement
matter which he claimed to be palpably
improper. The argument grew heated,
ana closed with quiet reprimand from
Justice Anderson for the statement of
Mr. Perry that "all rules have been
violated in the course Of the case by
the caveators." Justice Anderson ruled
the objection sustained and events once
again resumed peaceful trend.
Family History Is sketched.
Up to the time of the above-men-
toned interlude the opening statement
Of the case for the caveatee had been
principally concerned with the sketch.
ing in of a history of Stilson Hutchins
and his family. in which the intimate
business relations of the elder son,
upon.
The brief history recalled numerous
of Mr. Hutchins' journalistic enter
pr1ses throughout the west in his early
centers, principally in Washington.
where at different times he owned the
Washington Post and the Washington
Times. His son Walter was closely as
sociated with his father in the man.
agement and editing of both of these
Washington papers.
Mr.. Perry recalled the fact that Still
son Hutchins was for several years in
the Missouri state legislature, and de-
clared that only a political trick pre-
vented his becoming speaker for that
body. He further said Mr.. Hutchins
might easily have become senator from
that state had he been SO inclined.
The friendship which existed between
the dead flnancier and the late Joseph
Pulitzer was dwelt upon. The financial
reXerses he suffered in the panic Of
1873: the facts attending the circum-
stances Of his three marriages, and
a series of business investments were
recalled by Mr.. Perry. And when the
court recessed at 1880 o'clock, counsel
for the caveatee said the opening of
their case would be before the jury
by the closing of court this afternoon.