The sun., 1916-12-12
WOMAN IN CORRIGAN
CASE PERJURER
Former Wife Of Novelist Ad-
mits False Testimony In
volving Book Firm.
DID TT FOR E~X-HUSBAND
Feared Howard Would Go to
Jail II She Didn't Aid
Magistrate.

Mrs. Margaret Savine exercised the
feminine privilege Of changing her mind
yesterday a. q witness in the 100000
libel suit brought by Magistrate Joseph
y. Corriean against the Bobbs-Merrin
Company for publishing h novel GODS
Man." By her former husband. George
Bronson Howard. She repudiated earlier
testimony and incidentally started the
Magistrates boom for Mayor.
In her recantation before Supreme
Court Justice Gof and a Jury she freely
admitted p~er1urins herself on Saturday
IN making statements to show hat John
J. Curtis, vice-president Of the publish
ing arm, knew the book lampooned Mag
istrate Corrlgan and that Curtis well
coined a libel suit as an advertising fea-
ture. Mrs. saville's avowal was that she
couldn't help it-she loved her erstwhiie
husband and sighted the truth to do
him a good turn.
All this provided tho regular daily
thrill for the spectators after Mrs. Sa-
VILE was recalled to the stand by John
l. Lockwood. attorney for the defend
ants. who had previously cross-examined
her. and asked II she wanted TO change
any Of her previous testimony. accord
mr. TO which Howard. represented as
asking Curtis what would happen IL
Magistrate Corrigan swept into court.
vas told that 1T would sell the book"
Admits story Untrue.
II want to say" answered Mrs. savlle.
shat all that I said about that converse
ton with Mr.. Curtis was untrue. None OF
u said one word about the possibility OF
Judge Corrigan bringing a libel suit"
"Why did you give such testimony"
mi. Arnold. attorney for Judge Cor
rtean.' went on the witness. sent a
written message telling me that Judge
Corrigan had no intention OF making a
criminal charge against Mr.. Howard.
Mr.. Lingard, one of Mr.. Towards for
mer associates. came down to Port JEFF
ferson on Thursday night and in the
Townsend House gave me the written
message.
"He also told me that Judge Corrigan
was to be nominated by Tammany for
the next Mayor Of New York and would
be IT He rave me to understand that
unless I wanted to see Mr.. Howard so
to Jail I had better help out Judge Cor
rigan In the civil suit against the pub
fishers. then he would not press any
criminal libel charge against Mr..
Howard"
This testimony carried Mn. Sav!lle's
evidence over to the defence. as Curtis
had testified after her on Friday that he
remembered no such visit by the novelist
and his wife and no mention OF the
'boosting" qualities Of a libel suit:
When Justice Con asked II she had
been aware that she had committed
perjury she replied: ,
"Yes. but 1 love Mr.. Howard and
would do anything I could to save him.
Got Nothing for Action.
n was only later. according to her
story, when she received a telegram
from Howard in California advising her
10 pick her words carefully. that she
realized she shouldn't have done IT. on
cross-examination by Attorney Arnold
she asserted she had changed front
without any decker. She aid she had
prevailed on q sister OF Howard 10 trust
her with $40 temporarily.
Under further questioning by the
lawyer for the plaintiff she acknowledged
that she had allowed the counsel. to.
gether with Magistrate Corrigan and
several friends, TO take her to luncheon
on Friday last. When asked whether
Judge Corrigan told her he didn't Intend
to prosecute Howard. as he was only
a hop head" Mrs. Savilie again put the
pulF0 III tH0 IL w
IF Judge Corrigan had aid such a
Thing I would rave slapped his face"
Tho man who a been cited as pos
s,ble Mayor looked thoughtful over his
narrow escape. The report that Howard
had taught burglary to his eleven-year-
old son was branded by Mrs. Saville as
being on a plane with perjury. Abou'
this time, the regular quota or sensations
having developed. Mrs. Saville was ex-
cused, TO reappear to-day with certain
letters without which the trial would moi
Be a success
Editor ON the stand.
When Hewitt II. Rowland. fiction
editor for the Bobbs-Merrill Company
was put on the stand, who's Who" the
standby OF newspaper Offices. came ir
Tor an adverse decision by Justice Con
who is himself in the volume. Ruling
out Howland's answer that all he knew
Of Howard came from porting over thu
reference work, the Justice aid
1T has not been shown here tina
Who's Who IN any more accurate thai
The Arabian Nights"
In determining whether Rowland
knew the class OF fiction to which God!
Man" belonged. Attorney Arnold got thu
literary editor to admit that he dldn'
know the difference between a historical
novel and an epic. He was quite sure
however. that Dickens's "stufr' wer'
novels.
Miss Mary Ellington Howard a n
william c. Howard, sister and brother
respectively Of the writer who Is charged
with making the Magistrate out as unfi
Tor the Mayoralty or any office. testified
that they had seen al opium pipe IN tn
novelist's home at Port Jefferson. L. J.
out that II was broken and Incapable o
getting up steam. as their brother ha'
nAtUrarrr IT, AaAIA