The Washington herald., 1918-09-25
HE KICKED ME,
WIFE ASSERTS
Charles Mellen Says Wife
Was intoxicated and
Was Rough, Too.

Pittsheld, Mass. Sept 24-Mrs.
Charles S. Mellen, wife of the former
president of the New Haven Railroad.
was kicked through a doorway by
her husband, who also slapped her
face until her nose bled. according
10 testimony given today by Mellen,
who is suing for the right to dispose
Of his property without his wife's
consent. Mellen explained his con-
fessed assaults by stating that his
wife on the first occasion had struck
him with a glass ash receiver, nearly
breaking his nose. and that on the
second occasion, while intoxicated,
she hit him with a china egg, injuring
his little finger.
Mrs. Mellen has started divorce
proceedings. which are to be tried
next month. About half of thirty
love letters, alleged to have been
written by Mrs. Mellen to Harry
douglas Brown. assistant manager of
the Vanderbilt Hotel. New York. lent
added spice to the testimony. Many
OF the letters were signed Kitten"
The correspondence is the basis for
Mellen's suit and serves also as the
cause of. an action for 800. 900 brought
against Mrs. Mellen by Mrs. Brown
for alleged alienation.
Mellen gave his age as 81 and said
he had married his second wife. the
present Mrs. Mellen, twenty-five
years ago in Brooklyn. She was
Katherine Livingston.
Asked as to his wife's attitude to-
ward alcohol. Mellen intimated she
was fond Of 1t and used 1t freely.
Also she smoked cigarettes" he de-
Clared. and our home in Stockbridge
was demoraliZed. Our two youngest
children were peddling papers and
others were hanging around the post
ONCE and drug store and acting in a
disreputable way for children in their
circumstances
In November. 1916. I cautioned one
OF the children against scattering PEN
Gil sharpentngs in my library and
Mrs Mellen said: Mind your own
business and let the children alone
I reached to put my hand on her
shoulder. She had a china egg in
her hand and lunged at me with it
three times. striking me once. She
had been drinking. ! told her she
should not talk that way before the
children and that l would not stand
for it. I brought my open hand down
against her face. Her nose bled and
she rushed upstairs
The next exhibit Of physical force
took place on June 9. 1917. We were
sitting before the fire. Suddenly /
knew what was up, 1 got a blow from
her that closed and blackened my
eye She had struck me with an ash
receiver and I thought my nose was
broken We rolled on the floor in the
scufTIe
Then she got up. and seeing was
not dead. rushed toward the door
I accelerated her progress through
it"
How asked his lawyer
I kicked her" was the answer.
she had been drinking" the witness
added
TEc ash receiver and a blue china
Cs=. similar. Melien asserted, to the
pink egg with which he had been
struck, were offered in evidence and
received gravcIv by the court
EsTCrts were made to introduce tes-
tir-ony to show that Mrs. MelIen :
conduct ct the Vanderbilt Hotel had
c-usCI public scandal but the court
would no admit it.
Photographic copies Of the letters
ALLEGED to have been written by Mrs
2Icllca 20 Brown We're received in
evidence from MeiIen. It was ex-
plGiucd that the letters had been OBJ
taircd from Mrs. Brown and then
entrusted to PRS. Mellen's lawyer.
but had disappeared. However, Mel
le1 had taken The precaution to have
the letters photographed and at
tested
MoIlen declared he had paid his
vife's bills and provided her with
$500 annually. in addition to which
she had an Su,CCO income from her
parents estate