The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-04-18
MRS. CRUBBS ON
STAND TELLS OF
HER C0URTSHIP
She First Heard of Bessie Stew
art Night of Wedding.
Husband Said She Was Crazy
Woman Who HOunded Him.
GRUBBS TELLS HIS STORY
Says He First Met Plaintiff at
Chesterfield Hotel.
Says His Relations With Her
Were "Purely Monetary"

NCIt uIcly MOuetdTys
Bessie Stewart has heard the story
of another woman wooed and won by
Loehr Grubbs, defendant in a $4,000
breach of promise suit brought by Bes-
sic Stewart This time it was the fos-
ter daughter of John r. Mu1vane, a
Topeka millionaire. who is now Mrs.
Loehr Grubbs, who took the witness
stand and told of her courtship with
Loehr Grubbs.
Following the testimony of Mrs
GrubbS her husband took the witness
stand and the two combined furnished
the real sensational spotlights of the
trial which has continued for four
days. Thrill after thrill was enjoyed
by the crowded courtroom as Lucille
Mulvane Nicholson Grubbs disclosed
the story of her courtship with Loehr
Grubbs. As she stepped from the wit
ness stand following g=ruslling =
Wednesday night the young wife
swooned and was helped from the
courtroom by her husband and Hugh
Fisher, one of the attorneys for
Grubbs.
Bessie Stewart first entered her life
the night she and Loehr Grubbs went
to Lawrence to wed, she told the court.
That night she and Grubbs were riding
in his car when a taxicab in which
Bessie Stewart was riding drove up
beside them.
Thought She Was Crazy.
There was a crazy woman in it,
I thought" said Mrs. Grubbs. "She
shouted and waved at us and endeav-
ored to climb from the running board
of her car onto the running board of
our car"
The chase of the jealous woman
after Grubbs and his fiancee on their
wedding night. continued up and down
the streets of Topeka for forty-five
minutes, MRS. Grubbs testified.
Finally. she stated. they eluded Bessie
! Stewart and drove to Lawrence, later
arriving at the university town at
o'clock in the morning.
AS the morning sun rolled away the
shades of night that morning, Loehr
Grubbs knocked at the door of the
probate judges home at Lawrence
! There before the sleepy eyed mag1s-
trate they were married, she told the
| jury.
What did Loehr Grubbs say in ex-
planation?" Atchison demanded.
"He told me it was crazy woman
who had been bothering him for
months and he would explain to me
later after we had shaken her off"
/ she replied. Before we reached
Lawrence he told me the girl was
| Bessie Stewart
Tells of Reno Divorce.
On cross-examination Mrs. Grubbs
I stated she was the divorced wife of
! J. B. Nicholson; that she had obtained
her divorce at Reno, Nevada She
! was positive in her declaration that
Loehr Grubbs had called at her home
! nearly every night Cor months and was
extremely positive in testifyIng he
had called for her every night of the
week preceding their marriage, and
l. rtfNrrl lfahI ri r
! This refuted the statement of the late
/ Mrs. Genevieve Manning and her hus-
band George, that they had seen
i Loehr Grubbs with his arms around
BESSIE Stewart in front of their home
a few days preceding his marriage:
The foster daughter of John R. Null
yane Topeka millionaire, also testi-
/ fled to living in three-room apart
ment with Loehr Grubbs since their
marriage. to doing all their housework
and to cutting financial corners neces-
sary for the wife of a drug clerk. She
expressed ignorance of the amount of
! his salary.
| Loehr Grubbs on the stand today
told the jury he met Bessie Stewart
at the Chesterfield hotel in May 1917.
He Swore he went to the hotel, regis
tered under his own name, sent a col
ored porter after a girl and Bessie
Stewart was taken to his room. She
remained there the remainder of the
night with him, he testified, and he
gave her S5. The name of Ed (Crook)
Wright, the night porter, was men,
toned in his testimony and Atchison
in his cross examination played on the
fact that neither Wright nor the reg
lister had been brought to court, so far
to substantiate his story.
Called on Her Fifty Times.
Grubbs, continuing. testified that
Bessie called at the store, that he be-
NJ tn he
with her continued. always, he swore
for a monetary consideration. He
roughly estimated that he had called
on Bessie Stewart fifty times during
his acquaintanceship with her. Some
of the visits. he stated. were platoniC
in their nature. He had given hel
boxes of candy and perfume, he ad-
mitted. and had taken her automobile
riding.
'T liked the girl and have huggec
and kissed her." Grubbs admitted
Grubbs further admitted he hac
written to her from the Kelley cur.
at Kansas City, had written to her a
Cameron, Mo. and sent her medicin.
medicine, he stated, was prescribed b,
DR.. F. j. Ernest. and was general,
used to cure Ia grippe.
Grubbs denied he had ever dis
cussed marriage with her He denie,
she ever told him about being ar
rested at Salina and vehemently de
clared he knew nothing about the Sa
lima incident until it was disclosed (,
him by his attorney. He denied eve
taking her to Kansas City.
Continued on Page Ski