New Britain herald., 1919-06-02
HUBBY IS VAMPED,
 WIFE IS SLAPPED
"Billings Of Hartford" Fined in
 New York Court

New York, June "A tall, Well- dressed, distinguished looking man of forty, who said he was Louis B. Bill lings, owner of a chain of drop forge factories in New England, with his home in Hartford, Conn.,, was fined
 $10 in the Mems Night court last night for disorderly conduct The
 complaint was made by his wife, Mrs. Theckla S. Billings who gave her ad-
 dress as Mo- 246 Laurel street, Hart ford.
 Mrs. Billings caused the arrest of
 her husband on Saturday. She told
 the police she found him about 4:3O
 o'clock in the afternoon in the com
 pany of stately, good looking
 blonde, walking in West 34th street
 near Broadway. The blonde, 1t IS
 said, is a clerk in a jewelry store.
 Mrs. Billings said her husband
 came to New York last week on a
 business trip After his departure
 she had a presentment that something
 was wrong and that she would be
 wise to follow him to this city. Con- sequently she hurriedly packed her clothes and took a New York tram. She says she had no definite clue, but instinctively went to the place where she says she found her husband and the tall blonde.
 Said He Slapped Her Face. On turning the corner from Broad way and running into the pair, says Mrs. Billings, she imm edlately ac- cused her husband of deceiving her. Then, according to her story, he first called her names, and finally slapped her face and shook her roughly, tear ing her shirtwaist. All this happened before a large crowd, the wife testl- | fled.
 In court Mrs. Billings exhibited the | torn shirtwaist, which was then al- most torn from her body. The story told by Billings contra dicted his wifes version. He said l that he came to New York on busi- 1 ness Saturday and was surprised to ! come across his wife in the company 1 of another man. This was denied by ] Mrs. Billings.
 All the foregoing testimony was 1 given on Saturday night. In view of l the conflicting stories, Magistrate l Brough held MT. Billings on bail until
 last night, so that a probation officer l could make an investigation. r Magistrate Believed Wife. 1 When the case came up last night l the probation officer reported that he l had been unable to learn anything to 1 throw light on the case. The magls- | trate then said that he did not be- lieve the husbands story and found 1 him guilty. Tn view of the prisoner s 1 apparent responsibility and the cir l cumstances in the case, said the mag 1 istrate, he would make the penalty a fine instead of a workhouse sentence. ! The clerk of the court asked Bill lings if he intended to pay the fine. Billings replied:
 l "No not yet. I have reasons He apparently had plenty of 1 money. His wife was waiting in the l court room at the time he declined
 to pay the fine. Others in the court l room received the impression from 1 his attitude that he preferred to stay l in jail rather than pay the fine, in
 order not to be compelled to face his
 wife imm ediately on gaining his free { dom.
 Billings was placed in the deten- l ton pen at the night court. If he holds fast to his refusal to pay, he
 will be sent to the workhouse to work out the fine at $1 a day.