The Washington times., 1921-03-29
HONOR
BASIS OF SUIT
StiIIman Will Drag Family Name
Through Courts to Justify
Moral Code.
By MARGERY REX.


NEW YORK, March 29.-Counsel
for James A. Stillnan pleads In open
court that the banker was driven to
the charges he makes against his
wife in order to protect his familys
honor and their good name.
Ideas of what constitute honor
differ.
DUELS ONCE SETTLED DISPUTES
Dueis were popular once upon
time because they afforded quick and
dramatic satisfaction to men whose
honor had been impugned by such
overt act as adverse comment upon
the cut Of a waistcoat, or because one
had brushed against another too
harshly in the street
Seconds found. the duel was staged
at dawn. Successful, dead, or
wounded, the challenger was honor
able at least.
Men Of long ago who suspected
their wives OF inndelity killed the
ladies, II OF an especially hasty ma
ture. The average fellow would, IN
any case, be expected to slay his lady s
betrayer.
James A. Stiliman does not show
himself SO kind hearted as these an
cient experts with the gun and the
| sword.
CONCEPTION OF HONOR.
He has n different conception of
honor"
According to Delaney Nicoll, his
counsel Mr.. Stillman suspected his
wife and doubted his child Guys
legitimacy and knew no other way to
determine 1t. then by bringing suit
against wife, Mrs. Stillmah and
Guy being co-defendants.
"Mr. Stillman, therefore, feeds it
to be his duty to his fathers memory,
and to his family, and to his children.
to press that matter to a conclusion"
Perhaps this sort OF thing is what
| is meant by the phrase painful duty
Opinions, however, may differ on this
as much as upon the subject OF liquor.
Might not the banker have left
consideration for his fathers memory
| out of the question since that gentle
man has long been dead and must
| have ceased to care for questions
involving marital digressions?"
AS for his family. its different
l TneH1DtTS anu up
| trusted to respect Mrs. "Fif' Still
man and her good name as long as
her husband set the example.
viii the Stillman children-both
those recognized as legitimate and the
| one whose right to a name is ques-
tioned-feel grateful. in future years,
to the father who deprived them Of
the sweet memory Of their mother?
Personal INJURY INVOLVED.
Personal injury as well rs honor
seems to be the question at stake in
this lawsuit of Mr.. Stillman.s
1t has been said that upon learning
| of Mrs. Stillman's clever plans to re-
gain and hold his errant affections,
the millionaire became infuriated at
] the idea Of a woman daring to inter
| fere with his manifold affairs.
| Had her scheme been successful
Iif Mrs. Stillman had succeeded In
getting her husband appointed to
some relief work abroad, he would
have been separated from another
woman, Mrs. Leeds and his ''happi-
ness" snatched away by his legal
wife.
Then Stiliman made his charges.
| He has turned the eyes of his
children-those old enough to rea-
son-upon their mother in cold judg-
ment.
This his counsel explains as the
call Of duty"
WILL CHILDREN THANK HIM.
VIII these children when they are
older think their father an hon.
orable man for doing this?
Does his family thank him from
Withholding the name of Stillman
| from his wife's youngest child and
thereby advertising that name far
and wide in connection with a no
| torious case?
Even II little Guys ilIegitimacy
could be proved. would it not be
| better for the man who spends
thousands on personal pleasure to
support and protect this child than
disgrace all his other children. their
mother and their possible descend
ants?
According to a peculiar conception
OF "honor" the banker evidently does
not think so.
WILL FIGHT TO A FINISH.
| Mrs. Stillman seems to be ready to
fight to a finish. Nevertheless many
people will think the ferocious hus-
bands of savage days were kinder
when they permitted no back talk
from wives and cold-bloodedly slew
them at the slightest suspicion.
| Long-drawn out cases, public accu-
sations and the pity that is almost
| as hard to bear as the cruelty that
prompts IL make a modern form OF
torture that is hardly to be recon-
pensed by honor"
Burning down the house Is a poor