The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-07-21
MRS. HELEN ELWOOD STOKES WINS HER CHI DPENJ IN
SENSATIONAL COURT FIGHT PARALLELLNG STTLLNAN
CASE; SHE CONTINUES LEGAL BATTLE TO CLEAR NAME
BY Z. M. THIERRY.

i
Stokes fight for her children is
lover. She has won. And they have
been pledged q rich heritage by
their millionaire father.
/ Whether she will clear her name
of the legal mud thrown by w. E. d.
Stokes in one of New York's two
most sensational. divorce cases
lparalleIing the Stillman case-is
something an impending court de-
icision will determine.
1 II she wins, she will get separa-
ton and a large share of her hus-
bands wealth. IL Stokes wins. he
will get his divorce-bIt by MS own
eleventh-hour surrender he virtu-
ally conceded he was in a losing
fight.
Stokes surrender-so it is re-
garded by Mrs. Stokes and her at
torneys-came as an unexpected
anti-climax to long series of spec
tacular chapters of marital strug-
giles and legal battles extending
over two years.
Stokes, known from coast to
coast as clubman, hotel proprietor
and millionaire involved in several
dramas, domestic and otherwise,
offered voluntarily to release the
two children into the custody of
their grandmother-the mother of
the wife he attacked in court.
His legal brief, together with
those OF Mrs. Stokes lawyers in his
suit for divorce and her counter
suit for separation, are now in the
hands of Supreme Court Justice
Finch. His decision, expected soon,
will write the last chapter to a bit
ter family battle.
Spectators of the divorce drama
see Stokes own confession of de-
feat in this remarkable passage of
his brief:
If in the judgment of the court
II seems wise, the plaintiff would
gladly consent that the custody of
the children should be awarded to
the grandmother during their ten
der years, realizing that thereby the
mother will have intimate and prob
ably daily communication with
them, as they will occupy the same
home.
OfSsty l4IC 1djASI bSSS
that he may be allowed such priv
lleges of visitation as will enable
him to keep in touch with the hearts
of his children and care for their
physical and mental welfare.
BY feeling that they still, in a
sense, belong to him, he will pro-
vide literally for them after his
death"
Please notice that Mr.. Stokes
does not agree to such disposition.
of the child H." said Herbert c.
Smyth, one of his attorneys. Il
mean to say. this is not a settle
ment.' Mr.. Stokes suggests that
such disposition may be the judg-
ment of the court"
To which qualifications Martin W
Littleton, attorney for Mrs. Stokes.
just smiles. To Mrs. Stokes it
spells victory.
To little Jimmy Stokes, aged. 5,
and Helen Muriel Stokes, aged 4, it
means a home with their mother
and grandmother, and their mother
full share of their rich fathers for
tune.
Observers see in Stokes surren-
der a decision not to enter court
again in legal warfare with fem
unity. Myles A. Walsh, associated
with Attorney Littleton, see victory
for Mrs. Stokes, saying:
at seems to me that this whole
action has been brought to deprive
Mrs. Stokes of her rightful share
in the Stokes millions. He has tried
g
yet is willing to leave his children
in her custody-for that is what it
would mean to have them with
their grandmother"
No matter what the decision is,
Stokes will probably have to pay
large sums, if not in alimony GER
tainly for the support of the chill
dren. His first wife, divorced in
1900, was granted alimony of 81 900 |
a week.
Stokes and Helen Elwood of |
Denver were married Feb. IL, 1911. !
when he was 81 and she %. Marital |
litigation began in 1919. The trial !
proper started last March, the chill |
dren sometime previously having |
been awarded Mrs. Stokes by Judge |
Ben Lindsay at Denver.
Stokes named numerous CORE |
spondents. Even his own son, W. |
Z. D. Stokes, Jr., was arrayed |
against him. One of the co-respon- |
dents named was Edgar T. Wallace,
California oil man, who came hur-
rying to New York to deny Wom-
ans testimony that she saw Mrs
Stokes in Wallace's apartment.
Here are entries in Mrs. Stokes
diary, offered by Attorney Little
ton in his final brief, to show that
Stokes beat and terrified his wife
from the beginning:
July s, 1911 Give months after
the wedding)-Will smashed dishes
at table.
July 25-Another scene at Wits.
1 made a great mistake in marry
ing.
July 31-Trouble again
Aug. will frightened me again.
How sorry l married!
Littleton described how Stokes
installed his second wife and chill
dren in a house and within a year
her and when she rel
fused to bargain with him Tor
coIlusiye divorce began the cam
paign which this trial brings to
cinsa -