Omaha daily bee., 1921-06-30
Stillman Placed
On Witness Stand:
DodgesQuestions
Plaintiff in Divorce Trial Re.
fuses to Answer on Ground
It MIGHT IncrinLnate
Him.

Chicago Tribune-Omahn Bee Leased Wire.
Poughkeepsie, N. Y, June %
James A Stillman, plaintiff in the
Stillman divorce action. submitted
to s-eximination by attorneys
for Mrs. Eff Stillman before
Referee Daniel J. Gleason here to-
day, but declined to answer any ma
terial question on the ground that it
might tend to incriminate him.
Omitting the word degrade" :"
which is coupled with "incriminate"
In the usual legal form, Mr.. Still
man used this invariable phrase to
lvoid answering questions as to
whether he knew Mrs. Florence H.
Leeds, woman named "Helen" and
woman named "Clara," all of
whom have been named by Mrs.
Stllman; whether he was the father
Of Jay Ward Leeds, Mrs. Leeds
son, and whether he had established
a trust fund for him and whether a
woman had christened his yacht
Modesty.
In reply to questions by John F.
Brennan, chief counsel for Mrs.
Stillman, Mr.. Stillman declared he
really believed answering the ques-
tions put to him might tend to in
criminate him." He refused on these
grounds to identify what was pre-
sumely his own signature on an ap-
plication for an automobile license.
He also refused to identify photo
graph which was presumably snap
shot of himself.
Leaves BY Rear Door.
After two hours grilling by Mr..
Brennan and with direction by
Referee Gleason to appear tomor-
row morning for cross-examihation
by John E. Mack, guardian ad
litem for Guy Stillman, whose
legitimacy he has questioned, Mr..
Stillman left the referees rooms in
the same way he had entered it
through the cellar and a rear exit,
thence a narrow alley leading to
Union street.
Fifteen minutes earlier Mrs. Still
man had left the building by its main
entrance and had faced a curious
crowd on Main street with smile.
Mrs. Stillman seemed pleased at
the way her husbands cross-exami-
nation had gone.
"He is running true to FORM" was
her comment upon the way Mr..
Stillman had met the questioning.
IF he had an open character he
would come out openly and say yes, /
I did these things instead of crawl +,
ing behind refusal to answer"
At the beginning of the afternoon
session, the secretary of the Gar
tier" Fifth avenue jewelry firm and
an officer of the New York Trust
company, respectively, handed in
of the amount of pur-
chases alleged to have been made by {
Mr.. Stillman for "Mrs. Leeds" at the
jewelry shop and two accounts,
known as MRS. F. H. Leeds ac-
count" and the "Mrs. F. H. Leeds 8
special account" These transcripts
with certain jewelry delivery receipts
we're left in the custody of the referee !
ior use in the cross-examination OF
Mr.. Stillman. =
Warm Legal Argument.
A legal argument as to the extent +
The cross-examination should be al {
owed to go Immediately ensued. t
Attorney Mack contended that as n
counsel for Guy Stillman he should q
be allowed to examine Mr.. Stillman
his Conspiracy with one v
Florence H. Leeds, whereby they / h
planned and prearranged to bring $
his action for divorce, destroy the
wife and destroy the child, Guy Still i,
nan, to the end that he might marry G
Florence H. Leeds and legitimatize Il
heir child, Jay Leeds. and to the q
md that the child whom I represent ::
night not only lose his share in
his trust fund. but that which is =
more important still, his good name
md birthright."
A prolonged passage Of words fol-
owed, Colonel Rand contending
he cross-examination should be,
limited to material brought out in
he direct examination. Il
Referee Gleason held that under G.
recent decision of Chief Judge a
,artlett of the court of appeals, it
vas entirely discretionary with the d
rial court and that Under the cir i
umstances it would (be an abuse of +
his discretion to allow a complete +
ross-examinatio1 {,
As subsequently, developed, all the =
roks,exaffiination of the day was by :, :.
II. Brennan and bore upon the di- L
orce issue. Mr.. Mack will cross
xamine Mr.. Stiilman. tomorrow and
is questions will be based entirely t;
pom the legitimacy issue. v
Mrs. Stillman came in while the a
rgument was in progress and about b
minutes after the arrival of Mr.. Il
tillman. There was no sign of rec o
gnition between the two. .