The Washington times., 1921-03-15

from Francis wellman. Mr. Stokes's ,
attorney. Mrs. MatteosiAn's voice was
very low pitched. Twice she asked
for q glass of water to moisten her
parchec mouth. and twice she stopped
testifying for several minutes to re-
gain her composure. When she had
finished the recital, sho said:
II hope you are through with me
now"
HALTED BY DEFENSE.
She rose, as n to leave the chair.
but Martin Littleton. chief council for
Mrs. Stokes. halted her with q raised
hand. saying:
'Oh. no. / VIII not be through with
you for some time"
Littleton had put in two hours
fighting II keep this testimony out
of the trial on the ground that Wal
lace was correspondent in a second
divorce suit brought by Stokes and
that the issues should not be con-
founded. Justice Finch had ruled
against him, and permitted the
Stokes attorneys to amend their COM
plant against Mrs. Stokes by includ-
ing In this suit the eighth correspond
ent. who Ia a wealthy oil operator.
now in California, married. All the
legal strategy and power Of oratory
that Littleton possessed was un-
leashed in an attempt to bar the Wal
lace episode.
Since the opening of the trial. the
Stokes evidence had been conspicu'
ously weak in that no eyewitness
had been able to testify to the COM
mission of statutory misconduct by
Mrs. Stokes with a correspondent.
The Wallace case was conceded to
be the husbands trump card, and the
court permitted II to be played.
GRILLs TRUMP WITNESS.
SO where Littleton had been suave
and smiling for a week, he became
merciless as he turned to Mrs. Mat
teosian on the stand. Leaving the
table, the lawyer strode to the mid
die of the floor and raise his voice
as he questioned her. He based the
Interrogation on the hypothesis that
Mrs. Matteosian did not see Mrs. !
Stokes in Wallace's room because !
Mrs. Stokes was never there.
He tested the memory OF the witt
ness with a hundred questions and |
Mrs. Matteosian fairly writhed an
der the fire. There was q cynical |
sneer in the lawyers voice as he
brought out Mrs. Matteosian's ad-
mission that she had never been in
troduced to Mrs. Stokes in Denver
CT elsewhere. that she could not tell
how many times or just when she
had seen the young wife in that
city. and. finally, most important of
all, that Mrs. Matteosian did not
recognize Mrs. Stokes the frst time
she saw her in the oil promoters
apartment.
Recognition had come, she said.
partly through seeing her and later
seeing pictures CT her in the apart
nent. 1t was not revealed whether
he pictures weie marked or other
wise identified. Little, on demanded
of Mrs. Stokes on anv or
Visited the apartment. Mrs. Mariep-
sian -e olied:
"I have no idea"
She made this reply to more than
! score Of questions regarding dates
Ind places. conceding that she could
not recall even the streets On which
she herself lived in Derver though
she had moved three times to differ
mt houses there. She coulc not fix
lime even within years, but she cried
"Oh, / know 1t was Mrs. Stokes for
ID know her anywhere.
LAsHED WITH QUESTIONS.
There were moments when Mrs.
every trace Of color gone
rom her face. shrilled: Yes. yes,
res, yes, yes, yes!" as Lit,leton lash
ID her with questions. Lashed is the
,nly word that describes the cross
and at almost every
luery the woman on the stand shrank.
again she would cry: 81 haven't any
dea, l haven't any idea, I haven't l