The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-09-19
STOKES Is
BEATEN IN
COURT SUIT
Sensational Divorce Case
Ends in Victory for
Wife.

New York, Sept. 19.-(United
p,ess)-The sensational Stokes di-
yorce case ended today with a VIC
tory for Mrs. Helen Elwood Stokes.
Supreme Court Justice Finch re-
fused TO grant divorce to W. E.
D. Stokes, millionaire hotel man.
Defendant Given Separation.
However. he granLeu an inter-
locutory decree of separation to
Mrs. Stokes,
Alimony and the custody of the
two children, James, 8, and Helen,
4. were not mentioned. Justice
Finch has had the case under ad-
visement since the trial ended sew
eral months ago.
In his decision. which covered Is
pages, Justice Finch said that
Stokes had improper relations with
more than ten correspondence and
that he introduced evidence to
prove his allegation with regard
TO four men.
Evidence Insufficient.
Justice Finch held, however, that
the evidence was insufficient to
prove the charges. The plaintiff
has not sustained the burden of
proof cast upon him." the judge
said in his decision.
With regard to Mrs. Stokes coun-
ter allegations that her husband
associated with many women and
that he was cruel to her, Justice
Finch said:
1T is plain that a great deal of
what the defendant has testified to
has been exaggerated, if indeed
some of it happened at all.
While the defendant was suffer
ing this cruel and inhuman treat
ment, as alleged by her, she was
writing endearing and affectionate
letters to the plaintiff.
Husband Not on Stand.
The husband, however, did not
take the stand. In consequence
while making due allowance for the
exaggerated and unreliability Of
the testimony of the dependant
there yet remains sufficient evi
dence upon which to find a decree
Of separation especially in view of
the fact that the testimony has not
been contradicted."
Justice Finch went carefully
through the evidence introduced by
Stokes in an effort to prove his
Vife's alleged relations with other
men and pointed out flaws in it.
With regard to her alleged rela-
tons with George Schroeder at
Long Beach, n. j., the judge said
the plaintiff admits there was in
sufficient proof.
Continuing, the decision reads:
Judge Sums Up.
THE next offense in point of time
is that alleged to have been seen
oy three eye witnesses in the latter
part OF May, 1914, in the apartment
OF a correspondent in New York.
Two witnesses swore that scue
une between 6 and s O'Clock in the
evening from the viewpoint of an
extension roof they looked through
he upper half of a window into a
room below and saw the defendant.
cad only in single garment, arise
from bed. sit upon the edge of the
Oea and walk to a bureau and ar
range her hair after turning on an
eiectrlc light. That these two wit
aesses saw woman in the manner
GSstined the court does not dou 1t
me plaintiff, however, failed to sus-
Ain the burden of proving this
"oman was the defendant"
summing up the evidence with
i,egard TO Mrs. Stokes and Wallace
susuce Finch said it was improba bic
taat Mrs. Stokes, who was then
possessed of such material none
y luxuries of life as marriage
.au brought her and who was Their
.ae mother of two children, would
Ae the chance of losing all these
W oeing found disrobed again and
lor." - ILL q - " "a =