New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-06-24
Chew Curses
Army Court i'm
Fraud Trial
Accused Captain Flies Into
Rage When Wife lis Asked
To Show Teeth To Aid
i'm Her Identification
Deny She w as Accomplish
Witnesses Swear Another
Woman Aided Officer:
Defense Plea Prepared

| Captain Beverly Grayson Chew, who
is being tried before general copr,
| martial at Governors Island on .
charge of passing worthless checks in
Washington, New York and elsewhere,
while in the uniform of an army officer
became violent at the morning session
of the trial yesterday when Mrs. Chew
was asked to show her teeth for the
purpose of identification. He cursed
the members of the court, the prosecu-
tion and newspaper men present. He
was not quieted until after the court
room had been cleared.
Mrs. Chew was declared yesterday
by seven witnesses who previously had
testified for the prosecution not to be
the woman who was with the army
officer at the times the crimes are
alleged to have been committed.
Opening of the trial session was de-
layed for an hour by the arrest and con-
viction of Mrs. Chew in the Clermont
I Avenue (Brooklyn) traffic court yes
terday morning for speeding and per-
hitting her car to smoke and block
traffic. She was on her way to Gov
ernor's Island to appear at the trial
when she was arrested.
Pays Fine to Get Away
When asked how she wished to plead
she replied:
"Any way at all, your honor, so
can get out of this courtroom and get
to Governors Island. Ny absence is
holding up a court martial" She was
fined SIS.
The witnesses called yesterday were
summoned in support of the first point
u,
William E. Leahy, the Washington at
torney who is handling, with Captain
Cromwell and Lieutenant Cohn, the de-
PENDANTS side of the case. Addressing
the court, Mr.. Leahy said he would
bring innumerable witnesses to show
that there was a resemblance between
Mrs. Chew and the woman with whom
Captain Chew, alias Spalding and Red
field, was frequently seen last October;
that he would prove that Mrs. Chew
was at her home in Virginia during the
period specified in the allegations, and
that he would also show that Captain
Chew had been under she'll fire and
gas while serving with the 10th Infan-
try in France, and had been wounded
both in the arm and head.
The last point is held by the defense
to be the cause of Chew's irresponsible
acts and to establish the contention
that the defendant is insane.
Swears at Officers
The defendant gave visible evidence
Of the alleged mental condition when
he rose from his seat at the counsel
table after the court had asked Mrs.
Chew to exhibit her teeth and began
swearing vehemently at the twelve
army officers composing the general
court martial. The court was lum-
founded at the defendants language,
largely by reason of the fact that
women were in the courtroom. Captain
Chew continued his verbal assaults
until Colonel William Fl. Allaire, presi-
bdent ofCthe court, ordered the room
Immediately cleared and the defendant
subdued.
This was done, and after several
minutes the taking of testimony was
for Mrs. Chew to display her teeth for
signs Of irregular alignment which
would serve to identity her as the
woman with the captain when the
forgeries and representations were
achieved.
Julian Simpson, Mrs. Irene Wilson
and Annie Robinson. employees of the
Hotel Washington, Washington, where
Captain and Mrs. Chew were taken
ihto custody on charges Oh grand lar
ceny last November, all testified posi-
lively that the woman who was with
Chew at the Washington Hotel at the
time they referred to in their previous
testimony was not Marjorie Blanche
or Jean S. Chew. At the calling OF
each witness Mrs. Chew was sum
moned into the courtroom and stood
near the door for a moment SO the
witness could see her and compare her
with the photograph offered by the
prosecution.