The Washington times., 1921-06-16


Christmas eve, 1917. with Mrs. still
man and his children at the family
cosntry home In Pieasantyille. N. Y.
Then to cap the climax of admis-
sions Mrs. Rockefeller. under Nack's
masterful Interrogation, admitted that
she was absent from her father 8
house several times within the dates
given. One of these absences. she
said. was caused by a visit to Green
wich. Conn, again. she admitted that
on at least one occasion. her brother
went away from home for a weekend.
His destination was not revealed.
Finally she admitted that she could
not have known whether Stillman re-
mained In the house of his father dur
ing her absences and that she cou,d
not be certain that Mrs. Anne Stillman
ever visited him there.
Mrs. Rockefeller said the senior
StiilmAn died on March Is, 1918. She
went on to say that the junior still
man, now the head of the faily, left
the Seventy-second street house right
away anS went TO his own home At 270
Park avenue. Abruptly Mack asked
her IL she had any interest in the
outcome of the suit.
From the table near by Anne still
man smiled as Mrs. Rockefeller an
swered:
ut would only be human to have
an interest in my brother"
HIGHLY NERVOUS.
Mrs Rockefeller Was highly nerv-
Gus from the moment she finished
the smooth direct examination under
the guidance of Cornelius J. Sullivan.
held marshall of the Stillman legal
forces and under Mack's relentless
probing she all but broke down.
A. she left the witness stand, she
was escorted into al adjoining room
where she wept for several minutes
before regaining control of her emo
tions. She waited until Mrs. Helen
y. Hunt. housekeepcf Mt the home of
the senior StilIman had testified, and
they departed from town together.
Mrs. Helen d. Hunt the house
Keeper. Jared little better on the wit
ness stand than had her mistress.
Mrs. Rockefeller. Under the guidance
OF Cornelius J. Sullivan, StilIman's
lawyer, she said that James Still
man occupied a rooIl in his fathers
house every night between January
and March. inclusive, of 1918. She
was sure of It, she explained naively.
because every morning she found the
door OF the room closed, which in
dicated 1t was occupied.
To that extent she corroborats ed
Mrs. Stillman. but then Mack began
pumping questions at her and she
was not quite SO sure.
Then she admitted that she had
been active In rounding up witnesses
to aid the bankers siege of his wife's
name and her baby's name.
BUTLER Is UNCERTAIN.
Frank Lacey, sometime butler at
the senior Stillman's home and now
promoted to the position of guard in
the Junior, Stillman's bank. proved
another of those uncertain witnesses.
After asserting that his present en-
ployer had lived in the elder Still
mans home between the all-impor-
tant dates, he admitted that the
present head of the family had been
on weekend trips from the house At
least occasionally.
He admitted. too. that he returned
from Ireland last autumn, in response
to an urgent message from Mrs.
Hunt, regarding the divorce proceed
ings. He returned and visited Still
man, the younger, then president of
the National City Bank. and signed
an affidavit for him. He discussed
the case with the Stillman lawyers
and then was given his job as guard
in the bank. Even Mrs. Stillman.
seated near Mack, who forced the ad-
missions. smiled at the manner in
which the testimony was thus made
transparent.
Came then Mary Murray, a former
waitress in the Stillman home on
Seventy-second street. who went
through an experience similar to that
Of the other witnesses. 1t was be-
coming a defense by demolition Of the
L., ~ o.
After her, came Della Rock, a cooks
assistant on the same staff of serv-
ants, who said she was at Pleasant
willie three weeks in December, 1917,
and that Stillman was there only on
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
But Mack brought out that she, too,
had been approached by the active
Mrs. Hunt and thereafter, went to the
office of NicoH, Annabel. Fuller and
Sullivan where she discussed the case,
first with the lawyers then with Still
man, and:
II went down to SuIlivan's office in
a limousine. but after / signed the
affidavit. / went home in a trolley
car"
Mrs. Stillman Joined in the laughter
that greeted this utterance, which went
on the record in all it's frankness.
Bernard Kelly, former superintend-
ent Of 'Malhannc,' the Stillman estate
at Plcasantville, proved a witness of
quite another type. Throughout the
examination he kept protesting:
II want to see the woman winr'
And each time he followed the state
ment with testimony that were 1t be-
lieved and unexplained, might injurc
Mrs. Stillman's cause. He said that
Mrs. Stillman with Guy and Alexan-
der, Fred Beauvais and the guide s
nephew. Frank, and Isobel Armstrong,
nurse, were all atPleasantville from
January % to February, 1919. He
said that Mrs. Stillman and Fred
Beauvafs lived in the same section OF
Blue Cottage" on the manor. He
insisted that Stllmsn did not visit
the estate between December %. 1917
and May II, 1918.
Mack askNd him II he was as So
1icitous of Mrs. Stillman winning the
case as he was when he went to Still
mans lawyers offices and signed af-
fidavits attacking the wife. An elo-
quent silence was the answer.
HAS NO ANSWER.
Mack asked him about a letter said
70 have heep Urittep n Mrc y,