The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1921-07-22
BATTLES
TO clear
name OF
/ CHARGES
Another New York Million
aire Weakens in Divorce
Case Against Wife
BY r NJ. rHrERRy

& BY r NJ. THTERRY
u NEW YORK. July .s.-Mrs. Helen
f7wcod Stokes fight for her chill.
drvn Il over.
She has won. And they have been
pledged rich heritage by their mil.
licnaire father.
Whether she win clear her name
Of the legal mud thrown by W. r.
-. Stokes In one OF New York's two
nost sensational divorce cases-par.
aiieling the Stiliman case--is some
thing an impending court decision
wan determine
II she wins. she win get a separa.
ph and a large share Of her hus-
Rnds wealth. IL Stokes wins. he
u get hts divorce-but by his own
kventh-hour surrender he virtually
bnccfed he was In a losing fight
Stokes surrcnder-so Il In regar sicd
" Mrs Stokes and her attorneys
lame as an unexpected anti-climax
% long series Of spectacular chap
lers Of marital struggles and legal
battles extending over two years
Stokes. known from coast TO coast
- ciubman. hotel proprietor and
mfnionairc involved In several drn,
tnas, domestic and otherwise. offered
voluntarily TO release the two chill
6ren into the custody Of their grand
mother-the mother Of the wife he
attacked In court
DECISION To WRITE
LAST CHATTER
HIS legal brief. together with those
- Ma Stokes lawyers IN his suit
for divorce and her counser.suit for
/: SEPARATION. are now In the hands Of
Supreme Court Justice Finch. His
{. 1scis1on. expected soon. will write
~ lAst chapter to bitter family
na&flA
Spectators Of the divorce drama
GtokeS own confession OF defeat
nhfbis remarkable passage Of his
III IN the Judgment Of the court
u seems wise. the plaintiff would
gladly consent that the custody OF
ne children should be awarded 70
Ne grandmother during their tender
6yuaf4 realizing that thereby the
mp1her WIN have intimate and prob
nh1y daily communication with
them. Is they win occupy the same
homa
~1n that event. the father bees
0Aat he may Be allowed such prfvt-
Deges Of visitation as win enable him
[1o keep In touch with the hearts OF
his children and care for their physi-
caI and mental welfare.
~By feeling that they stiIi. IN
r1nse. belong to him. he win provide
Eubenyly for them after his death"
now ATTORNEYS
HCONSTRUE SETTLEMENT
r Please notice that Mr.. Stokes
#1oes not agree to such disposition
Ii the Children said Herbert c.
#gmyth. one OF his attorneys. II
*mean TO say. this Is not a settle
Element Ar. Stokes suggests that
EDuch disposition may be the judg.
Iuent of the court"
To which qualifications Martin w.
14RS,etcn, attorney for Mrs Stokes.
Just smiles. To Mrs. Stokes II spells
victory.
4 To little Jimmy Stokes. aged S. and
Helen MurieI Stokes. aged 4. II
means a home with their mother
and grandmother. and their rightfui
share of their rich fathers fortune.
Observers see in Stokes surrender
q decision not to enter court again
4 In legal warfare with femininity.
MyIes A. Walsh. associated with
Attorney Liftieton. sees victory for
Mrs. Stokes. saying
1T seems to me that this whole
action has been brought TO deprive
Mrs. Stokes Of her rightfui share
IN the Stokes millions. He has tried
70 besmirch the name OF his wife,
/ yet is willing to leave hts children
4 in her custody--for that Is what II
Il would mean to have them with their
grandmother"
No matter what the decision is.
large sums. IL not In alimony. GER
fainly for the support Of the chill
fren. His first wife. divorced In
300. was granted aiimony of 1000
= week.
and Helen F.lwood Of Den
yer were married Feb. IL, 1911. when
he was 81 and she %. Marital liti-
cation began in 1919. The trial prop
err started last March. the children
sometime previously having been
awarded Mrs. Stokes by Judge Ben
Lindsay OF Denver.
NUMEROUS CORRESPONDENTS
! WE'RE NAMED
Stokes named numerous core
spondents. Even his own son. w.
y. ID. Stokes. Jr.. was arrayed
against him. One Of the correspond
ents named was Edgar T. Wallace.
I California oil man. who came hur-
rying TO New York to deny a wom-
ans testimony that she saw Mrs.
Stokes in Wallace's apartment.
Here are entries in Mrs. Stokes
diary. offered by Attorney Littleton
In his final brief. TO show that
Stokes beat and terrified his wife"
almost from the beginning.
July 9. 1911 five months after the
smashed dishes at
table.
July z5-Another scene at wills.
made a great mistake In marrying.
July 3i--Trouble again.
August z--WiIl frightened me