The Washington times., 1921-03-12


Helen Elwood Stokes will face her
husband from the witness stand
next week and answer personally
the attack he has made on her honor
in the pending suit for divorce.
TESTIMONY IS RACY.
This decision was reached last night BY
Mrs Stokes and Martin w. Littleton her
chief counsel, after a day OF particu-
larly racy testimony In court. Inc
young wife, with cheek burning IN
resentment at the evidence levelled
against her by servants and chaut-
feurs, was eager to take the stand at
the first opportunity to refute the
testimony.
Just when she will be heard will
depend on the amount OF evidence
remaining to be submitted by william
e. d. Stokes, her husband. The trials
of his divorce suit and her action TOT
separation will be continued together
Monday morning.
Mrs. Stokes is prepared to make
counter charges of the gravest charac-
| ter in outlining the story OF her
| married life.
AN INTERESTED QUARTET.
-Four correspondents sat back OF
Mrs. Stokes in the old court house
| yesterday-Hal Billig. her cavalier
cousin: Will M. Meyers, the elderly
athlete: George Schroter, who chewed
gum and grinned throughout the
testimony. and Roland Miller, her
stepbrother. Mrs. Stokes. in a new
brown cheviot suit with Guns OF
beaver and big patch pockets Of the
same fur, paid scant attention to any
Of them, except Billis. who escorted
her to and from the court.
| Stories OF visits to a painters
studio where Mrs. Stokes sat cross
legged, partly draped, smoking
cigarettes; recollections ten years old
Of hugging and kissing; narratives
OF gay parties at Castles by-the-Sea
and the Palais Royal-these made
up the bulk of yesterdays evidence.
John Mosby. a sable Southerner.
formerly valet and butler in the
Stokes home at Long Branch. con-
tributed the anecdote of the amorous
embrace and OSCILLATION. 1t was way
back in 1911. he said. just about six
months after the Stokeses were mar
ried.
STORY OF SLIDING DOOR.
| Schroter drove up one fine day,
house and was met on the steps by
the bride, the witness said. Mosby
went on:
They went up the steps together,
with their arms around each other
aud kissing each other. l. was in
the pantry and saw it all. Then
heard sliding door slide. Mrs.
Stokes room was the only one with
a sliding door in the house. 1 did
not see them around again for an
| hour" .-
| rLt. l. ~ .ooana no.;tion 80 an
conventional affection in which a
servant has testified the young wife
was discovered. The other. curiousiy
enough. was also on a staircase.
Juliette Gassan-Groeger, former
maid testified to it. Observers A.
the trial have been impressed from
the beginning with the apparent
emotionalism of stairways and
balusters in Stokes houses.
! Schroter. holding toothpick De-
tween his teeth, appeared amazed at
Mosby's recital. and embarrassed, as
though uncertain whether to feel
honored or insulted. He Is big,
vigorous, square jawed, smooth
shaven chap. black haired. with a
suggestion Of strength about him.
He laughed quietly sometimes, and
'sornetimes stared in admiration at
witnesses who involved him deeper
in the divorce.
SCENE IN A STUDIO.
Valentine Kubicke. chauffeur for
the late S. Montgomery Roosevelt,
told of driving Mrs. Stokes. Mrs.
Ethel Oerke-Kearney and a man
about town to beach resorts. The
chauffeur described Roosevelt as a
painter and a Scotch whiskey sales
| with a foDdpess fem Unity
Kubicke continues:
"Once / drove Mrs. Stokes to his
studio and he sent me for some
pa ints. When ] came back she was
sitting down, with her legs crossed,
smoking a cigarette, with just
kimono over her. He was at an
easel. with a picture outlined on 1t
showing a nude woman, cross-legged.
smoking a cigarette. 1t was just
outlined, and 1 couldn't tell whether
It was Mrs. Stokes or not"
The chauffeur, a light-haired lad,
who apparently resented appearing in
court at all. said in answer to a ques-
tion from Littleton:
Money from Stokes? All I ever
got from Stokes was two subpoenas
and two dollarsr'
WAS POSITIVE OF YEAR.
His narrative ran smoothly enough
until Littleton began to pin him down
to dates. He finally fixed the period
of adventures as the Spring of 1917
and was quite certain OF II. Francis
wellman, attorney for Stokes, tried to
get him away from that year, but the
witness was certain. He said 1t was
not 1918, because he was in the army
then. There the subject rested.
Mrs. Stokes smiled serenely when
he had left the stand, for II has al
ready been proved by Stokes's own
evidence that his wife was in Denver
In 1917. when 1t Is assert ed the studio
party and the gay motor trips were
held.
Francis II. Beard, a paralytic, for.
merly a racing car driver and pre-
viously chauffeur for the Stokeses
also told about the Schroter hugging
and kissing incident. when asked il
he was certain that the kiss was exc
cuted and the embrace actually took
place, he replied:
well. it certainly looked that way
to me-"