The Washington times., 1921-04-20
IMOTHERHEARD|FRANCER READY
i'm STOKES SUIT TO cOERCE FOE
Charges Against Daughter I'm.
famous" Declares Mrs. Miller.
She Clears Wallace.

NEW YORK, April 20.-Mrs. EN-
ma Miller, mother of Mrs. Helen
Elwood Stokes, yesterday on the Wit
ness stand defended her daughter
from the charges of w. e. D. Stokes,
who is trying to divorce her.
VOLUNTEERS EVIDENCE.
Mrs Miller. middle-aGed. gray
haired. .testified with restrained In
dignation. volunteering Information
frequently, altogether undisturbed by
the Interruptions OF Stokes counsel.
Martin Littleton. chief counsel for
Mrs. Stokes. put the mother on the
stand 10 form q foundation for the i'm
PRODUCTION of fourteen letters written
by Stokes to b. IF. Harrison. an agent
in Chicago whom he employed to in
vestigate his wife's girlhood. Tho let
ters. Littleton said. made serious ac-
cusations against Mrs. Stokes.
Francis Wellman. OF Stokes counsel,
objected to their introduction on the
grund that they were confidential
communications between employer
and employe. He said:
"The agent who received them Of
fercd them to US. demanding $1,000.
and we refused It. Now you have
them"
Mrs. Miller described her early life
In Illinois. her two marriages. her
residence In Denver and went on:
I'm 1911. i was In bed prostrated.
because I heard OF my daughters
marriage to Mr.. Stokes. knew moth
ing OF the man; had never heard OF
him. He sent a picture Of himself to
George Estabrook, Of Denver, who
showed IL to me to prove he said,
that Mr. Stokes was not az bad as he
was painted, 90 ] would fee. better.
Then two years ago Mr. Esta-
brook told me of the charges that
Mr.. Stokes was circulating attack
ing my daughters morals. i heard
the same scandslous stories circu-
lated elsewhere. Miss Leach. OF the
Records Office In Denver told me she
lad received communities tions. Lucy
Brown. our cook, told me OF this man
Harrison having told her. Oh, there
were so many persons who told me
| OF these scandalous stories circulated
hy w. e. d. Stokes that cannot re-
! member them all"
Littleton diverted her to Hal Billig.
the cousin correspondent. with whom
Mrs. Stokes Is alleged to have been
intimate in the West. or him Mrs.
Miller said:
.He is my nephew. but he Is more
: like my son. His mother was brought
/ I'D and married In my house. He has
slways been with US"
Mrs. Miller was shown 4 photo
graph picturing Mrs. Stokes and Ed
| gar T. wallace on a beach together
| In a familiar attitude. IL was intro
| duced by Stokes as evidence against
| the young wife. Mrs. Miller scrutin-
/ lied II carefully, and said:
"r took that myself on the beach
when we went with the children
! They were throwing sand over Mr.
| Wallace and Helen at the time. II
was about 1905. Ave years before my
| daughter married Mrs. Stokes. Mr.
Wallace never went out with my
| daughter alone"
Mrs. Miller called the testimony OF
nurses and others regarding Mrs
| Stokes visits with her to Wallace's
! apartments as 'fnfamous Hes" and
| sdded:
my daughter was III in bed q,
that time. 1t was just a few days
after the birth OF her second child
! Muriel. in the Vanderbilt Hotel. II
is lie TO say that Mr.. Wallace ever
visited her in the hotel. ! never knew
that wallace lived at IS East Thirty.
fifth street until heard it in this
/ courtroom.