The Washington times., 1921-03-22
PAYS warm TRIBUTE
T0MRS. ST|LLMAN.
H. Phelps CIawson, Wealthy
Friend Of Family, Calls Her.
"Finest of Mothers"

BUFFALO, N. Y. March 22.-In "A
vigorous defense of Mrs, "Fif" Pot
ter Stillman. H. Phelps Clawson, son
OF John L. Clawson, millionaire. mer-
chant OF Buffalo and prominent in
society, today branded as false.
and absurd" James A. Still
mans attack on the legitimacy OF
baby Guy.
In his mansion home at 100 Della
ware avenue. young Clawson, Yale
man of the class of II, former lieu
tenant in the Aviation Corps and now
assistant treasurer OF the Marine
Trust Company, OF this city, received
a reporter
A tall. handsome. athletic youth of
twenty-eight. broad of shoulder and
military in bearing, he deplored hav-
ing been dragged into the celebrated
divorce snar1, but declared ahat he
would do everything in his power to
remove the stigma that Stillmnn has
placed on his wife by the sepsational
charges contained in the suit.
DEFENDS MRS. sTILLMAN.
Clawsop not only warmly defended
Mrs. Stillman, whom he characterized
as "the finest woman Fever knew
but rallied to the defense of Fred
Beauvais, the half-breed Indian guide
named as correspondent by the bank
er. And when the case goes TO trial
Clawson, for the past eight years an
intimate friend of the Stillmans. will
take. the witness stand and testify for
the wife.
He has already turned over to John
r. Mack, of Poughkeepsie. guardian
ad litem for baby Guy, proofIwhich
he believes will show the falsity OF
the charge rejecting on the legitimacy
Of the child. He declared to the re-
porter that he was present in the
Stillman home in Pleasantville In the
month Of January, 1918, and saw the
banker there.
Another Buffalo man. whose name
would not be disclosed. was there,
also, and saw Stillman, he said. and is
ready and willing to testify to that
fact.
\ Documentary proof that Stillman
was living under the same roof dur
ing that period with the wife he now
accuses Is in the hands of Mack 1t is
I'm the form Of letters that Mr.. Claw
son wrote to his mother while he was
a guest of the Stillmans at Pleasant
vile, in January. 1918.
TOLD MOTHER OF 1T.
In the letters to his mother, who
died a year ago. Mr. Clawson referred
to the presence of Stillman in the
house. Therefore, he said with
chuckle. there can be no doubt as to
the legitimacy of little Guy. Then
he added:
while Z have no desire to be
drawn into this affair, shall GER
tainly go to the front for Mrs. Still
man and leave no stone unturned to
clear her good name. / say without
the slightest hesitation in the world
a woman who. is beyond reproach and
incapable OF wrongdoing.
''She was a mother to me during
all the years I have known her. In
fact, I called her my mother and she
looked upon me as her adopted SON
She was my inspiration and imbued
in me the ideals which have male
life brighter and better for me
While i must admit that my own
family did a great deal for me, IL was
Mrs. Stillman who gave me insplra-
tion. Perhaps / would never have
written a poem II II hadn't been for
her influence. And feel that
would never have done all the finer
things in life for which ! am Justly
proud IL 1t had not been for her.
Mother l must CALI her mother
helped me immensely, Just as she
has helped many others. She is n