Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-09-19
Former Vice President of
N ational City Bank
Charges Wife Misrepre-
sented Her Family Con-
nections to Him
BY JANE COMPTON
Neased Wire Service to The Journal.)


NEW YORK, Sept. 16.-Jaded
New York has been amazed at the
revelations Of the last two days in
one Of the strangest clashes ever
recorded in this country between
man and wife.
The case has brought renewed dis
cussion as to just how much of her
past life woman should reveal to
her husband. Mrs. Madelaine G.
Hooton, veteran probation officer,
Of Binghan1ton, N. Y, is out with
the statement that a woman is silly
to reveal her past. Mistakes of the
past have no place in plans for the
future
And yet Mrs. Beverly D. Harris,
wife of a former vice president of
the National City bank, is being
sued on the ground that she failed
to reveal her past. The charge was
that Mrs. Harris claimed to be a
descendant of the Lee family, of
Memphis, Tenn, whereas her real
parentage never has been revealed.
In a dramatic statement to the
court her attorney confessed that
Mrs. Lee did not know the name
of her father.
But" he exclaimed, "since when
has illegitimacy become ground for
annulment of marriage?"
Beverly Harris is suing for annul.
ment on those very grounds and the
case Is unique in the annals of the
local divorce courts. The former
banker also has charged that his
wife was not an innocent woman
when he married her. Here again
Mrs. Harris attorney, George Cor.
don Battle, made a statement in open
court so frank as to take away the
breath of old court attaches. This
is what he said:
"A few days after she met Mr..
Harris he had made such an i'm
preston upon her by his attentions
"a mature, brilliant man of the
world-that she yielded to him"
Mr.. Battle declared Mr.. Harris
could not equitably complain of a
condition in which he i. himself COL
laborated. Battle also declared that
Harris knew Of his wife's doubts as
to her parenthood, for he often
spoke of her as a love child" In
1918, when the two were living hap
PLY together, Harris wrote this let
ter to his wife:
Precious:
"This is your birthday. OF all the
none is of more rare exquisite beau
ty than you.
"You are Love Child and to you
He has given every charm that art
lists vision or poets fancy could
imagine of wonderful perfect woman
hood.
"You are the very radiant flower
Of love.
1.-THE full-throated songs Of all the
birds are in your marvellous voice
your eyes are like soft skies--your
skin like the blush of dawn-your
teeth cascade Of pearls-1n race
and form and grace Of movement
you are all that woman longs for
and that man worships."
In less than year after this epis-
tie OF passion was penned Mr.. and
Mrs. Harris were separated. 1t was
agreed that Mrs. Harris was to re-
ceive $500 every two weeks. In the
separation agreement the husband
undertook not Ito make any reflec-
tons, aspersions, or unfavorable
comments whatsoever on any alleg-
ed incident, episode or occurrence in
the life, history, family, communi-
cations, activities, manner or place
of living Of the party Of the Sec
ond part or her associates"
Another interesting court exhibit
in this strange case is letter from
the wife, written to her husband
April IA, 1921, when he decided to
bring suit for divorce or annul-
ment.
"You may bring out anything
against me that you wish since I
married you," said Mrs. Harris,
but bring my dead sister, my moth
er, or myself from a vault of the
past, many years ago, regardless of
what that may be (for 1 am the in
nocent victim of it alb and I will
carry you to the depths of hell I
will compel you to resign. I will
defame your name throughout the
world and then will have your very
soul crushed into He'll"
Harris attorney claims the hus-
band did not know at the time what
was meant by all this, but it was
all made clear in the light Of SUBJ
sequent developments.
Harris says his wife claimed to be
the daughter of Stacker Lee, one Of
the family operating the famous Lee
~ rrfNN Wi VNiTT
and q niece of Eli Rayner, of high
social standing and business promi-
nence in Memphis. In his plea for
annullment the husband says he dis
covered that Stacker Lee died a
bachelor and that instead of being
the niece of Rayner, Mrs. Harris
Rayner is described further in the
proceedings as "a local gambler"
Confronted by this testimony, Mrs.
Harris, through her attorneys, filed
an affidavit in which 1t was stated
that defendant is now informed and
verify believes that her mother mar
ried one Samuel C. Lee, who was
related to said Lee family, of Mem
phis."
A further investigation, the court
| was told, proved that Samuel G. Lee
| died eight years before Mrs. Harris
was born. It was agreed that she
was the daughter of the third wife
of Lee. but the charge was made
that she was born out of wedlock. In
admitting the illegitimacy of his
client, Mr. Battle said it was fam
| lily skeleton, which it had been hop
ed would forever remain in the clos
ct. He insisted that Mrs. Harris
had told her husband all she knew
of her parentage. The husbands
| attorneys are insisting that the name
| of the father be revealed.
Meantime the feminists are all