The Mt. Sterling advocate., 1922-10-03
srILLmAN IS LOSER
IN DIVORCE CASE

was uchlcu n ucCtcc III MS SUIT Aoi
absolute divorce against his wife,
Anne U. Stillman. Guy Stillman was
declared legitimate in the findings Of
Daniel J. Gleason, referee in the case
which was fled at Carmel, New
York, Friday.
The, referees decision is COM
plete victory for Mrs. Stillman. Not
only was her defense upheld but the
referee also confirmed her charges
that Mr.. Stillman misconducted him
self with Florence II. Leds, former
Broadway show girl, and that she
had borne two children.
The referee wrote that Stillman's
testimony that Mrs. Stillman miscon-
Quoted herself with Fred Beauvais, In
dian guide, who is alleged by Still
man to be the father of little Guy |
Stillman, "uncontradicted and unex-
planned, was sufficient to justify him
in the belief that Mrs. Stillman was
guilty of the charges made against
her."
Careful examination, however, of
all testimony" said the referee, was
shaken by my faults and belief in
the testimony of witnesses called in
the plaintiffs behalf"
Attorneys for Stillman declared
there would be a repeal from the ref
eree's findings.
Through the mothers victory, Guy
Stillman retains his rights as an heir
with his two brothers and sister to
$6,0O0,0 900 in a trust fund created for
them by their grandfather, the late
James Stillman.
Altogether Mr.. Stillman was believ-
ed to have spent far in excess of
100000 in his divorce litigation. The
amount turned over to Mrs. Stillman's
counsel for alimony, fees and ex-
penses approached 100000.
Mrs. Stillman, in the final stages
of the case, charged that some of the
Canadians who swore they saw her
misbehaving with Beauvais had been
bribed to give such testimony. She
contended that others were tempted
with money and promises of good
time in New York to give similar ac-
counts.
To offset the stories told about her
| by a half dozen French Canadians
summoned by the plaintiff when hear
ings first opened, Mrs. Stillman and
her oldest son, Bud" went to Can
ada last January, and bracing bliz-
card that carried with it a tempera-
ture of 40 degrees below zero, she
drove by sleighs up the valley of the
ST. Maurice river in the province of
Quebec, marshalling at the camps
and villages natives who had known
her and would testify that her con-
duct had been of the best
These witnesses, numbering more
than a score, had their say in the
spring, when trial of the case was
temporarily shifted to Montreal.
Some of them denied it would have
been possible for Mr.. Stillman's wit
nesses to have peeped through key
holes and from ladders at the Still
man summer camp, as the plaintiffs
witnesses had described. and others
testified the relations between Mrs.
Stillman and Beauvais were simply
| those of an employer and servant.
One man testified, 1t was reported,
that he had ben offered $4,000 to
swear he witnessed misconduct by
Mrs. Stillman and Beauvais, and on
other said he had heard a hOnversa-
tion in which $4,000 was offered for
such evidence of guilt. Mr.. Stillmans
attorneys denied the allegations of
attempted bribery.
The trial before the referee came
to a sensational close when counsel
for Mr.. Stillman put into evidence
four letters purporting to have been
written to Beauvais by Mrs. Still
man. They announced that Beauvais
had sold the letters only few days
before to Mr.. Stillman's agents for
$4,000. Testimony to support this
was heard.
Mrs. Stillman Immediately denied
authorship of the letters, and Beau.
vais later denied that he had sold
them. But they remained as evidence
in the case.