The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1922-02-19
RENO RING DIVORCE
MILL IN COLLAPSE
Manipulators Of Fake Separa-
tons in Alexandria on
Anxious Seat.
COMMITTEE GETS FACTS
Moncure Knew Of Fraudulent
Affidavits for Months,
Lawyers Declare.

Little Reno's" divorce mill has
collapsed.
Four days have elapsed and not
one divorce petition has gone into
the hopper.
Manipulators Of the mill, who
have been using human grist from
all parts of the country and ex-
tracing an annual toll Of $3.50, 900,
are on the anxious bench at last.
JAN Looms Mighty Near.
jail sentences for malfeasance in
office, perjury and subornation Of
perjury appear as likely following
declarations yesterday before the
Alexandria Bar Associations COM
mittee Of seven named to probe the
divorce evil OF that city.
AN even 1000 divorce cases filed
in the Corporation Court Of Rob
inson Moncure, Little Reno's" d.
vorce Judge. since his accession to
the bench in May, 1920. were re-
ported on yesterday by a subcom'
mittee Of three, named to check up
court records.
Members OF the divorce ring,
friends OF Judge Moncure. had con.
tended II there was fraud In the
wholesale issuance OF divorce DEGREES
that the Judge was in ignorance Of
the fact that false affidaNts were
being used.
This defense was shattered yester.
day when j. Randall Cation, chair,
man Of the subcommittee, annOunc.
ed to the full committee that more
than eight months ago he called on
Moncure, apprissd him that fraud
was being practced and asked that
the court end II.
Judge Promised to Take Action.
Moncure was considerably upset
by having the matter brought to his
attention. as indicated by the fol-
lowing report which Mr.. Cation made
to the committee and asked to have
inserted in the records Of the hear
ing:
More than eight months ago GER
tain persons came to our office on
two successive days and wanted US
to secure divorces for them.
Asked II they were residents OF
Alexandria, they said they were not.
They had never lived in Alexandria
when told they could not secure
divorces, they were surprised and
said they could easily secure from
Mrs. Mary L. Baggett affidavits as
to the required residence there.
II refused to take the cases and
went directly to Judge Moncure and
told him of false affidavits being
used to secure divorce DEGREES in his
court.
He told me he knew Mrs. Baggett
and that she was a widow and added:
Now, you Just let this matter be.
Leave 1t to me. I'll see Mrs. Bag
gett myself
Said He Saw Divorce Queer.
"A few days later Judge Moncure
met me on the street and said he
had talked the matter over with Mrs.
Baggett and she promised she would
not testify as to persons having resi-
dence at her home unless they were
bona fide cases."
But Mrs. Baggctt continued to
testify In Moncure's court and the
wholesale Issuance Of DEGREES con-
tinued. The report of the commit.
tee submitted yesterday showed that
according to Mrs. Baggetts testi-
mony 11b persons lived In her nine
room house each day for q month
last summer.
Judge w. c. Nicol, member of the
committee, announced that ne also
had been approached by pers ons
seeking divorces, who said they
could secure affidavits as to res.
idence, but he readily saw there
was some "rascality mixed up with
It," 30 he told the divorce seekers to
tContinued on Page lb. Column A.