Evening journal., 1922-06-05
7 Others Wait
ON VALENTINO
Courts Ruling Today Will
Fix Status of Doubly
Married
ACTOR is CHOSEN
AS EXAMPLE

Los ANGELES. Cal, June
Omitted Press) Rudolph Valentino
fiapper's idol of the screen, will
learn today whether he must stand
trial on a charge Of bigamy as a re-
suit of his marriage at Mexicala
Lower Calf, TO Winifred Hudnut.
And on the decision hangs not only
the fate OF Valentino but that OF
seven others. among them Frank
Mayo and Henry B. Walthall.
II Valentino Is discharged. the
District Attorneys Office will not
proceed against Mayo or walthaIl or
the others. II he is held. proceed
ings will be brought against the
others.
Deputy District Attorney James p.
Costello made this statement satur-
day shortly before he closed his ar
guments.
1t has become a common thing"
he said, "for men who have been
given an interlocutory decree of di-
vorce, which is not a divorce until
one year from date. TO go into Mex
ico.marry again and come back into
California and faunt the crime in
the face of decent people"
He declred that It was just be-
cause of Valentines popularity.
fame. wealth and power that the
District Attorneys Office decided to
act in his case.
Costello's argument is that when
Valentino came back with his bride
from Mexicali, Mexico. on May 13.
and lived with her at Palm Springs.
under the same roof. when he ac-
knowledged her as his wife, then he
was guilty OF bigamy and could be
prosecuted under the California
laws.
II. instead Of living in the same
bungalow in Palm Springs with Mrs.
Valentino. the movie star had stayed
in a hotel: II he had not introduced
her as his wife, then the laws could
not touch him. The courts of Cali
fornia would have no jurisdiction
over a bigamous marriage in Mex
ico.
The contention OF counsel for de-
fense. W. I. Gilbert and Frank
James. IS that in the first place the
court has no Jurisdiction; and that
in the second there was no proof to
show that Valentino and Miss
Shaughnessy. stepdaughter Of Rich
ard Hudnut millionaire perfume man
ufacturer had lived together espec-
tally In Los Angeles county. Palm
Springs IS in Riverside county, and
the court has no Jurisdiction there.
Costello had planned TO call Nine.
Ala Nazimova and Douglas Gerard
TO the stand. But the emotional ac-
tress is said TO have started East
about the time the subpoena server
began 10 seek her, and Gerard was
not summoned.
Ramalda Lugo. the Indian squaw;
Dr. Florella Mansfield White and
Mrs. Alva Hicks were the only wit
nesses. DR.. White was the chaper-
on at the marriage. She testified
that the Valentines spent the night
IN her cottage in Palm Springs. and
that Mrs. Valentino slept alone be-
cause she was Ill. She was Ill dur
ing her entire stay at Palm Springs.
Mrs. Hicks declared there was a
hotel within one mile OF the Palm
Springs cottage. Costello's idea in
bringing this out was to show that
Valentino, II he were not living with
his wife, might have quartered her
or himself. at this hotel.
Gilbert seized the idea to have her
identify the much-talked-of purple
pajamas." He showed them. One
was Of white silk. the other purple.
They were the sort of garment worn
by Chinese.
Il was left TO judicial determine
ton as to what the articles were, the
prosecution contending that they
were pajamas, while the attorneys
for Valentino declared they we're
Chinese silk suits. They were iden-
tilted. however. by Mrs. Hicks as the
apparel in which the honeymoones
appeared.
Costello attacked the Dasky Film
Corporation, saying It had advised
Mrs. Valentino to go East beyond
the Jurisdiction OF the State"
This drew a hot reply from James
attorney for the corporation.
LdSky II ntttf Ae oAANf AcI ~
suppress crime or protect anybody
but TO KEEP the District Attorney
from railroading anybody"
''Lasky has thousands and thou
sands Of dollars involved in this
case" Costello retorted. TITS be-
come a case Of Lasky vs.. the home,
society, Christianity"
The wrangle continued until the
judge wearied OF II.
Gilbert who had the final say,
declared the District Attorney had
gone out of his way to arrest Valen-
tino when "crime is rampant in this
city on every hand, and the men who
went out to get man guilty Of mar
rying a girl in another country had
to pass murderers. and safeblowers
and pickpockets to get TO him."