The Washington times., 1922-04-27
WOMAN BARES
SHAME TOFREE
WRONGED MATE
Home Wrecked, Husband
Forces Rich Man to Pay-ls
Exonerated by Jury.

LOS ANGELES, April 27.-Caught
In the net OF fate and flung before
the crowd in the court room. the
woman's eyes fluttered from face TO
face, seeking a friend-and finding
none!
Thin to haggardness, cheeks
sunken from long nights OF nervous
worry, there wasn't much left Of the
beauty hat had won two men-and
now she had to choose between
them; between him who had been
her husband and him who had been
her lover.
A quarter Of a million dollars de-
pended on what she would say; all
that money and the liberty Of a
man! What was a woman's reputa-
tion worth to be counted against that
much.
SO Leona Pickard decided in
desperation that the only way out
of the web in which she was en-
tangled in the Los Angeles court
was TO tell the truth, as completely
as she could recall II, and as quickly.
Albert b. Pickard, her husband, was
under arrest, charged with extorting
800 900 from Ira NJ. Bradley, the
Texas oil millionaire.
The Texan asserted that Mr.. and
Mrs. Pickard had framed him" in
a badger game in their cabin on
Moonshine Hill in the petroleum
district, and that the husband at
point Of pistol had forced him 70
pay the money TO save himself.
Pickard. retaliating sued the oil
magnate for $3.50. 900 for breaking up
his home, and then cast off the wife
who had been unfaithful to him.
The Womsn's Story.
Whether Pickard would go to
prison and his suit against Bradley
collapse like a tower Of cards de-
pended wholly on what the wife,
from whom he was estranged. would
say, and neither man could foreteil
her testimony. For a moment she
seemed to waver on the witness
stand, as the opening interrogations
of District Attorney Powell cleared
the way for the all-important eV-
dencs.
In a low voice she answered, Civ.
ing the required information OF her
self:
"Leona Pickard; thirty-three;
y-y-yes, married; one baby"
She shuddered a little right there
at the thought of that baby and sup
plicatior was reflected In her eyes.
The prosecutor saw 1t and merci.
fully diverted the sharp interroga-
ton point from that sensitive spot
only to drive deeper and directly to
the main issue. What did she know
Of Ira Bradley and what were her
relations with him? And the woman
answered in faltering words so low
that they scarcely carried to the
Jury-but they carried!
MIR. Bradley gave me many pres
cents. We lived on his land. He
gave me presents, and then-snd
then, then he wronged me! / told
my husband one night last August.
He went-well. he threatened to take
my baby from me. ! begged for
giveness, ! pleaded with him-but
he left, saying he was going to San
Francisco to face Bradley-aInd
that's allr"'
Leona Pickard walked weakly
from the witness stand. and the oil
magnate, succeeding her, gave his
testimony. He told a story Of a
conspiracy to compromise him and
gave the affair with Mrs. Pickard
far different aspect than she had
described. Then he said:
"Pickard came to my office with
two guns and a wild look in his eye.
He compelled me, in fear Of my life,
to give him the money"
But Pickard, called to the stand,
told It differently, With undisguised
anger in his voice, he said:
n III @1f
what heard from my wife. pack.
ed two guns, but when l faced him,
my hands were at my sides, Yes,
hated him, but there was as much
grief for my wife as hatred for
him in my heart. Ikept looking
straight at him a minute, then I
said:
Bradley, I'm here % talk to
you. ] guess you didn't know in
Texas the kind of a man l am.
Bradley, you ruined my home. II
was only a shack on Moonshine Hill,
but II was the best could give her
and II was a home. Bradley,
you've wrecked the life Of a good
woman have the letters you wrote
her and ! know the dates you were
there And Bradley said 10 me:
'Pickard, I've always liked you
- and talked on like that and
then hung his head and finally said
he would do what he could, and
went 10 the bank and got the
money"
Freed In Ten Minutes.
So the case went 10 the Jury
for just ten minutes-and then the
voice Of the foreman doomed
through the court:
we find the defendant, Albert
a pictSard. NOT GUILTY.