Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-09-18
By JANE COMPTON
scisi CORRESPONDENT OF Great Falls Tribune
1922. by The Great Falls Tribune

Sneciai CORRESPONDENT OF 6reaf Fals Iflpuhe
Copyright. 1922. by The Great Falls Tribune
New York, Sept. 17.-Jaded New
York has been amused at the revela-
lions of the past two days i'll one OF
the strangest clashes ever recorded in
this country between man and wife.
The ease has brought renewed decis-
lion as to just how much of her previous
life a woman should reveal to her hus-
band. Mrs. Madeleine @. Hootow, vet
eran probation officer of Binghampton,
IN. Y, gives out the statement that a
woman is silly to reveal her past. Mis-
takes of the past have no place in plans
of the future.
And yet Mrs. Beverly d. Harris, wife
of a former vice president of the Ma
ltional City Bank, is being sued on the
ground that she failed to reveal her
past. The charge was made that Mrs.
Harris claimed to be a defendant of the
Lee family of Memphis. whereas her
real ~parentage never has been revealed.
In a dramatic statement to the court
her attorney confessed that Mrs. Har-
ris did not know the name of her
father.
But" he exclaimed, "%since. when has
illegitimacy become a ground for an
nulment of marriageT
Beverly Harris is suing for annul-
ment on those very grounds and the
case in unique in the annals of the di-
vorce court. The former banker also
has charged that his wife was not an
innocent woman when he married her.
Here again Mrs. Harris attorney,
George Gordon Battle. made a state
ment in open court so frank as to take
away the breath of old court attaches.
This is what he said:
Court Gets a Shock
"A few days after she met Mr.. Har-
ris, he had made such an impression on
her by his attentions mature, bril-
liant man Of the world-that she yield
ed to him
Mr.. Battle declared Mr.. Harris could
not equitably complain of a condition in
which he himself collaborated. 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 letter
to his wife:
Precious: This is your birthday.
of all the handiwork of God in all the
world none is of more rare exquisite
beauty than o
You are a love child and to you he
mas given every cUhTII IHhL dTlISt >
vision or poets fancy could imagine of
wonderful, perfect ~womanhood.
You are the very radiant flower of
love.
The full throated songs Of al the
birds are in -FOUR marvellous voice-your
eyes are like skies-your skin like the
blush of daWn-your teeth a cascade of
pearls-in face and form and grace of
movement you are all that woman longs
'for-and that man worships."
In less than a year after this epistle
of passion was penned, Mr.. and Mrs.
Harris were separated. 1t was agreed
that Mrs. Harris was to receive $500
every two weeks. In the separation
agreement the husband undertook not
ito make any reflections. aspersions. or
u~nfavorable comments which alluded to
any alleged incident. episode or occur
renee in the life, history, family, activi-
ties. manner or place Of living of the
party of the second part or her asso-
Gates
Wanted Past Kept Secret.
Another interesting court exhibit in
this strange case is a letter from the
wife. written to her husband, April IA,
1921. when he decided to bring suit for
divorce or annumcnt.
"You may bring out anything against
me that you wish since ] married YOU"
said Mrs. Harris. but bring my dead
sister, my mother or myself from a
vault of the past. many years ago.
regardless of what that may be. (for
| am the innocent victim of it ALL and
] will carry you to the depths of hell.
| will compel you TO resign. | will de-
fame your name throughout the world
and then will have your very soul cor
rupted into hell"
Harris attorney claims the public did
know at the time what was meant
by all this. but it was all made clear |
in the light of subsequent develop
Harris says his wife claimed to be
the daughter of Stacker Lee, one Of the
originating the famous Lee
steamboats, on the Mississippi river,
and a niece of Eli Raynor, of high So
cial standing and business prominence
in Memphis. In his plea for annuIment.
the husband a he discovered that
Stacker Lee died a bachelor and that
Of being the niece of Raynor.
Mrs. Harris had been the l~atter's
sweetheart. Raynor is described fur