Evening star., 1922-11-10
mrs. M'CEE[LAND'S
DEPOSITION READ
Says She Broke Engagement
When She Found Wood
house Was Married.
Special Dispatch to The Star.


Breaking down and sobbing violently,
Mrs. Mary Kennedy Woodhouse,
| mother Of Charles Douglas Wood
house, collapsed this morning upon
the witness stand in the Chittenden
county court during the cross exami-
| nation Of Attorney Austin, counsel
! for Dorrit Van Duesen Stevens
Woodhouse, her daughter-in-law, who
brought suit for s1.oOO,OOo, charging
alienation of her husbands affections.
VIII Appear Later.
Suffering a complete reversal Of the
cool, self-possession she displayed,
when examined by her own counsel
yesterday, Mrs. Woodhouse begged to
be excused. Justice Moulton, follow
ing a brief conference with his two
associates, allowed the request, with
! the understanding that she would ap-
pear when wanted later.
Yesterday afternoon Mrs. Wood
house took the stand and began her
testimony.
Her declaration that she found the
girl who is suing her a satisfactory
daughter-in-law in every way was
the sensation of the day, especially
when the white-haired witness fol-
d
faintness. She was helped from the
room while court officials tried to re-
store order among the hundreds Of
excited spectators who filled the
benches, the standing room and the
window ledges of the court.
She said she had met her sons
wife once before the wedding. She
had never seen her again, would not
know her by sight and did not know
where she or her family. the Stevens.
lived. She said that to this day she
does not know where the Stevens
house is situated. She was firm in
this statement. although she was told
by counsel that the house in ques-
tion is next door to the Woodhouse
mansion.
Denies Aid in Divorce Case.
She said that she had not opposed
her sons choice of Dorrit Stevens
young woman satisfactory daugh-
ter-in-law."
do you still so consider her?" ask
ed Attorney Austen.
Il do" was the answer.
Mrs. Woodhouse's testimony was a
series of denials. She denied that she
ever knew of her sons engagement
to Mrs. Lillian McClelland, beautiful
Washington society leader, or that
she made any effort to speed his
divorce. SO that he could marry
Mrs. McClelland. She denied that
socially friendly with Mrs. McClelland
or that she had ever discussed her
sons marriage with her.
Q. Did you not think 1t an i'm
proper thing for Douglas to be in
Washington with that lady under the
circumstances?
A. l thought he was old enough to
take care of his own affairs.
Q Was nothing apparent to you
that called for some suggestion. to
Douglas?
Q. Did you know that at that time
your son was neither living with his
wife nor supporting her?
A. No.
In direct contradiction to Douglas
deposition. in which he said that Mrs.
McClelland had sold his loaned"
to his mother, Mrs. Woodhouse said
that she had never at any time re-
ceived either money or diamonds. She
also denied knowledge Of any gifts
made by her son to Mrs. McClelland.
She said that she had no idea Of the
property or that she was in any way
concerned in his business affairs.
She also denied that she mad been
sufficiently interested In Douglas
marital problems to read his divorce
deposition. She never knew that
never knew that he was not support
ing her, she said. Douglas. she said,
brought Mrs. McClelland to meet her
at the Wardman Park Hotel in Wash
ington. That afternoon she made a
mere social call" at Mrs. McClel-
met her mother. She insisted that no
mention of any relations with Mrs.
McClelland or her son was made.
Mrs. McClelland's Testimony.
Second only to Mrs. woodhouse's
testimony as a feature Of the pro-
ceedings was the reading of a deposit
ton in which Mrs. McClelland stated
that she had been formally engaged
to Douglass Woodhouse, that she had
jewelry from him and that she had
broken her engagement when she
found that he was a married man
and not. as he had told her. divorced.
A dramatic scene in which young
Mrs. Woodhouse confronted her on
formed her that she was the wife of
her fiance was also described.
"On Palm Sunday of 1921 I met q
young lady on my front steps," she
said. This lady informed me that
she was the wife Of Douglass Wood
divorce. I turned and walked back
into my house"
Engagement Broken.
The woman cried to her, Douglas
Woodhouse is married; am his wife,
said the deposition.
She said she was terribly upset by
the unexpected encounter and would
have returned all his rings then If
she had been wearing them.
m he
never marry him. I would have re-
turned his gifts then If I had them
with me. I did return them when 1
had an opportunity"
@. Did you, after hearing that
Douglass was married man. break
of all relationship with him?
A. think l did.
@. Didn't you visit his mother and
summer home at Chatham?
A. That visit had nothing to do
with Douglass. 1t was only to see
his sister Marjorie.
Mrs McClelland stated that she met
Douglass parents in Washington be-
fore she knew that he was not di-
vorced. She declared, however. that
she never discussed her engagement
to him with his parents.
Tells OF Rings.
@. We're you wearing his rings
when you met his family?
them much. don't care much for
jewelry.
q. Do you mean to tell me that