Imperial Valley press., 1922-06-01
Women Crowd Court Room
In L. A. to Watch
Screen Lover
HERO CHEWS FINGER
Photographs Prove Second
Wedding Performed
At Mexicali

LOS ANGELES, June I.-nuuOlpA
Valentino, clover of the screen,' Short
ly after 10 clock today pushed his way
through crowds Of women into the court
of Justice j. Walter Handy, for his pre-
.iminary hearing on charge OF bigamy.
Long before the young Italian actor
his dark eyes glowing, his black hair
slicked tightly to his head, made his
appearance, the courtroom was crowded
with chattering throng, largely COM
posed of women from young high school
girls to elderly matrons.
Valentino, dressed in immaculate
black, entered the courtroom and slipped
quietly into chair.
He appeared excited and ill at ease,
looking at no one, and saying nothing
as he did at his arraignment.
He sat without smiling, chewing ono
finger of his right hand as he waited.
attorneys and film friends grouped
about him, for the call Of the bailiff.
Actually Drops Her Knitting
The court room hushed as Valentino
entered and one girl dropped her knit
ting. Several consulted motion picture
magazines, comparing the screen star
with his picture. Valentino allowed
several pictures to be taken by news
paper photographers.
Justice Handy took the bench, and
Immediately called the case of Rudolph
Valentino, charged with bigamy.
Deputy District Attorney j. D. Cos
tello, briefly outlined the case and call
ed the first witness, Jean Acker, first
wife of the defendant to the stand.
Valentino did not look at her, q
vision in creamy silk, but the expression
of his eyes seemed to say that his
thoughts were a continent away with
Winifred Hudnut, bis exiled bride, who
has sought refuge with her stepfather,
Richard Hudnut, iii New York.
"What is your right namep' asked
Costello Of the witness.
The actress hesitated.
She was asked to tell her name, be-
fore her interlocutory was granted
"Mrs. Rudolph Guglielmi, she said,
after prompting from her attorney, Neal
Mccarthy, who explained that Valentino
''was the actor 8 stage name"
Mexicai Wedding Proved
Costello at once began the examina.
ton, and Miss Acker, answering in
soft tones, told how she had been mar
ried to Valentino June 5, 1919, how they
quarelled, separated, became reconciled,
and quarelled again and how she sued
for divorce.
Papers to show an interlocutory de-
cree of divorce had been granted March
4, 1922, were introduced.
Spectators leaned forward to see
when photographed copies of the mar
riage license of "Rudolph Valentino
and Winifred De Wolfe' was intro
duced as the first premise in the states
effort to prove its bigamy charge.
The court showed that the wedding
was performed at Mexicali, Mexico,
May Is, 1922, by Civil Judge Tolentini
Santoval.
At this point the justice abruptly
called the morning recess, and the
crowd surged around Valentino as he
rose and shook hands with Miss Acker,
conversing with animation for the first
time.
Miss Aeker smiled, addressing him as
" Rudolph
Pictures in Evidence.
Valentines defense, understood to be
backed by powerful film interests and
wealthy friends of the screen idol, IL
said to contend that the statute prohibi-
ting such marriages is invalid because
the wedding took place outside the Cali
fornia jurisdiction.
The state with documents, photo-
graphs and witnesses will attempt to
show that Valentino brought Miss Hud-
nut to Palm Springs, desert oasis near
the Imperial Valley, and there lived In
the luxurious bungalow resort in al
legged bigamous relationship.
FILIBUsTER MAY BLOCK BONUS