The Washington times., 1922-03-11
b0N|BAST|C.
QUIZ H As.
NO RESULT.

Drivel and Minor Detail Fea-
tures probe" Conducted by
Those Most Interested.
By A. CLOYD GILL.
Today is day of rejoicing In
Little Reno.
Leaders in the divorce ring Of
Alexandria have. up to the pres
ent time. escaped without hair
being singed.
Coming under the spell Of Rob
inson Moncure. the famous di-
vorce Judge. the bar associations
committee named to probe the
divorce evil yesterday closed up
the shop and went out of business.
Seven hours of self.laudation by
the judge had its effect.
Barley Consistent.
At the close of Moncure's eulogy's
of Moncure and his able defense of
Mrs. Mary Baggett. the divorce
queen, the 200 Alexandria citizens
were prepared to hear some OF the
divorce ring leaders testify. but
they reckoned with Judge l.. o.
Barley.
A surprise was sprung when
Judge Barley, one of the champions
of the divorce ring and generally
referred to as "one Of the white
washers" said:
cat the risk of again being called
q whitewasher. / now move that the
hearing Of evidence be closed" The
motion carried.
Thus ended the so-called probe.
No divorce ring lawyer testified
before the committee.
No professional divorce witness
appeared before the committee.
Cross-examlnation of Moncure
was brief and perfunctory. At
torney Frank Stuart. who was
placed In the role Of prosecutor by
the probe committee in its effort
to make Il appear that the attack
on the judge was a lawyers quar-
rel" was denied the right to cross
examine the Judge.
More Speeches Due.
The +probe" committee will meet
again next Wednesday to permit
John s. Barbour, attorney for Mon
cure, to make a speech. Mr.. Stuart
contends that since the committee
has placed him in the light of prose-
cutor he should be given the right
to make the opening and closing
speeches. -sss4-. .s s-J
Mr.. Barbour declared that he would
demand the last word" The COM
mittee will determine at the next
meeting who will close the argument.
The only hope Of a probe Of the
divorce evil now lies in the grand
fury. This grand jury, however, will
be drawn by the divorce Judge, who
explains significantly. 1T will be made
up of real men and real citizens.
The bar association committees
efforts, aside from furnishing oppor-
tunity for Moncure and Stuart to in
dulge In bitter personalities, has been
confined to tabulating statistical
report on the S07 divorce DEGREES
granted by Mopcure during lis
twenty-one months on the bench OF
the corporation cDurt Of the city of
Alexandria
When Stuart took the witness
stand yesterday to offer rebuttal tes-
timony he aroused the ire of the
Judge when he told how Moncure had
said in his presence that he hoped
the day would come vixen a man
could go into the clerks office and
get a divorce just like getting deed
recorded"
Stuart said that struck me as q
position for judge to
ktake."
Some Of the lawyers Of Little
Reno" Took on Moncure as a joke"
Stuart told the committee. He told
of a discussion he had had with
Charles Henry Smith, Alexandria
lawyer and member Of the house OF
delegates. Smith. he said, CRITICS I'D
and abused Moncure and said that
he had only one qualification for Of
fioe and that was "he looks after his
cases" Stuart said this could not be
said of Judge Barley, who was on
the bench prior to Moncure.
A Damnable Ring.
Paying his respects to the political
ring of Alexandria, Stuart declared
Il is 'the most damnable political ring
I'm the country" He assailed Mon
cure as being "a political henchmnn
of Howard Smith and have no doubt
that Smith is a political henchman
of Robinson Moncure." Howard Smith
is chairman of the probe committee.
Answering the charge Of Moncure
that he had spent most Of his time
changing around the judges office
and feeling the judges pulse" Stuart
declared that the statement was un-
true, since "the Judge is not the kind
of a man I would want to hang
around with"
Stuart made his home at Moncure's
country home because the judge
was so insistent about it," the COM
mittee was told.
1.-THE Judge didn't think I got up
early enough in the morning, and he
often berated me for staying out late
at night. He thought l was guilty
of a serious offense IL / was in bed
when he came to the house In the
mornings" Stuart said.
Stuart said that his patience was
eorely tried when the Judge forced
him to ramble over the farm and
hear the Judge give the history of
each knot on the trees and each
piece Of bark had been scratched.
Moncure's charge that Stuart had
JAILED TO bring his milk to town
Aau 40 haA ,1~1,..l.xI