The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1922-02-11

FIGHTS To
SAVE HIDE

Continued from First Page.)
and other royal testers at Moncure's
divorce court cannot cleanse their
own royal robes by throwing mud
at what they call loopholes in the
law.
False affidavits, purged deposit
tions, faxed defendant addresses and
forgeries are not the result of loop
holes n the law, and the Moncure
divorce records show that these
slight short comings' were daily
practices of the vicious ring.
Neither members of the ring nor
Moncure can deny it. They never
have denied 1t and a denial of the
facts cannot be successfully made
for the records are on file in Their
own court to prove the accusations"
Stuart declares.
Judge Moncure's recent declara-
ton that he had no knowledge, or
thought nothing of the fact" that
Mrs. Mary l.. Eaggett, his next-door
neighbor, came almost daily to his
court with dispositions showing that
hundreds of people were purpOrting
to be living at her home. is char
acterized by Stuart as the most as
tonishing piece of "jud. cal dumb
ness in the annals of Virginia his
tory.
1.-THE facts, however, do not bear
out the judges own frank admis-
sion of dumbness, that he didn't
think there was anything wrong
with Mrs. Baggett's almost daily
appearance in his court by deposit
ton
His admission might be accepted
as true We're 1t not for the fact that
the judge himself used Mrs. Bag
gett as a witness. the same as
other members of the ring are now
doing, when he was practicing law
himself.
1.-The records are there to prove
1t, and can be seen by any one in
terested in this matter" Stuart de-
clares.
To Ask Jury Probe.
In the absence of something tan.
gible coming from the Bar Asso-
cations investigation, a grand jury
investigation, it is declared, will be
demanded.
At the most the only recommen-
dalton that the Bar Association can
make will be for prosecution of
members Of the ring for perjury
and procuring other persons to
commit perjury and to recommend
that Moncure resign.
The association Is not clothed
with any judicial power to remove
Moncure, this being in the prov
inces Of the State Assembly.
1T is certainly incumbent upon
Moncure to either resign or explain
his laxities in administering his oath
to uphold the law and its enforce
ment," Assemblyman Wilbur c.
Hall, author of strong anti-divorce
measure in the Assembly, has de-
clared.
His arrogant attitude that the
people are satisfied and that he is
running the town and his part of
the State, is certainly not becoming
conduct for Judge, and his failure
to refute the charges in toto can
lead to but one conclusion-that the
charges are true.
Judge Moncure has refused to
deny the charges, and the evidence
presented at our hearing by Judge
Norton. of Alexandria, would war.
rant the prediction that conditions
are possibly even worse than has
been charged" Mr.. Hall said.
The Smith Dill was bitterly assail.
ed by the author Of the initial anti
divorce legislation. THE Smith
measure is so ambiguous, and con-
tains some provisions that are so
drastic that members of the ring
know that the bill could never pass"
Mr.. Hall said.
THE ring is attempting to have
this committee report favorably on
the Smith measure, knowing full
well that II would die ADJOINING in
the assembly" Mr.. Hall told the as
sembly committee, holding the hear
ing.
Figures were presented to the
committee by Mr.. Hall showing that
In Arlington and Fairfax counties Of
Virginia there is one divorce to
three marriages and in Alexandria
one divorce to every one and a half
marriages.
Second to Japan.
There were 4.004 divorces in Vir-
ginia in 1920, which places Virgin. a
in second place to Japan, which has
the worst divorce record in the
world" Mr.. Hall told the committee
Other speakers in behalf of better
divorce legislat on were DR.. Kate
Waller Barrett and Wilbur f. Craft.
who bitterly assailed members of the
divorce ring and the laxity of law en-.
fOrCement in Virginia.