Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-03-02
SOME BODY LIED.
VIE VI Of JUDGE
IN MARY'S CASE
Jury Reaches a Verdict in
the PiCkfOrd Trial, But
What It Is viii Not Be
Known Until Today.
lHr rhn Assoclntod Press y

| New York, March Fedora
Judge Mack reached the conclu-
sion today that either Mary Pick
ford or Mrs. Cora w. Wilken-
ming, who sued the cinema ac-
tress for $1OS,OOO, had deliber-
ately lied, and he left it to a
jury to decide which one was
guilty.
The Jury returned its decision
this afternoon, but as Judge
Mack had gone home, the ver-
dict was sealed and the question
Of veracity will not be publicly
settled until tomorrow.
The lie, according to the Judge,
rested in the conflicting stories
of the method Mary used back
in 1915 to get Adolph Zukor TO
raise her salary from $4,000 a
week to 10000,
Mrs. Widening, whose bust
ness is that of locating jobs and
better salaries for people who
live by amusing others, claimed
that it was she who persuaded
Mr.. Zukor to fatten Mary's in
come. She said the screen star
came to her and told about hear
ing that Charlie Chaplin was
making a million dollars a year,
and she thought her curls and
her pout were worth just as much
as the comedians derby and
shuttle, or words to that effect.
Mrs. Wilkennlng's Story.
According to Mrs. Widening
story, 1t was agreed that she
would sally forth and get other
producers to bid for Mary's serv-
ices which would force Zukor to
raise the ante. and then she would
get 10 per cent commission on the
new contract. Thus she claimed
S10S,000 as her commission and
extra charges, because Mary got a
$4,000 a week contract running
for two years.
Mary, who was in the court
room today with her husband,
Douglas Fairbanks, and her moth
er, flatly denied Mrs, whitening 8
story. Her lawyers told the jury
that Mary was such good actress
that producers came around to her
with tempting contracts and that
it was down right silly to think she
would have to run around looking
for a job.
Mary's mother testified yester-
day that Mrs. Widening didn't
have a thing to do with the con-
tract, but wanted 1t signed In her
office because 1t would lend her
prestige. Today Mrs. Wilkenning's
lawyer told what he thought about
Mary's mother. ana Mrs. Plckford
almost cried. But she smiled again
when Mary kissed her and told her
10 brace up and show her Irish
sense of humor."
"This interview between the
plaintiff and the defendant either
took place or it did not take place"
said Judge Mack. addressing the
jury. zone or the other has de-
liberately lied. It cannot be a mere
Pigment of the imagination"
Then he told the jury that If
who slipped from the path Of truth
they could award Mrs. Widening
any sum up TO StOS,000.
A crowd loafed all day in the
corridor outside the court room to
catch a glimpse of Mary and Doug
las. When the screen stars depart
cd after the judge had charged the
jury, the movie fans formed an UNI
solicited escort down the stairs to
a waiting automobile Douglas was
so busy slipping on a great coat
that he almost lost Mary in the
mob of autograph hounds, stenog-
raphers, clerks. star gazers and
mortals who sur
rounded her.
wait a minute. dear" she said.
That seemed to tickle the crow ]
Just as If they had been wondering
all along what Mary called her
husband.