The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-12-05
AUST|N'S CLOSING
PLEA FOR DORR|T
Tells Jury Arguments of
Defense Are Only Butch
cry of Character"
WHIPPING POST AND
TAR SHOULD BE USED
Whole Defense Is Built On Sands of
FaIsehOOd. lie Says Attorney Dar-
ling for Defense Claims D0rrit's Let
ters Are TinseI-Case Near to Jury.

ters Are Tinsel-Case Near to Jury.
BURLINGTON, Dee 5.-Warren Il.
Austin. attorney for Dorrit Woodhouse
in the 81 100000 alienation case against
Mr. and Mrs L. L. Woodhouse, began
his closing argument in county court this
morning and gave a severe condemnation
Of what he termed 'butchery of charac
ter which had been INDUCED in, in an
effort to build up defense. Your only
recourse in such a case is in your ver-
dict. gentlemen" he said in addressing
the jury The whipping-post and the
barrel Of tar are not allowed in Vermont
or | would recommend them" Mr.. Aus
tin stated that such methods as had been
used by the defense ought not TO be al
lowed even in court of justice.
Mr. Austin said that the entire struc-
ture of the defense had been built upon
sands of falsehood and could not stand.
The Woodhouses have eontradicted
each other. than contradicted themselves,
and then contradicted everybody else in
an effort TO build up a suitable fabrica-
ton he declared. II do not blame the
lawyers on the other side. They have
done the best they could with what they
had to 10" He deplored the wrecking
of Lillian McClellan's reputation after
she had done SO much for fhe Wood
, houses He alluded 90 the efforts of the
parents TO make a scapegoat Of their son
in an effort To get out from under and
/ finally spoke in scathing terms OF that
part of the defenses program which con-
/ sisted of tearing down the character OF
] Dorrit Noodh0uSe against whom the
WoodhouSeS say they haven't q thing.
fh,t 94sgte -
I FIVE weeks trial could have placed their
finger on one single act which would
i indicate that there was Il friendly feel
/ ing between Dorrit and Mr.. and Mrs. j.
4 l.. Woodhouse they would have done So
4 declared Ar Austin, but they preferred
4 to east their own sur to damnation. II
+ they had been pleased with the marriage
as they have professed, wouldn't they
4 have invited Dorrit to the house party
at Easthampton$' asked the attorney
They would have invited her to theil
/ home and not waited for formal intro
/ duction by their proStrate son..
Mr.. Austin called attention 10 a mum
ber of contradictions in the testimony oi
T l.. f. Woodhouse He had testified wheT
( he first took the stand that he did not
/ know Dorrit. lie had never seen her tt
know her until he saw her in the court
room. Yet il was known now that ht
did know her; that DIR. Sparhawk intro
! duced them and that they met in til,
Long Branch hospital.
I Mr.. Austin charac cteriZed the attitude
/ of the Woodhouses as being inhuman anC
I unnatural Their entire conduct wa
full of malice. Their testimony on tn,
stand had consisted of a fiat denial o
everything interspersed with liberia
I lapses of memory.
The case will probably 90 to the jur!
late this afternoon or Wednesday morn
ing.
1T was the attitude which Dorri
Stevens took in connection with her ap
preaching motherhood and her failure t
help her soldier husband by SendinI
cheerful letters TO him in camp. instea
of writing cross and 'snooty' letters t
him. of which he was always complain
ing. that brought about the loss of HI
affections TO the plaintiff" Attorney &
Fl. Darling for the defense declared YES
terday afternoon.
OF these things the defendants kne,
nothing and exerted absolutely no mtiU
enee ON their son in his matrimonia
tangle Mr. Darling maintained.
Quoting from the Cutie Pie" an
"Dottie Pie letters of Douglas WooC
house to the girl for whom he expresse
undying love i'm June 1918 shortly b,
fore he received his commission in tn
signal corps at College Park, Md. At
torney Darling declared:
But from the date that letter
July ). from Dorrit Stevens to Dougla
Woodhouse reached Douglas, 'Dott
Cutie Pie became a lOng-lost memor
1t was as if she had died forever" (Tl
fContinued on Page Eight)