The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-09-27
Stokes SOUGHT
DIVORCE
Earl
VIA Describes Alleged At
tempfs of Millionaire Spouse
to Frame Her.


Stokes, to obtain divoScs eOide,lcs.
BY HELEN ELWOOD STOKES.
tcopyriehssd. 1881. ~ chicago Evening
American PnbIIehing Company and
distributed ~ Cosmopolitan
News service.l
CHICAGO, Sept. "a. The ~
mighty dollars 81 W. b. d.
Stokes, piled high into i seeming
II insurmountable barrier q JUS
tice, once frightened me.
Found Spiritual Aid.
/ thought, III those early days
IT my court fight, that perhaps
might WAS right but now / know
that Almighty God, who sees our
hearts cannot withhold His help
from an innocent woman who ii
fighting FOR her children and Tor
right. He has aided me in q
miraculous manner and / have
now no fear for the outcome.
Relations with Weddle.
As early a. the summer Of 1918
my husband plotted to set ria OF
me. We had gone with Weddie
orr. stokes sonl. hls tutor, Harold
Gould, Clifford Moore, cousin Of
Mr.. Stokes and his fiancee. who
Is now Mr.. Moore, to oiir summer
/. 1.,,e g. = .s-sfsa rgtF.1o Egxr TlyoaNfo
was then about eighteen years old
and I was tWenty-Gix. The same
sweet friendship that had existed
between IN continued. IT was an
ideal mpanionehip of q young
boy for an older woman, who had
been kind to him.
Weddie said q thousand timee
that summer that had made him
the only home he had ever known
and that he would never be able &c
show his gratitude He and l1ie
tutor, Mr.. Gould, ''rougl1ed it, 4
great deal during the summer and
Weddie spent really very little time
with Mr.. Stokes, Mr.. Moore, Mrs
Moore and me. They had cots or
the porches and living roOnla kind
Of dem I'D 3oining X which they
used for their quarters.
Weddie Goes 10 School
When We returned to New York
in the fail Of 1918, Weddie returned
TO Andover. A few days later
Clifford Moore and his fiance came
to see me. They told me that Mr.
Stokes was trying to frame evi.
dence against me--that he had
asked them to testify in d divorce
suit against me that they had seen
me In Weddie's bed room during
that summer and that he had told
them he was going1 to get an al
ndavtt from Weddie making q coli.
fesston supporting their testimony
was speeches. with horror and
amusement. Mr.. Stokes had told
me many times that unless
acceded to his wishes and did things
which could never bring myself
TO do, he would divorce me but I
had never thought about ii serious
" because knew he would never
have any grounds. In q rage, Il
confronted Mr.. Stokes. AS soon al
I mentioned the divorce, he give
himself away.
II suppose Clifford told YOU" ne
said. Wei, what are you going
to do about It? I told you I'd get
rid Of you, didn't II" The next day,
my brother, Roland and went to
Andover to see Weddie. AS soon
as told why had come be began
to cry: "Mom," he said, you know
would never tell such a rotten lie
about YOU. Nothing on earth could
make me. You're the uurest. sweet.
est woman ever knew
VIII you swear to that IL your
father sues me for divorce?" /
asked him.
/ Willing to Swear to It.
I'll swear to it right now" and
with his own pen and on the sta.
tionery Of the school, he wrote a
statement positively denying that he
had ever been unduly intimate with
me at Lexington or at any other
place. That paper is now in my
vault and is my most important
exhibit in the suit that Charles e.
Erbstein, my attorney, has filed
for me against Weddie for the
slanderous Darling Pop" letter
Wnicn ne finally wrote for his
1atner In which he accuses me.
The next move w. e. D. Stokes
made to get ride of me was made
| in November, 1918. was having
breakfast one morning in my apart.
ment in New York when q strange
man sauntered out Of my husbands
bed room. was frightened and
screamed. The man told me coolly
that he had spent the night in the
apartment, and when 1 sent for the
butler and asked how he got In.
the butler admitted that Mr.. Stokes
nad LETT word when he left town
that the man was to be admitted to
my home after / went to bed.
When l finally realized to what
depths my husband was willing to
descend In order to divorce me, it
was too late TO turn back. My
paoy was coming, and, although
life Tor me was literally the tor
ments OF hell, was forced to go
on Tor his sake. / was still young
enough and hopeful enough to be-
neve that my baby would bring
some sweetness into my husband's
heart.
De Aquinas' Testimony.
Another striking example Of tho
way God was looking after me and
my children Ia the testimony, dur.
ing the divorce trial, Of woman
named De Aquinas, who testified