The Washington times., 1923-10-12
lUnteEmyer Counters.
Novelist Gives His
Impressions of Day
At Stokes Hearing

NEW YORK, Oct. 12.-WiIliam
Earl Dodge Stokes, owner of the
Ansonia, rich old connoisseur of
horses and women, battle.scarred
by various and sundry of the latter.
was tardy at his divorce trial in
the supreme court Of the State of
New York. He did not look at all
well as he lowered himself gently
to his chair at the end OF counsel
table, remote from his legal ad.
visers.
Woman Is Called.
A witness OF no great conse.
Quence had consumed the first hour
OF the day, things going along
rather DULY. Butewhen the veteran
was seated there came, as If by. the
order or a stage director, but posi-.
bly, In the regular order of the
case, enough ugliness against his
pretty little wife to satisfy any
man with a desire to stain and
smirch.
It was a dark morning outside.
with dingy clouds limiting bleak
days soon to come. It was dark
also inside with a witness on the
stand to testify to the necessary
amount of dark infidelity. Lillian
Payne, q ledger In Harlem, was
offered by William Earl Dodge
Stokes in behalf Of his caree at
the bar.
Born I'm Washington.
Lillian was BLOWN in Washing.
ton" She does washing and iron.
Ing. presses clothes, cleans up,
does not know where her husband
is, is not worried about him and
likes to ride in the large automo-
bile Of Hattie Johnson, described
by Samuel Untermyer, for the de-
Tense, as a colored detective EN-.
ployed by the rich old plaintiff. She
rode in state after court the day
with tears and outcries protested
against the ugly testimony of El.
mer Henshaw, the Stokes chauffeur
And she rode to the office of
Stokes, she testified.
Stokes, who in years agone, while
corresponding with certain trouble
some females who are fond Of try.
Ing to use gay deceivers as targets
in pistol practice, called himself ar
odd Cove" pulled up his coat
collar and glanced slowly to the
right and rear where sat his wife
and her counsel. He found that she
had recovered her nerve and was,
as ever, busy with suggestions to
Mr.. Untermyer, suggestions that
the famous lawyer acts on nine out
Of ten times.
His Witness.
A glance at the witness stand
showed him his witness, a cloud Of
black clothes, a skin a shade
L. IT.
hat and very large pearl earrings
Of a dunbbell fashion swinging
low to her ample shoulders. Her
story on direct examination accused
his wife Of entering the bedroom
Of Edar T. Wallace, an engineer
with bachelor apartments ut 10
East Thirty-fifth street. The day
promised highly for the plaintiff.
Lillian, questioned by Steuer, de.
clared that Mrs. Stokes had come
to Mr.. Wallace's apartment twice
in the late fall of 1917. She was
working there regularly at that
time. The first time she left them
alone for about ten minutes and
the next morning, when she made
the bed. she found two pillows
badly rumpled, gold hair pins in
the bed, and, in the comb and brush
on the chiffonaire, red hair.
Positive In Identification,
She was positive in her identifi-
cation Of the woman as Mrs.
Stokes. There was no evidence Of
hair pins and stray red hair after
the second visit. On both COCA
sions she had only q glance Of the
woman. In making an affidavit for
Stokes before the first trial she
had been shown a photograph of
Mrs. Stokes. After two years of
working elsewhere she identified the
picture as that of the woman she
had glimpsed in the Wallace apart
ment. On that Identification she
swore to the infidelity of the wife
and mother.
But 1t was not her testimony and
Its subsequent contradictory state
ments on cross-examinations, it's fire.
quent implausibilities. that caught
my interest. It was her sworn state
mr. bot SRA