The Omaha morning bee. [volume] (Omaha [Neb.]) 1922-1927, 1923-11-10
Mrs. Stokes
Is Winner
at Retrial
Wife of Rich Hotel Man Is
Found Innocent of Miscon-
duct in Rooms of
Correspondent.
Honor Is INDICATED

New York, Nov. 9.-The honor of
Mrs. Helen Elwood Stokes has been
vindicated. A jury of her peers late
this afternoon said mo" to the
charges of infidelity brought against
her and thereby crowned with VIC
tory the five-year battle she has
waged against the money, the re-
sources and the bitter hatred of mer
millionaire husband.
The jury was out an hour and
seven minutes though its delibera-
that. As the isses In the case had
been reduced to one court OF whether
the defendant had been guilty of
misconduct with Edgar T. Wallace in
his apartment at No. 13 West Thir-
ty-fifth street, the jury's negative
answer TO that part of the interroga-
tory was the signal of defeat for
the plaintiff The jury took only one
ballot.
Though the charges of misconduct
against Mrs. Stokes have been dis
posed OF, the courts are not yet
through with the Stokes case. 1sa-
dore Shapiro of counsel for Mrs.
Stokes. announced today that the
separation action started by Mrs.
Stokes against her husband was on
the calendar in the special term Of
the supreme court for next Monday.
Actions Were Thrown Out.
In the first trial of the Stokes case
the divorce and separation proceed
ings were linked. But both were
thrown out through n = error OF
Justice Edward r. Finch in falling
to sign the necessary papers before
he was elevated TO the appellate di.
vision benth.
The courtroom was only partly
filled when the jury filed in to render
its verdict But The corridors were
jammed and the bailiffs had TO clear
a passage for the jury. The 73-year-
old plaintiff who had been wandering
restlessly around the railed.off In
terror. took a seat by himself at the
end Of the long table. Mrs. Stokes
was seated to the left OF Samuel I'm
termyer- As the clerk of the court
approached the jury foreman she
raised n quivering white-gloved arm
and placed It on Mr.. Untermyer's
arm.
Have you reached a verdict?" the
clerk asked.
The foreman made scarcely au-
dIble affirmative reply and handed
the folded paper to the clerk. The
millionaire plaintiff leaned forward.
his chin in his hand. The clerk, read
aloud. on count nine the verdict was:
NO"
Mrs. Stokes Weeps.
There was a furry of handicap
ping interrupted by the hammering
Of the judges gavel and the shout.
ing Of baillffs TO keep quiet. Justice
Mahoney thanked the jury for its at
tention. Mrs. Stokes put a handker.
chief to her eyes, shook hands with
Mr.. Untermyer. then walked over
and shook hands with each OF the
jurors and Justice Mahoney.
Mr.. Stokes sat for a moment with.
out moving. Then he put on his
brown overcoat. pocketed-in n man.
ner OF speaking-his million-dollar de-
Iedtt ana lelI the cohillooii. n mum
ber of women ovaded the bailiffs' ef-
forts to clear the courtroom and rush
Ing over embraced the still fearful de-
fendant.
Max d. Steuer. counsel for Mr..
Stokes, was not in tho courtroom
when the verdict was rendered.
His concluding argument to the
Jury. though finished. pointed and elo.
quently sarcastic, implied an admis.
sion OF defeat. He asked the jury to
discard sentlmentality and decide the
case on the point of whether Mrs
Stokes had been guilty Of miscon-
duet.
The efforts of w. r.. ID. Stokes to
divorce his wife has cost him well
over n million dollars.