The Washington times., 1923-10-13

| grief. She was known on the
stage as. Paula Verne. j..
Cove" in his decision given in Denver
three years ago:
A Judicial View.
1.-THE, court is Convinced that, he
never was fit to marry any decent
yodng girl, much less to be the
father OF her children.
'%The mans mind is undoubtedly
of such a character, as shown by
his notorious life, as to make it
highly indecent and improper to
permit him any kind Of custody OF
these children or to have anything
| more to do with them than being
compelled to support them.
His own purposes were in no
way a credit to the decencies Of
| the married relation-the sort Of
thing that cannot be too roundly
scored mad severely condemned by
any court that has any respect for
the rights Of women and children
and adherence for the wiles and
designs of disgusting old rOuSes.
| such as this man Stokes seems to
have been. and as this court has
not the slightest doubt that he
really was and is"
Judge Lindsey is no small town
judge, no local celebrity. He is and
has been for years man of ma
| tionaI and international renoWn.
His word carries far, and with 1t
! always goes the sanctity Of love for
children He is not demagogue,
given to sounding phrases, but is, on
| the other hand, man Of quiet tenn
per and kindly nature, his life work
being to try to save the little chill.
dren of neglect and poverty and
/ Ignorance.
Makes the Picture Dark.
In his decision, which took the
two little ones of Mrs. Stokes from
contact with their father; ne ex-
pressed the hope that the supreme
court of New York would join his
court as court of chancery to pro.
| tect this mother and her children.
| And, finally, Judge Lindsey declared
that If the courts of the two States
should join in this decent and hui
name effort there would be "rejoic.
ing that women and children have
the common protection of all courts. y
| Immoral, unclean and loathsome,' u
Judge Lindsey declared Stokes to be
after hearing the case before him
The children's friend, moreover
pointed out the fact that right on
the heels Of his marriage to Amino.
cent young Western girl, Stokes was
| shot IN a disgracefuI brawl' with
| two young women.
He seems to have been utterly
depraved and hopelessly profligate
to have continued to live in hotels
and apartments where he carried
on his relations with women in the
most fragrant and shameless way
There is picture of Stokes in
his mind and heart, given from the
written record of one court. 1t is
the same "Old Cove" the same
William Earl Dodge Stokes, who is
today plaintiff in the supreme court
of the State of New York, asking
judicial rectification of the bitter
wrong done him by his little wife
who brought two children into the
world for him and who, according
TO her testimony in Denver, stuck
by him, bearing him children an6
raising them healthily.
And yet. day in and out, with all
the opprobrium heaped upon him ir
court records and in public print
the "Old Cove" sits in his chair al
the end Of the counsel table, remote
from his lawyers, never a flush tc
his checks, never an uneasy CLINT tt
his keen, narrowset eyes, never a
trace OF shame, asking Justice Ma
honey and twelve jurors, law-abid
ing, decent citizens, to right the
wrong done him.
No ghost haunts William Ear
Dodge Stokes and probably long age
| there n in -
sObs of Lillian Graham, the seven
teen-year-old girl who was his guest
at his stock farm in Kentucky.
Then He Was Shot.
His only concern was to get from
the girl letters that he feared would
cost him money. He looked III
Lillian and found her rooming with
Ethel Conrad, show girl. He de
manded his letters. There was 6
free-for-all, the flash of a pistol anC
two bullets found their mark in the
old Cove's" hide. In time he limp
ed from the hospital, battle-scarreC
veteran, and with the same fierce
tenacity Of purpose began to prose
cute the girls in the courts.
The two girls were tried for the
assault and the ury without loss OF
time found them not guilty, The
foreman Of the jury, after the trial
said:
The case was practically decided
in the minds of the jurors when Mr.
Stokes finished his testimony, before
the evidence of the defendants haC
been heard. After learning on tn,
direct and cross examination Of Mr.
Stokes so much about his affairs ant
entanglements the jury considered 4
Impossible that with his wide expert