Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1925-12-26
RH[NELANDER
LOSES HIS SUIT.
INTRUCTIONS TO THE
JURY WERE CLEAR AND
FAIR TO BOTH SIDES.
CONTINUED from last week.

(Continued from last week.
Leonard Kip Rhinelander was very
near a breakdown when he left the
witness stand on the fifth day OF his
grue,ling examination in his suit for
annuulment of his marriage to Alice
Jones. which suit he lost in Jutslce
Morschauser's Court at White Plains
n. Y. recently His voice had be-
come husky and at times was a
mere humble: he suffered so that
his lips fluttered vainly in the eff
fort to speak and tremblingly held
his fo.dtd arms together as he
fought for control.
Burning. scathing words had been
hurled at him for hours by Lee
Parsons Davis. his wife's counsel. He
had been forced to admit deception
and lies to his wife's mother: he
had been made to tell of things
which indicated a deliberate attempt
to bring about intimacy with Alice
Jones. To the accusations of Mr.
Davis. made with whitening effect,
he had only one reply, that his wife
had deceived him as to her color
or that his receptions had been suS
gested. or at least concurred IN Oy
her, until Mr.. Davis roared at him.
shaking his extended hand:
rs there anything in this case
that is vile that you are moi
putting uD to this girl?'
Rhirelander had been held up to
ri6icule on the very things which he
might have been expected to bnow
most about little matters OF social
etiquette. such as when an engage
ment actually was made Rhineland-
en- cOntended it was not until a girl
got a ring; Mr. Davis that it was
when a girl was asked to marry, the
ring being merely the announcement.
Mr. Davis couched his questions IN
such satiric tones that Rhinelander
was made to appear as one who
knew very little about social customs
ADMITTED DECEIVING HER
MOTHER.
An automobile trip through New
York and New Eng and with Alice
TO which her mothers consent had
been obtained by his assurance that
a Mr.. and Mrs Matthews would &C
company them as chaperones, was
dealt with exhaustively by Mr.. Davis
Mr.. Rhineander unblushingly adj
mitted that he had deceived Mrs.
Jones, that Mr.. and Mrs. Matthews
did not exist. that az the accounts
of that mythical couples enjoyment
of the trip had been invented by
him ard sent home to satisfy the
mother. 1t was all right as long as
The girl was willing. he said, just
as the deception the night they
wer4 to the Marie Antoinette was
justified by his plea that Alice die
not object after he had persuaded
her for twenty minutes. But his
account of that persuasion was en-
barrass'ng, so much so that former
Judge Isaac n Mills. his counsel
inteysered ard obtained an adjourn
mer3 - Kermit Rhinelander to pull
himself together.
The question of Mrs Rhiuelanders
color came up again early in the
day. when Mr.. Davis, after a few
questiors regarding a mysterious
MESSAGE sent her, suddenly asked:
''Whot is the color of your wife's
body?"
"D"~h " eaid Rhinelander
How dark?"
Fairy dark"
rs r very pronounced?"
''It i@n't any darker than the arms
of women I have seen in Havana .
he said.
Mr.. Davis asked Mrs. Rhine'ander
TO hold I'D her hands, and as she
did so her seeves fell down SO that
her arms could be seen to the elbow.
They scanned at short distance to
Re an ash brown.
''Is it as dark as her hands?''
asked Mr.. Davis .s
Yea
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