Richmond planet., 1925-11-14
Especial to The New York TimesD
NEW YORK, November 9Th


White Plains, N. Y, Nov. 3
Leonard Kip Rhinelander, Of New
York CITY, who is suing for the an
nulment of his marriage to Alice
Beatrice Jones Rhinelander, of New
Rochelle, on October IA, 1924, on
the grounds that she deceived him as
to her race and that she had colored
blood. sat unmoved today IN
crowded court room before Supreme
Court Justice Joseph MoEschauser
and a jury and heard his counsel,
former Supreme Court Justice Isaac
N. Mills, read excerpts from letters
written to him by the defendant
which described the relationship be-
tween them. He heard his wife
termed the mistress of another man
before he met her, and heard Judge
Mills describe the alleged black
ancestry of his wife, her sisters ana
her father.
He was listening to the opening
address of Judge Mills to the jury
in the case which has caused furore
in social circles since last Fall, when
il became known that young Rhine
lander, descendant of a proud old
family of French Huguenots and
bearer of one of New York's noted
names, had married the daughter OF
a New Rochelle taxi driver, George
Jones, a man alleged to be a Negro.
Mrs. Rhinelander's father, long
faced, dark-skinned man, with long
wavy hair. sat lingering his chin as
he heard the revelations contained
in letters which Judge Mills said ne
would produce as documentary evil
dence that the defendant, then Alice
Beatrice Jones, had ured young
Rhinelander into marrying her by
means of her charms. The defendant
informed Rhinelander in one of her
letters, Judge Mills said, that she
was keeping these charms only for
him, although there is Harvard
man who is trying to make me, and
I've had chance to have a hundred
dates"
Through it all. Rhinelander, his
wife, her father and her mother sat
with faces in which not muscle
moved.
Leon r. Jacobs, of New York, ap
peared as attorney for Rhinelander,
while Reroy Mills assisted his father.
Lee Parsons Davis, former District
Attorney of Westchester County, is
counsel for Mrs. Rhinelander, while
Judge Samuel F. Swinboure, of New
Rochelle, is her attorney
Defense Replies Today.
Judge Mills made his opening
statement to the jury this afternoon,
taking an hour and quarter to do
so. The court adjourned until to-
morrow morning at 10 o'clock, when
Mr.. Davis will make his opening
statement
"I must state what the defense
will seek to prove. said Judge Mills
in opening his statement. Mr..
Rhinelander was married to this de-
fendant by Mayor Harry Scott, of
New Rochelle, on October Il, 1924.
They parted about month later.
Then Mr.. Rhinelander brought this
action. People, when they agree to
marry, must inform each other of all
the material facts. This right may
be abused either by false representa-
ton or fact simply concealed. We
claim both in this case.
THE consent of the plaintiff
(Rhinelander) to the marriage was
obtained by fraud Before the mar
riage the defendant said she was
white, not colored, and had no col
ored blood. She was colored and had
colored blood. When he discovered
It he left her and never returned.
These are the questions that you
must decide:
'Is the defendant colored and of
colored blood?
Before the marriage did the de-
fendant represent herself as white?
did he marry her believeing her
to be white?
''Did he enter into the marriage
with full knowledge of her ancestry?
1--WE shall prove that the plaintiff
is of pure white stock. His birth GER
tifcate, dated May 8, 1908, shows
that he is white We shall show that
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