The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-01-31
DADDY CAN'T
TELL MUCH
ON PEACHES
Diary and Letters Presum-
ably About Strip Poker
Barred as Evidence.
LOVE I0YLL RECALLED
Waitress TeStifieS to Life at
Inn.


BIZ United Press
WHITE PLAINS. n. Y, Jan. 81.
Edward West Browning today be.
gan dumping his basket of figurative
rubber eggs on Frances Peaches)
Heenan Browning, his wife.
With the resumption Of the case
after three days recess, Browning
called witness after witness to testi-
fy to the idyllic family life of
Daddy" and Peaches" which
lasted for six months and ended
when both went to court.
The day had just one disappoint-
ment for the crowd of some 400 peo-
pie who, sitting on one anothers
laps and jamming the aisles like a
rush hour on the subway, listened
to the days proceedings.
That disappointment. came when
the court ruled out Peaches diary
and three letters by which Brown
ing's lawyers had hoped they could
prove that strip poker" was one of
Mrs. Browning's favorite sports in
the day before Daddy" Browning
rode his honking African gander into
her life.
The court held that whatever
France, did before she was married
was nobody's business but her own
even granting that she did any
thing.
Peaches" Unmoyed
After that. by indirection, the
Browning lawyers got before the
court statement that Somebody
else told somebody else and some
body else told me" that Peaches"
had been seen disporting herself in
unusual fashion in a boy friends
apartment-but there was no direct
evidence on the point and Peaches"
didn't bat an eye when the story
was told.
After that the eighteen-chapter
syndicate story of "Why 1 Left
Daddy Browning" was introduced in
evidence and an army of walters told
how Browning always kept flowers
on Peaches table at the inn
where they lived; how well dressed
she was, and how they billed and
cooed like clay pigeons instead of
quarreling like African honking
ganders-at least in public.
1t took handful of policemen and
deputy sheriffs to get Browning
through the crowd which packed the
corridors and to his rented Rolls
Royce when court recessed at noon.
It was estimated that 5000 persons
were around the Courthouse at the
opening of the session this morning
and If any had left at lunch there
had been others arrive to take their
places.
John E. Mack, Browning's trial
counsel, renewed his offer of the
diary soon after court opened. Henry
Epstein, attorney for Peaches,
formally objected and was sustained.
Mack then offered the three letters
allegedly written by Mrs. Browning
to a girl friend.
"They will show that she was very
much a woman of the world before
the marriage" said Mack. 1.-The
game of strip poker is mentioned"
Epstein interrupted Mack with an
impassiened objection.
Past BIotted Out
LET us suppose" he said, "that
this girl before her marriage was
acquainted with vileness beyond
imagination. 1t would make no
difference. Her marriage has blotted
her past into oblivion. She had
right to expect decent treatment
from her husband"
Mack then said he agreed in prin-
ciple with Epstein, but that Mrs.
Browning had testified she was
shocked because her husband wanted
to see her unclad.
1--WE propose to show" went on
Browning's attorney, that she was
accustomed to being unclad. We
also want to call witnesses who will
prove that she had been intimate
with young men before her mar
fiage."
Justice Seeger interrupted by say
ing he probably would be able to de-
eide the case without learning the
past life of either plaintiff or de-
fendant. He then ruled against ad-
mission of the letters.
Charlotte Mills, whose mother was
Mrs. Eleanor Mills, killed with the
Rev. Edward w. Hall, giving rise to
the famous IIall-Mills murder mys-
terry, was among those i'll court to-
day.
Browning's attorneys opened their
attack on Mrs. Browning immediate
ly. by an indirect method--that OF
attempting to impeach the testimony
| of Miss Marian Tussey, who -ap-
peared on the case last week.
Miss Tussey, in response to ques-
tions, denied that she had told Bonte
Croner, her landlord, that she had.
on three occasions, seen Mrs. Brown
ing drinking cocktails and other
wise making merry, in the apart
ments of men.
Then Croner. a little, well-dressed,
old-fashioned and bald-headed man
of about TO- testified that Miss Tus-
sew had told him much of Mrs
Browning. including a description OF
the alleged bedroom scenes. He did
not go into detail, but the testimony,
designed to reflect on Mrs. Brown
ing's innocence, got into the record.
! Mrs. Margaret Lew testified she
never had heard any representative
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