Evening star., 1930-12-16
DRINKING ALLEGED
IN SANDER CASE
Two Witnesses Say Liquor
Was Served at Party in
Woman's Apartment.

Testimony that Rev. william Thomas
Reynolds. former rector of Grace Epis-
copal Church, in Georgetown, was
ment Of Mrs. Maude Bell Ford, 1922 N
street. who is suing Mrs. Marguerite
du Pont Lee, related to the du Pont
family Of Delaware, for $4,000 dam
ages for alleged slander, was given this
afternoon to Justice Frederick l.. Sid
dons and a jury in Circuit Division /
In Mrs. Lees defense of the suit.
Two witnesses testified to the condi-
ton Of the clergyman and also said
that Mrs. Ford on one of the occasions
was also intoxicated and had to be put
to bed and the minister assisted from
her apartment by one Of the witnesses,
who also declared that Rev. Mr.. Rey-
nolds was intoxicated February S, 1928,
when holding healing services at FASH
tonable church near Washington Circle.
1t was on the latter occasion that
Mrs. Lee Is said to have uttered the
alleged slanderous statements against
Mrs. Ford.
Telephone Operator Testifles.
Mrs. Marie Gorsuch, who had been
employed by Mrs. Ford as a telephone
operator at Corcoran Courts, where Mrs.
Ford was manager, declared that she
attended party at the apartment of
Mrs. Ford, September /, 1927, at 1922
N street, when Rev. Mr. Reynolds was
present, and that all of them had
drinks. Both the clergyman and Mrs.
Ford became intoxicated, the witness
said, and she put the plaintiff to bed.
She testified that her husband, Thomas
M. Gorsuch, assisted the pastor to his
car. The witness said she knew Rev.
de
insisted on telling fortunes.
Thomas M Gorsuch corroborated
the testimony Of his wife and told of
assisting Rev. Mr.. Reynolds from Mrs.
FordS apartment on that night and
again on the following night. He also
said the minister appeared to be drunk
when conducting the healing services,
February S, 1928. He said he heard
MRS. Lee talking to Reynolds chauffeur
and TO his nephew concerning his con-
dition, but denied that any loud tone
was used He said the minister came
down the aisle Of the church and going
up to Mrs. Lee repeated the INQUIRY.
tAm drunk" in q manner indicating
that he had been drinking.
Mrs. Lee Put on Stand.
Mrs. Lee was called to the witness
stand to testify on behalf of Mrs. Ford.
Mrs. Ford testified concerning her
acquaintance with Rev. Mr.. REYNOLDS.
She admitted that on the minister's
visits to her apartment when other per-
sons were present cocktails might have
been handed out, but she denied that
she had ever seen the rector drunk. She
also denied giving him anything to drink
on February 5, 1928, when Mrs. Lee is
alleged to have made statements that
the rector was drunk on that occasion
ana that Mrs. Ford was responsible for
his condition. Claim is also made that
MRS. Lee used language rejecting on the
morality Of the plaintiff.
Letters Are Identified.
Attorney W. Gwynn Gardiner for
MRS. Ford called Mrs. Lee to identify
a. number Of letters said to have been
written by her to Mr.. Reynolds, which
the lawyer asserted were admissible for
the purpose of showing malice" on the
part Of Mrs. Lee in making the state
ment at healing service being con-
Quoted at fashionable Episcopal
Church near Washington Circle.
The letters. several in number, ad-
mitted by the elderly widow to have
been written to Mr.. Reynolds, then
about 40 years old, are replete with
words of love and affection.
Mrs. Lee admitted the authorship,
but when Attorneys Mackall and Bur-
roughs, her counsel, sought on cross
rector, and that Mrs. Lee had sons
older than him, and that the missives
were written In q "Eaotherly" vein, Mrs
Foros lawyers, Gardiner, Edward l..
Marthill and South Trimble, IT,, OBJ
Jected and Justice Siddons ruled that
they would have to wait until the case
Ior the defense had started.