Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-10-30
man BR|TTON BOOK
IS READ TO Jury
Defense Counsel in Libel Suit
Reviews Story Involving
Harding.
" the Asseelatsd PR.

I " the Associated Press.
/ TOLEDO, Ohio. October 30-The trial
/ Of the $50,000 libel suit CT Nan Britton,
author OF The Presidents Daughter :"
/ against c. A. Klunk. Marion, Ohio, hotel
/ Keeper. continued here today with the
'ury listening TO the reading Of Miss
/ Rritton's book By defense counsel The
hook, The Presidents Daughter" al
legged that President Warren 9. Hard
/ ing was the father Of Miss Britton's
daughter. Elizabeth Ann.
I Al the completion OF the reading the
defense rested
! Reading by defense counsel from Miss
Britton's book disclosed her assertion
! that letters received by her from Presi-
cent Harding. while he was United
States Senator. were from / TO go pages
| long. Also that he had characterized
| both his letters and these he received
from the plaintiff as compared % moth
ing but French love letters" The SEN
5tor had suggested. the book states, that
al communications interchanged be-
| tween them be destroyed.
Child Ruling Element.
Concern for her child, Elizabeth Ann.
became the ruling element in the
mother after the death of President
Harding while she was on a European
trip, from which she hurried home upon
learning Of his death. the book says
This is put forth by the author as the
reason for her marriage six months
later to Capt Nelson. an ocean nayi-
gator after he had agreed 10 set $1,000
aside in trust fund Tor her daughter,
The book discussed, as read ia court,
the authors reluctancy at first in tell
ing the captain that she had a daughter
and who was the father. The promised
sum never was paid, the author says.
and her divorce from the vessel master
followed in a short time.
Meetings Held Impossible.
In the Answer to. the Presidents
Daughter" written by Joseph de Barthe,
Marion, Ohio, now deceased, as a de-
Tense OF President Harding, and the
offending book in the present case grow
ing out of its alleged libelous contents,
the assertion of Nan Britton that she
had clandeStine meetings with Presi-
dent Harding in the White House was
dlscredited on the ground of impossi-
bility. Counsel read portions from the
book on this point as follows:
Let us look for moment at this
historic place-the White House-in
which the Presidents wife is supposed
to have led a lonesome life in the Ex-
ecutive Mansion while the complaining
witness found it so remarkably easy to
gain dOHllSSlOH al VIII, Gay or night,
and without the knowledge of the wife.
1T is impossible for any one to enter
the White House except under rigid
surveillance. If you doubt it, try it. The
prisoner of Shillon enjoyed a privacy
denied the Chief Executive of this
Nation"
Minors Barred From Court.
All persons under 81 years old were
barred from court by Judge John M.
KillitS, who is presiding at the trial.
Judge Killits explained that he might
exclude all visitors from the court
room, adding that the time might come
when it would be necessary to exclude
even the press.
This order is fundamental. 1t is
a part necessary for the decent admin
istration of this court"
Several young people left the court
room after Judge Killits gave the order.
Attorney William F. Marsteller of Cleve-
land, representing Miss Britton, told
the court that he was making an ex-
ception to the judges statement. There
was nothing salacious in the trial SO
far, he said, excepting that which might
have been read from the books. The
Presidents Daughter" and THE An
Swer to the Presidents Daughter"
Arguments in the case may be made
today end the case may go to the jury
before court adjourns today.