The Washington times., 1935-03-12
LIBBY FIGHTS
BACK At
HE|RESS
Torch Singer Attacks Marital
Affairs of Reynolds First
Wife; Denies Contract
picture on Page 81

WINSTON SALEM, N. c.,
March IL G.N.SD.-Libby Holman
Reynolds, beautiful husky-throat-
ed Broadway torch singer, today
struck back at the woman who
seeks to prevent her infant son
from sharing in the $25, 5,000,0 900
tobacco fortune of the myste-
riously slain Zachary Smith Rey-
nolds.
The legality of her marriage
and the legitimacy of her son
challenged by her dead hus-
bands first wife, Anne Cannon
Reynolds Smith, towel heiress,
Libby, through her attorney
Benet Polikoff, limited that all
was not as it should have been
in the marital affairs of Anne.
Lawyers Charge
Mr.. Reynolds, who separated
from Anne Cannon several
months before the birth of her
child, refused to have anything
to do with the child, to acknowl-
edge it or contribute toward its
support, Mr.. Polikoff declared.
He said:
"Anne Cannon and Zachary
Smith Reynolds married at
York. s. G., November 16, 1929,
and lived together for a period
OF . few weeks when serious
and unpleasant difficulties
arose as a result of which Reyn-
Olds permanently depa rted
from Anne Cannon and refused
to live with her or contribute to
her support.
Some time thereafter a child
was born to Anne Cannon Reyn-
OldS. After the birth of the
child, Reynolds refused to con-
tribute anything whatsoever
to its support and refused to ac-
knowledge any obligation on
his part to maintain and sup
port che child"
Libby's attorney denied the
charge by Anne's counsel that
she was under contract" to wed
Zachary before Anne obtained
her divorce and Anne's claim
that she was persuaded against
her will to divorce the tobacco
heir.
L. T. Hartsell, Anne's attorney,
made the contract charge during
his plea as the Cannon family
raising the question of the validity
of Anne's divorce and the legality
of Libby's marriage to Zachary,
sought to prevent Libby and her
infant son from sharing in the
estate.
Family Blocks Plan
Only the Cannon family stands
in the way of acceptance of a
settlement proposed by the Rey-
nolds family that would permit
the children of Anne and Libby
to share almost equally in the
fortune.
Attorneys for ,Libby's son, the
Cabarrus Bank and Trust Com
pany, Concord, co-guardian of
Anne's child, and the Safe Deposit
and Trust Company of Baltimore,
trustee of the $1OO,OOO,OOO fortune
left by the late r. j. Reynolds, Sr =,
who carved the tobacco empire out
of the sandy soil of the Piedmont
plateau, today agreed to the set
tlement.
Calls Quarrels Trivial
He charged Zachary with de-
serting Anne after they quarrelled
over trivial matters" Anne, he
said, did not want the divorce
and was persuaded against her
will to obtain it.
Anne and Zachary, he said,
quarrelled during the summer of
1881 and Zachary deserted her
and went on tour of Europe. I"
He stated:
"After Zachary returned at
temptS were made for a recon-
eilatOn but Anne was told his
d. cisiOn to leave her was final.
Later Zachary persuaded her to
come to his home for a few
days and they were friendly,
but then he began to urge her
to get a divorce and she told
him she did not want q divorce
then.
CONTRACT TO MARRY
Later he persuaded Anne to
go to Reno and took her there
in his plane.
"She did not know that at
(continued on Pase 2, Col. y