Evening star., 1943-06-14
Dempsey Divorce Suit
In Referee's $ Hands,:
Early Decision Due
He Denies Striking Wife,
But Admits Ejectine ;
Men From Apartment
By the Associated Press.

Men From Apartment
BY the Associated Press.
WHITE PLAINS. N. Y. June IA
Jack Dempsey's suit for divorce and
his wife's counterclaim for separa-
ton went to Supreme Court ref
cree for decision late today after
the former heavyweight champion
had emphatically denied he had
ever struck his wife.
Referee J. Addison Young prom
ised to reach decision as promptly
as possible" The trial began
May Is.
Dempsey acknowledged he once
assisted three men out Of his
Kitchen by slaps, shoves and grasps
at the seat of the trousers.
He also denied that he pointed
gun at his wife and threatened 10
kill her.
Ihe former heavyweight champion
testlned in answer to his wife's
charges OF cruel and inhuman treat
men on which she based her counter
claim for separation. Dempsey now
a lieutenant commander in the
coast Guard, gave staccato denials
to questions of his attorney, Arthur
r, Drlscoll regarding earlier testi-
mony OF Mrs. Dempsey, whom he
mas charged with misconduct. He
has named two boxing figures, Benny
Woodall and Lew Jenkins, as CO.
respondents
Dempsey said it was false that
he was always accusing his wife of
being with other men. He denied
mat on Mothers Day, 1910. he
argued with Mrs. Dempsey and then
picked her up and threw her against
the wall.
Tells Of Ejecting Three Men.
Concerning the incident at his
Central Park West apartment dur
ing which, his wife charged he beat
up and kicked out of the apartment
Mrs. Dempsey's sister. Mrs. Dorothy
Gomez, and three young men who
had waited to meet him. Dempsey
had different version to relate.
1t was Mrs. Dempsey who asked
him to get rid of the four because
they had been drinking and wouldn't
leave, Dempsey testified. To one OF
the men, Dempsey testified he said:
Go on get out OF here, and he said,
What about it?' and I slapped his
face with my open hand Dempsey
continued.
Il took the other one by the seat
OF the trousers and pushed hmi out
OF the door. Then the third one
came from the front room and
showed him out. I turned around
and her sister Dorothy was on the
floor, kicking and crying And Mrs.
Dempsey said, Leave her alone. I'll
take care OF her, and I went to bed"
Earlier in the day, Mrs. Dempsey's
counter claim for divorce was dis
missed. leaving at issue only Demp-
sey's suit for divorce and his wife,s
counter claim for separation.
AlimOny Testimony Delayed.
The referee also ruled that oues-
tions concerning alimony and Gus
tody of the two Dempsey children
would not DE adjucicated until the
main issue had been determined,
adding that later additional testi-
mony bearing on these subjects could
be presented.
After Dempsey testified. Herman
Souza, Las Vegas New bartender.
was called as a rebuttal witness for
the former champion He told of
meeting Woodall in a Los Angeles
cocktail bar last December and later
discussing with Woodall the down.
fall Of Lew jenkins while training"
Souza said he drove Woodall homo
and quoted the latter as saying:
Hannah Williams does not love
Lew Jenkins She loves me. We've
been living together from time to
time and it won't be long before
we're married and living together
all the time"
Another rebuttal witness, Sophie
Hohler, a chambermaid who worked
for the Dempsevs several years ago,
testified she had never seen Demp-
sey slap or cuff his wife.
Draft Case Brought Up.
On cross-eXamination by Attor-
ney Gerald Donovan. Dempsey tes-
tilted that in the summer of 1917
he worked as a machinist's helper
in shipyard.
Were you ever prosecuted for
draft dodging?" Mr.. Donovan asked.
Il was Dempsey answered. as
his attorney objected and added
that Dempsey had been acquitted.
He acknowledged having met
jenkins four years ago. adding but
really don't know him The
latter, he said. joined the Coast
Guard and was stationed for
while at the Manhattan Beach
training station where Dempsey is
assigned
To another question he declared
he had nothing in the world to do
with jenkins leaving Manhattan
Beach
Other questions brought out that
the former fighter hurt his left hand,
which he said once had been broken
in fight, when he elected the
three men from his home.
He testified that the trio claimed
no injuries that he was aware of
but that he paid an attorney $1,000
settlement because Il didn't want
publicity on account Of my family"