Evening star., 1944-03-03
|Langan Renews
Testimony in
Court Today
Collapse HoIts
Story Of Life
With Ex-Actress

John Langan this afternoon will
continue the story of his turbulent
life with Joan Manners after his
collapse on the witness stand in Dis
trict Court late yesterday abruptly
halted the habeas corpus proceed
ings brought by the former actress.
Mr.. Langan, who has denied Miss
Manners assertion that he is not the
father OF 10-year-old Joan Langan,
over whose custody he is battling his
former wife. broke down completely
as he told the crowded courtroom Of
certain stipulations which he said
he had inserted in a California order
giving custody of the girl to Miss
Manners. These stipulations, he said,
included one which forbade Miss
Manners to question the child's
paternity.
With tears rolling down his cheeks
and his voice choked with sobs, Mr..
Langan tried to finish his testimony.
Then he buried his face in his hands
and sobbed uncontrollably. At the
suggestion of Charles Walker, attor-
ney for Mr.. Langan, Justice T. Alan
Goldsborough, who is hearing the
case, adjourned court until Las pm.
today.
Blood Test Ordered.
Just before Mr.. Langan took the
stand yesterday afternoon, Justice
Goldsborough ordered blood test
of the child and Mr.. Langan as an
aid in determining paternity Of the
child. Attorneys for both sides con-
sented to the test, the results Of
which are to be reported to the
court on Monday. Miss Manners. it
is understood, will also participate
in the test.
Justice Goldsborough pointed out
that the blood test could not con-
clusively establish Mr.. Langan's pa
ternity but that it might prove he
is not the father.
Miss Manners attorneys at first
asked the court to name the same
physician who made an examination
in another custody case. This doctor,
it was learned today, is DR.. Wiener
who lives in Brooklyn. Walter Green,
counsel for the actress, said he would
ask the court to appoint instead DR..
Richard Kelso to make the analysis
and George Washington University
Hospital physician to draw the
samples.
Mr.. Langan took the stand yes
terday Immediately after his former
wife finished grueling three-day
cross-examination at the hands Of
Mr.. Walker. Just before she finished
her testimony, she said she had once
been confined to a mental institu-
ton for observation on the COM
plant of Mr.. Langan. but that she
had been declared sane by ply
sicians and the court.
Mr.. Langan denied that a mar
riage between him and Miss Man.
ners had taken place in 1881, as all
LEGGED by the former actress. He said
the only ceremony occurred in 1888
after he had repeatedly pleaded
with Miss Manners to marry him in
order to give the child "her rightful
name"
Mr.. Langan said he was living in
the District at present, and that
my present plans" are to remain
here. A Maryland court has award
ed Miss Manners custody. of the
child and has cited Mr.. Langan for
contempt for removing the child
from the mother after the custody
order had been issued a week ago.
He said he was staying at the Con-
tinental Hotel.
His Work Confidential.
He said he was doing confidential
war work with the Dice of Stra-
tegic Services at salary of s4,40O a
year and that he had some other in
come from rights and patents to an
lndexing system which he was al
lowing the Government to use free.
He told the court he and Miss
Manners were living together before
Joan was born and that she repre-
sented herself to his friends as Mrs.
Langan.
When the girl was years old, he
said. he went through IAN unhappy
period"
Mrs. Langan claimed the child
was conflning," he said, "and al
lowed no time for her to pursue her
career"
She finally left, he testified, to 90
to New York, after leaving the child
with Mrs. Murdock." After a
while, he took the girl from her Gus
todian and brought her to live with
him until one day the child disap-
peared and he learned Miss Man
ners had taken her.
After that, Mr.. Langan said, Miss
Manners attorneys called him and
demanded payment of s1OO a week
II he wanted to prevent exposure of
the fact they were not married. He
said Miss Manners finally agreed to
marry him for the sake of the child.
They lived together for IL DAYS after
that, during which time three differ
ent maids left his employment.
Cites "Scenes" at Schools.
Several times, while the girl was
a ward of the court, he had to re-
move her to other schools because
Miss Manners appeared and created
scenes. He said Miss Manners ap-
peared before children at one school
and profanely abused the woman in
charge. AS result, the woman
asked that the child be withdrawn
from the school,
He said he finally had agreed to
grant Miss Manners full custody in
1899, with certain stipulations, in
the hope that God, in some in
scrutable way" could bring about
the harmony which all the lawyers
and courts had failed to effect.
Soon after he took the stand Mr..
Langan began sobbing quietly, lust
after he said, "The child was very
close to me. loved the child very
much"
Several times during the after
noon, Mr.. Langan and ATTORNEYS for
Miss Manners, JEFF Lichtenbere and
Mr.. Green, exchanged sarcastic
comments. 0
Once, while Mr.. Langan was de-
scribing some legal steps taken in
California, Mr.. Lichtenberg said, "I
suppose now we have a lawyer on