Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 38, Number 18, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 October 1905 — TAGGART IS GIVEN DECREE. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

TAGGART IS GIVEN DECREE.

Oomrt Also Awards the Captain Custody of the Children. At Wooster, Ohio, Captain Elmore F. Taggart, U. S. A., was-awarded | a decree of divorce from his wife, Grace Culver Taggart, and given possession of their two children, Charles Culver, aged 11, and Elmer F., Jr., aged 7. The sensational ease which has stirred army circles both in this country and Europe reached its finale Friday afternoon when Judge Eason, who heard the evidence, read a long opinion. • The court, though denying Mrs. Taggart the custody of the two boys, ordered that she be permitted to see them at stated intervals. In this respect alone was Mrs. Taggart given much consideration. Judge, Eason clearly leaned to the theory that the mother was not a fit person to whom to intrust her offspring. Among the causes for reaching this conclusion was Mrs. Taggart’s alleged intrigues with “Billy” Taggart and with Captain Fortesque, said to be a relative of President Roosevelt. The court censured both woman and men severely. Judge Eason had a good deal to say about the use of intoxicants, and said that of excessive drunkenness preferred against Captain Taggart had not been sustained, - The habit of imbibing frequently was a subject of comment, however? and evidently the court believed that it played a part in the alienation of the couple. “The first time Captain Taggart saw the flush of liquor on his wire’s brow lie should have banished it from his

sideboard,” said the judge. “It can be said to the credit of the army that this entire case has not developed one single case of drunkenness.” Sneaking of the main cause of the differences between the Taggarts, the court stated: “It appears that there never was any dispute about financial matters and that all the difficulty was due to their relations with others.” The judge concluded: “I will leave the gross neglect and two charges of adultery stand as the ground of the divorce, giving Captain Taggart the divorce.” « The Taggart trial lasted seven weeks. The case went to the court a month ago. The suit was first started in July, 1904, by Captain Taggart, who filed petition for divorce, charging his wife with conduct unbecoming a wife and alleging the excessive use of intoxicants. Mrs. Taggart heard of the proceedings in San Francisco several weeks later and immediately started for Wooster, the home, of the Taggarts, where she filed a counterpetition for divorce against Captain Taggart on the grounds of cruelty and neglect. The case has been of exceptional interest because of statements during the trial by Captain Taggart that the use of intoxicants in the army was so common as to be almost the custom. A number of prominent army officers were named in Captain Taggart’s petition as having been more or less the cause of the domestic troubles between Captain and Mrs. Taggart.

THE TAGGARTS IN COURT.