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| Gail Gardner around the time of the incident. |
"One of the richest scandals in high life is to be revealed to the public gaze in a suit for breach of promise,” the Weekly Journal-Miner anticipated. The opposing parties were Gail Gardner and a “charming plaintiff…whose identity has been concealed.”
By any measure, Gardner was a most eligible bachelor. The paper described him as “young, handsome, [and a] society favorite.” He returned from World War I two years earlier “dolled up in a snappy uniform and a no less snappy little mustache, causing, it is rumored, more than one heart-fluttering among the fair sex.“ Gardner had served as a pioneer aviator in the Army (the US Air Force did not yet exist).
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| The JI Gardner General Store interior c. 1902 |
His parents owned the popular and lucrative namesake, the JI Gardner General Store, and just 5 months previously they deeded to Gail “160 acres of improved farming and orchard land situated in Skull Valley, and a large number of range cattle,” the paper reported. “The consideration was ‘the love they bear for their son.’” Gail immediately took to the “rural undertaking of his father, and between raising apples and running bovines, he should have a fine future,” the newspaper determined.
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| A 1901 Ad for JI Gardner's store. |
But now the young man, who would later have a road in Prescott named after him, was embroiled in a scandal. “On account of the prominence of the parties involved,” the paper continued, “the case will not be heard before the regular court, but will be tried by a special tribunal, to be convened in the Yavapai Club building.”
“JH Morgan, a distinguished [attorney], has been called in to conduct the trial,” the paper detailed. “Lester Ruffner will represent the plaintiff, with Leroy Anderson and EH Coverage as his counsel. Gardener will be defended by PW O’Sullivan and Jon A. Ellis.” All of these men were highly regarded by the entire town.
“There will be little if any attempt on the part of the members of [this] special venire to dodge jury duty,” the paper quipped, “as many of [them] are anxious to get a crack at the case.” Some believed that several jurors, including the probable foreman, had "a decided bias against Gardner, for the manner in which he has played fast and loose with the affections of the charming plaintiff.”
“It is understood that both sides are prepared to fight the case hard,” the paper explained, “and have secured the attendance of many witnesses, some of them prominent in the business and social world.” Indeed, these witnesses included one doctor for each side. “Special arrangements are to be made by manager Tom Ellis of the Yavapai Club to make room for the large crowd that will undoubtedly attend the trial,” which was scheduled for 8 PM on December 3, 1919.
However, despite the immense anticipation, no other word of this case, or the decision, was published! Perhaps the testimony unearthed stories that would have been a total embarrassment for one or both of these well-to-do families, and they decided to keep it from the public.
The mystery of the outcome and the testimony given seem lost to history.
ALSO ENJOY: The Ultra-Lavish Yavapai Club Building
The complete history of the luxurious Yavapai Club building (1904-1939) in Prescott, AZ, including photos of the interior and exterior.
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SOURCES:
Weekly Journal-Miner, 7/23/1919; Pg. 2, Col. 4.
Weekly Journal-Miner, 12/3/1919; Pg. 5, Col. 2.
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