 On October 4 , 1923 , Forbes and his wife , Katherine Forbes , were formally divorced at a Seattle court house . Katherine 's attorney , Eugene Mecham , stated that Forbes had overly neglected their home life while he was traveling on his Pacific Coast hospital inspection tours . Mrs. Forbes said that her husband 's cruel treatment caused her to be in poor health . The judge ordered that Forbes pay alimony : $ 75 a month to Mrs. Forbes for two years and $ 75 a month to their 10 @-@ year @-@ old daughter , Marcia , until she turned 18 . The Forbes ' divorce proceedings , which took place during the Congressional investigation into corruption at the Veterans ' Bureau , were held in secret from the public until the divorce was final . 
