Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1871-06-01
CLAFLlN FAMILY HISTORY.

Bankers Frightened Out Of Her Wits
Who Supports thc Husband OF VIC
IOria's Youth. t.r5
Mrs. ANNE Clafiln, mother of the
women bankers Claim 4 Woodhnl,
having made damaging charges against
Col. James H. Blood, the husband of
her daughter Mrs. Victoria G. Wood
hull, appeared in Essex Market Police
Court yesterday. She charged that Col.
Blood had threatened her life, driven
Ler from the house where she resided
with her daughters, and alienated from
her the affections of her children, par
ticularly her darling Tennie.
The court room was crowded. At 3
D. m Col. Blood appeared as prisoner
at the bar, and the complainant, an at
tenuated old matron, nearly 70 years of
age, wearing gold-rimmed spectaeles,
was called forward by her counsel, Mr..
John d. Townsend. She was accom-
panied by Mrs. Mary Spar, one of her
daughters, with whom she lives at 126
East Twenty fifth street.
Mrs. Clafin said that she lived with
her daughters, Mrs. Woodruff and Miss
Tennie G. Clafin, at Is East Thirty
eighth street, down to the first of April
last, when she, with Mr.. and Mrs
Spar, was driven from the house. She
had often used the prerogative OF
mother in demonstrating with her
daughters, the bankers, on their care
less mode of doing business. They had
no bookkeeper in their concern.
why" said the old lady, ga COM
mon candy woman or peanut woman to
prosper should keep books. Blood
was eating up the profits of the estab-
lishment there was not money enough
in Wall street to fill his pockets. Col
Blood, according to the old lady's tes
timonv, conspired with her children to
make out that she was insane. Another
of her daughters, Mrs. Margaret A.
Miles, told her of the plot to put her
into carriage and drive her to luna
tic asylum
"Only for my son-in-law, DR.. Spar,
and my daughter" continued Mrs.
! Clahin with vehemence, :" should GER
tainly now be on Blackwell's Island
So help me God, I would, or be secreted
somewhere" added she, looking upward
and pointing skyward with her bony
finger. "They were not easy till they
got Stephen Pearl Andrews among
them" she continued, "t that old free
lover, who is the worst man on earth
and until this free love business came
into my family all was peace and quiet
ness. That old Stephen Pearl Andrews,
with his free love, it was, who dis
turbed our previously existing harmo
nv /; that old free lover who asks, what
is Jesus Christ more than any o ther
man. ....... Z.
Mrs Mary Spar, a daughter of Mrs.
Clatiin, confirmed 'helAmother's testi
mony, and continued
Mr. Woodruff, sister Vics first hus-
band, is the. father OF her children.
Stephen Pearl Andrews was boarder
in the house when / came from st.
Louis. | acted as housekeeper. The
constant talk in the house was about
my sending mother to an asylum. On
one occasion Mrs. Woodruff, who is a
very strong women 80 when excited,
caught Blood by the neck when he was
threatening violence to mother. .s.sl.
Question. DO you know of any eff.
forts ever having been made to end
your mothers life by starvation Job
iected to, and question ruled out.
| Witness, however, managed to say she
! once knew her mother to be kept three
DAYS without food.
Ouestion-What relation other than
that of mother and daughter exists be.
tween your mother and Jenme2
Understanding l cannot ex-
plain; something mysterious, unnat-
ural. There is a different feeling be
tween Fannie and my mother than
between any child and her mother /
ever knew. III
Question--W When did You first notice
this feelings tObjected to and ruled
out.
Col Blood was called by his counsel,
MIR. Reyme1t He said he was the
husband of Mrs. Woodruff He never
used toward Mrs Clafin any language
! that could be understood as threaten
| ing her life. The most he ever said
| was once when he uttered the words,
"Old woman, If you were not my
motheriin-law I should like to take you
ron my knee and give you a good
spanking"
Mrs. Woodruff never dragged the
witness by the hair, as stated by Mrs.
Spar. His name was James Harvey
Blood. When advertising, he some-
times adopted the name James Harvey.
He was first married at birmingham,
Mass, in 1855, he thought He had
one child by that marriage. He was
divorced from his first wife in 1860, and
the same year he married his second
and present wife, Mrs. Victoria Wood
hull He never married any other wo-
man. He knew nothing about a wo-
man alleged to be in Brooklyn and
! calling herself his wife. He did not