The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-07-20

II BROOKLYN, and In fact throughout Az w A =,
. State. said authoritatiyely last evening tna
: Theodore Tilton's document Wouid ini
picate two ladies' besides his own VIE ID INT
, scandal" ~ ~
An Extraordinary Trial.
ne rrrp5rr WOMAN IN THE TOLLS FOR GRAM
LARCENY.
!, Miss Carlotta T. Sbotwell, who is said u &c
y be lady of prepossessing appearance, Dril.
liant conversational powers, ana iady.iihe
,. deportment, is now on trial 10 New i0 OF
ON q charge of grand larceny, General Philip
, n PoTIdy. of Alabama, formerly of the Con-
federate service, being the compliment.
The opening of the case by ex-Jadge Fuller.
ton. counsel for the plaintiff, reveals his
, tory of female craft, cunning, and persist.
ency seldom known in the history of crime.
Jndpe Fullerton's relation of the case was
substantially as follows:
The defendant, Miss Carlotta F. Shotwell,
was known sometimes by another name.
The complainant was General Philip d.
Roddy. The prisoner was we'll brought up,
had extraordinary conversational powers,
great ability, and was not without consider.
able personal attractions. She was unfor-
tunate enough to stand charged with crime,
and it was to be hoped that if she was guilty
she would be convicted Mr.. Roddy became
acquainted with Miss Shotwell 10 1867, hav-
ing been introduced to her by lady in this
city. General Roddy saw Miss Shotwell
home, and having met her afterwards an
intimacy grew up which lasted for several
years. She was lady of remarkable and
marvellous powers of fascination. She
wanted money, and she got it from
him, first in small sums, afterwards in
large amounts. She bad him in her power,
and she knew it. He was married man,
and her demands were accompanied with
threats that in case of noncompliance bis
wife and family should have full exposure.
She was an angel at first, but soon showed
her claws. She went from place to place,
getting large amounts periodically, and re-
ceiving from General Roddy more than
$4,000. She brought him down from
weiithy man to dependence and poverty,
and left him ruined, with the alternative Of
either exposing himself to shame in court,
| blowing out his brains, or jumping of the
| dock.
| In 1872 the parties separated. Before this
she bad gone stealthily in his room and
stolen his money and papers from his trunk,
| threatening to expose him and others besides
him, Subsequent to this she commenced
action against General Roddy on bond for
S. 1000, which he had given her in order to
| be released, knowing only too we'll that be
| would have to compromise with her on her
own terms. This be did and obtained pos
session Of the bond. She then wrote TO his
| wife, determined, as she was, to work his
ruin or accomplish her object. Half craZed,
| he fled to Europe. Here be was not safe
either, for she sent him letter telling him
that there was lawsuit pending in this
country, and he had better return and look
after his name. at this time he saw in
New York newspaper that she had COM
menced an action for grand larceny against
q man named Everett, whom she charged
with stealing fifty thousand dollar bond,
which, to his unutterab!e astonishment,
| General Roddy found was the bond deliv-
cred to him by Miss Shotwell, and which
| he thought be still carried in his trunk. The
| general at once searched his trunks, and
| found that the bond and other papers had
been stolen, the prisoner having entered bis
room and abstrac.ed them on the night be-
| fore he sailed for Europe. He 1t once re-
| turned to America TO try and settle the suit
and avert the exposure which had now
come. She had commenced suits against
| hun III the name OF Miss ShotWell against
| Roddy, and he met them. He. wretched as
| he was, met her demands as long Rs be
| could, and when his money became eX-
| hAllSted he could do no more. 1t was no
use. 1t was 81 to-day. so tomorrow, and
| 500 the next day. He was untitled for
business, and miserable in the extreme.
He went to Taylor's Hotel, jersey City, to
escape her, but it was no use-there she
was. He went to Washington, but even
there she followed him. She would walk
into the dinng-room of the hotel and sit
| down beside him. She would go to his
room and lie for hours on the door mat-an
object of curiosity to all beholdcrs. She
would follow his carriage and be dragged
along behind it, yelling out his name and
exposing him. Ii he "took to himself the
wings OF the morning and fled even to the
uttermost parts of the earth," there was this
woman also, trying by every means in her
power to wiring money from him. The YER
dict in the well-knoWn case Of Mrs. Brnck-
| ley against her alleged husband. in which it
was decided that she was his lawful wife,
although the parties had never been married,
but had entered into private contract,
placed another weapon in the hands of
| Miss Shotweli, and suggested to her
that she could pretend to be the wife of
| Roddy. She accordingly went to Roddy's
business partner. demanded large sum Of
money, and on being refused threatened to
ayoW herself the wife OF the complainant.
| She then went before magistrate, swore
/! that she was the wife Of General Roddy, on1
! the ground that marriage in this State is q
civil contract, and made demand for main
| tenance, claiming that he had abandoned her.
For this piece OF swearing, he might add,
| the prisoner had been indicted for perjury.
She next commenced an action for divorce
against General Roddy, claiming that she
! was bis wife In the eyes of the law. Short
" after this, while residing at Tayl
Hotel, in jersey City, Roddy met Miss Shot.
well one day, and from remarks made
by her, disclosing facts which he knew
| could only have been obtained from an
examination of his private papers, he came
to the conclusion that his papers had been
stolen. He then went to Jersey City and
found that all his private papers, together
with the opera-glass and seven English SOW
ereigns mentioned in the indictment, had
been stolen from bis trunk. Things could
90 no further. They must be brought to a
stop, and bis friends insisted that this time
decisive measures must be taken. A bench
warrant was Issued, part of the money was
found in her possession, and she was arrest
ed and indicted. The defendant was not
J lovely example Of innocence and virtue
when the complainant met her. She was
not the innocent victim of General Roddy's
designs. She was an adYenturist, black
mailer, one who inslnuated herself into the
| affections of married men that she might af.
forwards crafty her wishes. 1t was not the
J first time she had married men in her pow
! er. She had laid her plans before with other
, parties, but probably with not the same sue