The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1886-12-10

THE prvoRoEr WIFE or A BURGLAR NOW
A MILLIONAIRE WIDOW.

The filing in New York, of the will
of Juan Petro Terry, the wealthy
Cuban planter, who died recently in
Paris, by which the widow, Kate
Louise Terry, became millionaire and
her unborn child legatee to the ex.
tent Of upward OF $4,000, 900 recalls a
story of the lights and shadows OF
woman's life interviewer with dark
threads OF crime and wrongs. The
woman who thus suddenly becomes
the posscssor of great wealth was for
years the play,hing of fortune, and will
be remembered as defendant in 1883
in a suit Of Miss Alcevina At
wood, 10 which the latter sought to re-
covur $25,000 damages for false i'm
prii oiment and malicious prosecution,
and in which many details OF Mrs.
Terry's early life were brought to light.
Mrs. Terry made her husbands ac-
quaintance while keeping lodging.
house for gentlemen in that city sew
eral years ago. They were married
by Judge Morgan at the Jefferson
market court, differences in religious
faith making civil ceremony exped-
lent. Mr. and Mrs Terry went to live
at the Sturtevaut house and all went
smoothly until Nov. ~, 1881, when
Mrs. Terry caused the arrest of Miss
Alcevina Atwood, of No. 344 West
Forty-eighth street, on two charges,
one of grand larceny, the other of as
sault and battery. Mrs. Terry's storv
was that she had found letter signed
"Vinnie Atwood in her husbands
pocket the tone of which indicated the
existence of an intimacy between the
writer and Mr.. Terry. She wrote a
reply and, signing her husbands name,
took a cab and drove to the vicinity of
Miss Atwoods fiat. She sent the mis-
sive into the house but, receiving NO
reply, entered In person, but was, she
alleged, summarily elected by Miss
Atwood, aided by her mother and
sister,
Upon her return to the hotel Mrs.
Terry missed one thousand dollar bill
and three one hundred dollar bills
which she had placed in an envelope
that morning, and supposing that in
her excitement she had put the money
in the envelope containing the note to
Miss Atwood she demanded the money
of that person, and upon the latters
denial that she bad received any,
caused her arrest
AT the trial Miss Atwood declared
that she had not written the letter
spoken of by Mrs. Terry, and that the
ejectment of Mrs. Terry was rendered
necessary by the latter's behavior. The
angry wife, according to Miss Atwood,
household by at once commencing a
fusillade of statuettes, books and such
other light articles as were convenient.
Alarmed alike by the destruction of
their property and the threat of bodily
harm implied in the bombardment, the
Atwood family fell upon their visitor
and put her cut with the exercise, the
defendant averred, of as little force as
would serve the purpose.
Justice Smith dismissed the charge
of larceny but held Miss Atwood on
the charge of assault and battery.
This last was thrown out by the grand
jury, and the fair Alcevinia brought
suit for damages for malicious pros
ecution through her counsel, Peter
Mitchell. The case came up before
Judge DAILY and jury June 4. 1888,
and The plaintiff secure d verdict for
$500 and costs 1t could not be shown
that Mr.. Terry possessed any properly
and the judgment was never satisfied.
Then suit for false imprisonment by
Mrs. Terry was never tried. Now that
Mrs. Terry is possessed of attachable
property the old matter may be re-
opened by an attempt to enforce the
Judgment.
Under the ross-examination of
Lawyer Mitchell during the trial the
following particulars were placed in
evidence:
At seventeen Mrs Terry, then Kate
Flynn, was employed in the Washing
ton hotel at Liverpool as a barmaid
Among the customers with whom the
pretty barmaid exchanged chaff owe,
the counter was dashing American
accomplished and attractive, who pro
fessel 10 he man of large fortune
In 1869 she married her American ad
mirer, who, far from being the wealthy
gentleman he pretended, was in reality
fugitive criminal. The bridegroom
was Charles Bullard. alias Charlie
Wells, alias ''Plano Charley'-the las
from his proficiency on thai instruu en-
WHOSE picture hung in the rogues
gallery in New York and who wa
.wauted' by the authorities for com
plicity in the Boylston bank robbery
After brief sojourn in I4iverpoo
the couple went to Paris. where Bul
lard opened an American barroom o.
the Rue Scribe Gambling-rooms wer
fitted up above the saloon in which
it was said, Adam Worth, well know
sporting man of England, was inter
ested. All went swimmipgly for
time, but finally Bullard became en-
broiled with the police and being i
need Of money induced his wife to re
turn to England aud pledge with
Liverpool pawnbroker valuable di'
mopd brooch which he had given he
Upon the return of prosperity tn
money was repaid the pawnbroker an
apackage pnrporting to contain tn
brooch surrendered to Mrs. Bullart
The next day she returned to tn
pawnsbop and declared that her brooc
was not in the package. Grimm,
proceedings were instituted against tn
pawnbroker eud the erstwhile ba
maid figured before the pul lie as con
plainant for the FIRST time, and on ht
testimony the pawnbroker was co,
victed.
1t finally leaked out that Bullar
had wife and several children liyin
when he married the barmaid aud II
deceived woman left him and came
America, establishing the lodgib
house which she abandoned TO becon
the wife of Mr., Terry.
Mr.. Terry's father, from whom |
inherited the fortune now willed to Il
widow and posthumous child. live
for many years on Fifth avenue
New York, and died only year ag
Ballard, interest in whose career
al 1,