New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-12-07
GEORGE ]. GOULD'S DENIAL
TIE SAYS MRS. NICOLAUs NEVER HAD HIS
CHECK FOR $4,000.
,rcrrvrp SOME MONEY FROM HIM AS
ALMs-HOwE & HUMMEL HINT AT
INTERESTING DISCLOSURES.

= hrought I'm the Superior Court by Miss
,o,, Ncolaus against George j. Gouio Is as
AEON as ever Mrs. Nicolaus had Albert Kun
man APPOINTED guardian ad htem on Iuesuay
for the purpose of bringing the suit she says
that she is eighteen years DID, and that George
7 Gould gave her check Tor Sdo'ooV last March,
..,io, be afterward obtained and appropriated
% HE own use Howe a. Hummel are counsel
for urs Nicolaus They have declined to say
- ,ho,r client Is. where she lives or who her
Guardian Is or where he lives. Mr.. Gould
do n statement in which he said that all he
,,exy about the woman was that she had APP
nred 70 him for charity. Neither Mr. Howe nor
Mr. Hummel would give much information about
the case but they expressed surprise at MI.
Gould's statement.
MR.. GOULD'S DENIAL
Friends Of Mr. Gould do not hesitate to de-
nounce the suit They regard it as case of
blackmail and say that if any woman obtained
such a check from Mr. Gould she would not
hold IT. or surrender it, or wait months before
taking legal action to establish any rights which
she might claim. \ positive denial of any liza
bilty in the matter is made by Mr. Gould him
self He was ask ed Tuesday night at Lakewood,
n j.. for an explanation of the facts which
came out that afternoon i'll court proceedings,
mt declined to make any statement until yester-
iav In the morning Mr. Gould came to his Of
Ace in the Western Union Telegraph Companys
building and he started for Lakewood at his
usual hour of departure. MI. Gould saw
Tribune reporter. and spoke frankly of the case.
D, but requested that he should not be quoted per-
sonally for more than the official statement
which he had authorized w. +. Somerville. press
agent of the Western Union Telegraph Com
pany to give out Mr.. Somerville subsequently
said that he had taken down statement from
Mr. Gould which could be used as an interview
In the first person. Mr.: Gould said:
81 know nothing of such suit as Is mentioned
IN the morning newspapers. No legal papers
served
the matter will be referred to my lawyers. |
never gave the woman any check for any
amount 1t is evidently a scheme to extort
money from me. The woman came to my Of
fec about a year ago. claiming to know several
prominent people in Chicago. with some of whom
] am personally acquainted. and represented
that she was in destitute circumstances and
wished to get back to her home. l supplied
her with the means for doing so. 1t seems, how
ever that she did not co. calling at my office
several times afterward. / had to decline to
see her.
THE WOMAN BEGGED AIMS.
MFR. Somerville explained further that Mr..
Gould told him that the woman mentioned
George NJ. Pullman. of Chicago and ex-Mayor
Abram s Hewitt among the persons she
knew. She said that she had been deserted by
her husband and without any means what
ever and she wanted to get back to her home.
which was somewhere near Chicago. She said
she was in an absolutely destitute condition.
Her story appealed to Mr.. Goulds sympatnies
and he gave her enough money to enable her
TO go home. Mr.. Gould did not give her pass
because OF rule he follows not to issue passes
TO any woman. because the matter might be
misconstrued. The woman received the money
and went away, but she returned in about a
week and Mr.. Gould saw her again. She gave
some explanation OF why she did not go 10
Chicago and declared that she had TO spend the
money for necessary purposes She came back
in only day two and called several times
later. 1t finally dawned upon Mr. Gould. ac-
cording to Mr.. Somerville's statement. that she
was only trying to get money out of him and
IL of,,c har n
two occasions that Mr.. Gould saw her.
According to the story told by the clerks In
Mr.: Goud's office. the woman was dressed wen
and had an appearance OF refinement she Is
described being about medium height and
rather good looking There was nothing loud
about her dress or dcmeanOr. but the clerks
think she behaved a times in manner to sug-
gest Observation-Disclosures. When Mr.. Gould issued
his orders that he could not see her again, she
would not believe any statements made TO her
by the clerks that he was not in when she
called. She would sit for hours in the ante
room of the offices and at times would insist 70
the clerk who answered her inquiries that ne
was not telling the truth. Il know Mr.. Gould
is in" she would say with smile which Is
described as engaging; you dont thnk that
you can enter the Kingdom Of Heaven if you
lie so?'
The clerks say that at times they grew tired
of her persistent reflections upon their veracity
and were tempted to use harsh measures but
on other days they invited her to sit in the
office all the afternoon If she wanted 10 waste
her time 1t was about two months ago that
she made her last visit TO Mr.. Could oinceS.
THE GOULD OFFICES.
Mr.. Gould's offices are not constructed in a
manner to furnish a good basis for suits that
have sinister motive. Entering from the fifth
floor Of the Western Union building, facing west
the visitors come upon small ante-room, fur
nshed with short settee Once admitted
person finds a suite Of two large and two small
rooms forming an /. Broadway and Dey-st
large room with windows on both streets adj
joins a somewhat smaller room facing on Dey-
ST., where Mr. Could has his private desk. Next
to the large corner room, with windows racing
on Broadway, desks of half dozen clerks
Adjoining Mr. Gould's private room with door
opening into the ante-rOom, is a small room par
titoned off for the accommodation OF a stenog-
rapher. The clerks move with freedom from
one room to another and Mr. Could is 50 to
speak, under surveillance even when ne is
talking confdentially with his numerous visitors
from the financial and railroad world.
Late in the afternoon Mr.. Howe. Of Howe
g. UummeI the counsel for Mrs leila Nicolaus
said that David May, who is connected with the
firm. had served the papers and summons upon
Mr.. Gould.
STATEMENT by HOWE e. IIrMMEL
Mr.. Howe and Mr. Hummel met a small
army of reporters in their law office in Centre
ST. yesterday afternoon. The suit brought by
Mrs Nicolaus was the subject of inquiry
Neither lawyer was willing to give any of the
interesting facts which each says are behind
the innocent-appearing papers which have been
filed in court but both were eager to inquire
about and free TO comment upon the statement
which had been given out by Mr.. Gould.
80 Mr. Gould says that he never saw Mrs
Ncolaus except at his office, does he"' COM
mented Mr.. Hummel. Does Mr.. Gould deny
that he ever called upon herr"
1t was explained that Mr. Gould had not cate
gorically said that. but that he had left II to
be inferred from his statement that he only saw
Mrs Nicolaus at his office on two or three occa-
sions.
Hum" said Mr. Hummel.
Hum" said Mr.. Howe.
"Mr Goulds story" said Mr.. Hummel. as
utterly at variance with the statement which
has been made to by client"
THE poor girl came to us recommended by