The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-05-12
PETITION FOR A9VHLL.
Governor Flower Will Be
Asked to Pardon the
Bigam1st Physician.
DEP Arturo FOR SING SING.
The unfortunate Man Much Cast
Down-What He May Gain
by Communication.


The news of the heavy sentence i'm
posed by Judge Ingraham ia the Court
of Oyer aud Terminer in New YORK
yesterday. in the case OF DR.. ID. Il. Jones
Atwell, the Hoboksn physician, created
sensation in that city last night. The
doctor aud his friends had stated time
and again that the case would never De
brought in court, and finally when 1T
was ventilated in court they said that
the doctor would only receive a mini
mum sentence. Therefore when Judge
Ingraham sentenced the Hoboken ply
siciaE to two years and five months In
Sing Sing prison everybody was sur
prised beyond measure.
The story of this sensational case has
been repeatedly told in the columns OF
The JERSEY CITY NEWS. The case was
first brought to light by TEE JERSEY CITY
NEWS, which published an exclusive
story of the Doctors double life. The
doctor called on Recorder McDonou gin
one morning about year ago. and was
ushered into the Recorders private Office.
He was there some time. When he went
out Recorder McDonough told THE JER R.
sEY CITY NEWS reporter that the Doctors
visit might produce sensational story
for the newspapers, and sure enough
it did. and The JERSEY CITY
NEWS was the first newspaper
to publish it. The doctor had visited the
Recorder with view to having Mrs.
Hamilton. with whom he had contracted
an unlawful marriage. arrested. He told
the Recorder that the wouia- was an
noying him, and sending anonymous let
| ters to his first wife, the daughter OF
prominent Hoboken citizen. Thus was
| the scandal first made public. aud the
story of the dual lie OF the doctor Was
| the talk of all Hoboken for mauy days.
| Then began series OF queer proceed
| ings. Mrs. Hamilton. whom the doctor
| had duped, went to almost every promi-
| nent lawyer in Hoboken. Each OF Them
| listened to the woinan'S Tale. and, OF
| course. lawyer like. wrote the doctor
| sharp letter, demanding an audleuce.
| The woman was generally present AMI
| the history of these conferences would
make very interesting reaiing. The
| doctor did not deny contracting the
| bigamous marriage. He confessed
| that he was 8 bigamist. Yet lawyer
| after lawyer dropped the case after Il
| couple of audiences with the doctor. The
| Bad Senator. perhaps, "JoIlied" the
| frightened little doctor longer than any
! of the other lawyers. But, at 1ast the
! case seemed to have dropped out of sight.
Mrs. Hamilton confded to the reporter
! who visited her that it seemed a. II she
could get little justice in Hudson County.
| All the lawyers, and particularly the
| Bad Senator, seemed eager TO have her
| for client when she told her story. but
| Doctor AtwelI seemed to exert fnvs-
! terious influence over the lawyers alter
! few consultations and the lawyers would
| not make any move.
Finally Mrs. Hamilton went to New
| York, when she enlisted the sympathies
| OF some people in that big city. who, i'm
| pressed with her ladylike demeanor and
! appearent sincerity, took an interest 10
\ her case. How we'll they did 1t is told a
the sentence pronounced by Judge In
| graham yesterday. Assistant District At
iorney Townsend, of New York, after all
most years labor brought the case to a
climax, and despite the influential rela
tions aud friends of Dr. AtweIl in New
| York the law was carried ont
| The JERSEY CITY NEWS reporter called
on M.F. Hamilton at her home on Bloom
| field street, Hoboken, last night. Mrs.
| Hamilton had just returned from New
| York. She received the reporter politely,
but did not care 10 say much about the
sentence. Mrs. Hamilton is about thirty
years old, blonde, with weil-rounded
| figure, and modest, retiring ways.
| II don't really know what to say" she
| said. in reply to the reporters questions;
1 L
| get such severe sentence. He and his
| friends had been Dragging that ne would
| not get over month in prison. l be-
| lieve Mr.. Howe told them that"
''Do you feel sorry for the idoctori" the
reporter asked.
| "Well, guess not" Mrs. Hamilton re-
| piled, aud flash of indignation could be
| detected in her mild blue eyes. Il think
| he got what he richly deserves am
| sorry, though, for the DOCTORS first wife
| and child. 1t must be a severe
| blow to them. Tbe sentence of
| the doctor vindicates my character,
which has bean SO rudely assailed by DR..
| Atwells lawyers. wish to publicly ex-
| press my gratitude to Colonel Townsend,
| the Assistant District Attorney. He Is u
| perfect gentleman, and he alone deserv es
| the credit for the doctors conviction"
| "WlH you remain in Hoboken. Mrs.
| HamiltonS" was the reporters next ques-
tion.
| II don't know yet. / may go to live
| with friends in Brooklyn she replied.
! THE JERSEY CITY NEWS reporter next
visited the home eof the doctor on Garden
street. There he was told by a servant
| that Mrs. Atwell was seriously III.
1t is passing strange that since Mrs.
Hamilton made her charge against the
doctor, his practice has not falleE off in
tue least. He had one of the largest
practices in the city, and he had It up to
yesterday. It's not known who will
carry on the practice, while the doctor,
shorn of his luxuriant brown beard, is
| wearing stripes, and serving out his
sentence at Sing Sing Prison.
The doctors friends in Hoboken said
last night that Gov. Flower would be
asked to interfere. A petition signed by
many well known Hobokenites asking
the governor to pardon the doctor will
shortly be presented to Gov. Flower
The doctors friends are confident that he
will not be compelled to serve out his
long sentence,