The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-11-04
CLAIMS IT IS BLACKMAIL
Mrs. Sandau Testifies to
Her Relations With Mr..
ss5 Merritt.
SHEEDEL SAID HE LOVED HER.
Wanted Her TO "Bleed" the Old
Man and Elope With Him
Out West.

Under an order from judge Ltppincott,
Supreme Court Commissioner Van Horn
began, Thursday, to take testimony in
the case of Frederick II. Sandau against
James C. Merritt for the alienation Of his
wife's affections. The details OF this
drama In real life were exclusively pub
lished in THE JERSEY CITY NEWS TWO
weeks ago. The facts indicated the base
designs of Merritt with regard to Mrs.
Lillian E. Sandal. and also allegations of
blackmaii against the woman's husband.
and discloses that Mrs. Sanda q had been
made the innocent instruments by which
her husband and William Shedell ex-
pected to extort money from Merritt.
Sandau found his wife and Merritt
together at TIE Putnam House. New
York. on September Is. and he immedi-
ately instituted a suit for damages
against Merritt, who was arrest ed under
a capias, because he was a nonresident.
and lives at Highlands Falls, N. 7.
Merritt was unable to give bail aud was
locked up In the County jail, where he
now is. He engaged senator Daily to get
him out OF his predicameut. and the
lawyer applied to Judge sLippincott for
an order to take testimony 10 see IL there
was sufficient evidence to warrant hold
ing Mr.. Merritt on a capias.
HI EXAMINATION.
In the examination before Com mission
er Van Horn. the first witness was Mrs.
Lillian Sandau. She is tall, has a light
complexion, brown hair and eyes. and is
very prepossessinR. She testified that
she married Sandau on June 80, 1891, In
Hoboken. They last lived together aJ No.
x , tNaahFn0fon ofrnnf F. H1fIfnvNa Cho1AlI
and wife lived on the top floor Of this
house. Mrs. Sandau said she first saw
James.C. Merritt in January last. She
and her husband met him In
Shedell's apartments. She said
she never saw hin afterward until she
met and went to the Putnam II ouse with
him. Cross. examined on this point
closely by Counsellor Besson Mrs. au>
dan admitted that she had on q number
of occasions seen Merritt 20 into and
come out of Shedell's apartments, and
once she said good morning" to i'm.
She was positive that she never met Msr-
rift or was ever Intimate with him. She
said that b met Merritt because
Shedell urged her to do SO, saying he
would loan her money which she needed
very much, because she was compelled
TO support her husband. She mel Mer-
rift for no other purpose than to obtain a
loan. She and Merritt went TO the ladies'
restaurant In the hotel and had something
TO eat. They left the restaurant and were
walking dow the hall TO go to the street
when Sandau put in an appearances.
After q row, the party separated and
Mrs. Sandau returned to Hobokeu. Here
she says Shedell approached her and
said;-
sHEDELL's SUGGESTION.
"Now is a chance to get $4,000 II you
will do as / say. You are a smart woman,
and l have always been In love with you.
Idon't want any of the money you get
from Merritt, and I will get $500 to push
the case tblackmail case) along. love
You. and all l want is Tor you and me to
elope, We can go West and with $4,000
we can become rich"
Mrs. Sandau says she refused to enter
tain Shedelps. proposition. She said that
her husband suffered from 'locomotor
ataxia." and In her opinion. he had not
been In his right mind since last April.
She said that he had bean a husband to
her only in name. Mrs. Sandau
testified that to obtain money to support
her husband with she had pawned, my
gold watch and chain. my fathers badge
when he was an alderman, my diamond
ring. another diamond ring, my little
fathers eye glass and one silver ring"
TESTIMONY o THE OFFENCE.
The testimony for the defence Is a COM
piete denial of the allegations of black
mail. Saudau, after denying the charges,
saiu thai when he began to suspect thar
his wife was meeting Merritt he EN-
ployed a private detective named Brown
to watch her. On September Is Brown
telegraphed from New YORK that Mrs.
Sandau and Merritt were at the Putnam
House. Sandau says he rushed TO
the ferry as quick as he could and
when across the river sec ured q
cab and drove to the hotel, whore he met
Brown. who said Merritt had registered
a. Anderson and wife, room No. 297.
and demanded to be SHOWN to room No.