The herald., 1897-10-08
RACY LETTERS
The Crandall Case Assumes
a New Phase
OLD MISSlvES UNEARTHED
YEARS AGO
Mrs. Crandall Writes to Her LOWE.
The Attempted Division of Prop
erty-Motion for Non Suit

Another day was occupied in Depart
ment four before Judge Van Dyke yes
terd,ay in the CONTINUATION of the hearing
Of the case OF Mrs Mary r. Crandall
against Mrs. Clara Thompson Crandall
for $50 900 damages for the alleged alien
alton of her former husbands affections.
The plaintiff took the stand at the open
ing Of the session for redirect and cross
examination and remained on the rack
during the day.
A new turn was given affairs during
her cross-examination, the defense as
suming the offensive and making it de-
cidedly unpleasant for the witness by
the productions of several letters which
put rev aspect upon the case in more
ways than one. AS gathered from the
statements and questions of the at
torneys for Crandall and his wife the
defense contends that the whole affair
is put up job.
On March 26, 1894, Emil Harris and
c. D. Patt were arrested at the instance
Of the United States authorities charged
with unlawfully using the mails with in
tent to blackmail by sending threaten
ing letters to Crandall. For over year
previous to this time Crandall had been
estranged from his wife and they were
living apart. On the 22d Of April, 1894,
Mrs. Craudall, who was then residing in
Circin natl, secured divorce. On the
7th of May following she came to Los
Angeles and filed two suits, the one now
under hearing and another over proper
ty matters, Crandall VS.. Crandall At
that time Crandall was visiting Mrs.
Thompson but their marriage did not oc-
cur until December 4, 1895.
After Platt and Harris had secured
their release from the felony charge
through a flaw in the indictment the
suits against Crandall and Mrs. Thomp-
son were allowed to slumber. About a
month ago Crandall instructed his at
torney, Judge Stephens, to move for a
dismissal of the suits, which was done,
and the matter was brought to head
ard the causes set down for trial.
The events leading up to the estrange-
ment of husband and wife and the wild
ening of the breach which finally sep
arated them are fully revealed in the
letters which were produced and read in
court. The first is from Mrs. Crandall
written soon after her arrival in Hono-
lulu in 1891. 1t is as follows:
THE FIRST ESTRANGEMENT
The Royal Hawaiian Hotel,
Honolulu, June 11th.
Twas so sorry, Ed, to have our part
ing at San Francisco so unpleasanty
unsatisfactory, but I suppose it is one
of those unsa tisfactory things that We
cannot control. When things do not go
your own way you Immediately ge.
angry, and when so no one can reason
with you, Least of all, for you have th-
effect Of shutting me up like an oyster,
and no matter how much may desire
to explain then, I cannot.
1t was and is my intention to send you
a copy Of my WILL the original going to
Grace to replace a will made when last
in the east, made at Nashville, and wit
messed by your sisters Hetty and Mat
tielee-that will being substantially the
same. excepting that 1 will here the note
for $4,000 then recently given, instead of
$4,000 out Of my separate property.
1 have always tried to- do what was
right and just for both Sides Ed, though
VI COutSct may HOl dIW dSS nave SuC-
ceeded though have never been able to
get over Grace's coming to Nashville to
see you after the converse tion that took
place between us. 1 have always real
lied that her judgment was blinded, and
her reason for the time paralyzed, ard
knew that later she would give every
thing. life, money, everything If only
she could undo what she had done, and
so she has since written me, but that IS
OF no consequence of error. That is the
punishment of yielding of our natures
without struggling. That is the mental
agony that springs within us, leaving us
old and remorseful. But though I can
face it all and analyze it, but still Ed
that does not alter the effect that my
heart received its death blow. I have
not been able to feel much since. Ihave
tried TO be patient: I have tried to be-
gentle and forbearing. but, of course,
have made mistakes, as everyone does
but I have tried.
AS for the will, I want Grace to have
the personal effects that have left here
and you are man who can always make
your living. She is woman past her
youth and I want her to feel when am
gone that / understood and thought per-
hapS the money would be some repara-
ton for the lost peace of mind, for had
1 not been your wife she would not have
met you and been subjected TO the TENN
tation.
The knowledge that have felt for
some time that you had misrepresente.d
to me- that you had not treated me fair
ly, not later than last summer you either
Wi1fJ11V or iprorant1v 1iS-ctated 10 ~,
the California laws concerning a mar
ried woman's estate. when dying with
out will The apparent injustice of ii
as You stated the law led me to inquire
about it.
shall enclose with this the note and
copy of the will made in San Francisco
as TO the statement I requested you to
sign, and which was, signed. Can you
not see, Ed, that it was you yourself who
forced me to af1ix it--that as you had
stated to me that in case of a divorce
suit, which you said. you would have be-
lore you would make a division of the
community property-that you would
ana could put witnesses on the stand to
swear that l am subject to hallucina-
tions! cannot you see that? Though
mink You said more than you meant.
ana more than you realized, though that
ordinary business caution made ME
think
Here. If after I am gone there is anv
question and trouble over this will is If
not likely that Mr. Crardall. after saw
irg that. may be tempted to declare mo
of unsound mind at the time Of its writ