The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-05-18
AT First Mrs. Clark Denied
Husbands Charge.
But She Signed an Affidavit
for the Use of Mr.. Clark.
Expected to Swear TO the Finding
of Notes From Stepmother.

New York. May lS-Mrs. Mabel Clark,
young and pretty, before Judge Beach,
in the Supreme Court yesterday, swore
that she had been a good and dutiful
wife to Fred Sherwood Clark, and specifi-
cally denied the charges upon which her
husband had based his suit for absolute
divorce The woman, however, when
confronted with a confession of her guilt,
broke down and admitted that she had
sinned and her husband was granted a
decree Of divorce
Mrs. Clark's maiden name was Mabel
Olive Chamberlain. She was married TO
Mr. Clark in Bath Beach on June "a,
1893, and lived with him for week. He
named as correspondent Samuel Webber
Parker, a wealthy man. on whose yacht
her brother, William T. Chamberlain,
formerly served as captain.
Mr.. Clark, after the separation, began
an action against Mr. Parker for So 600
damages, and induced Mrs. Clark TO sign
an affidavit admitting the nature OF her
relations with Mr.. Parker.
Mrs. Clark expected To attempt to prove
that the separation was due Co the
machinations of her husbands stepmother,
Mrs. Cyrus q. Clark. She claimed to have
found In Mr.. Clark's pockets "a series of
letters from his stepmother, couched In
the most endearing terms. One read AS
follows
Ny darling, darling Fred-will you
come up home when you receive thlsy L
must see you for little while. DO not
mention this note To your father. His
heart is broken. Now, more than ever,
'yIl In ,s anstser letter appeared these pas.
sages:-
My own darling-I will be at home to-
morrow eve-in fact, any time you men
tion. Perhaps didn't miss you yesterday
just littlei Ii your father goes To Bos-
ton this week can we not arrange tn
spend one evening Of the time togetherY
Have you decided about where you are
goings Goodbye, my dear, and with all
my love, and still your own true
SWEETHEART.
" Sweetheart wrote few days later:
My own dear Fred-I was so pleased To
have your company Thursday eve. How
strange it seems for you to5st all evening
quietly talking to me, and find enjoyment
In 1t. No wonder we do not want 60 re-
call those long hateful years with hardly
a thought for each other. But are we not
going to be happy enough this year to more
than compensate for the time lost?
The first witness IN the trial, called by
A. Hummel. counsel for Mr. Clark. was
Benjamin Mooring, who keeps a board
ing house in West Forty street. He
e8lu MRS. Olhrh, accompanied Dy man
who called himself Clark, but who was
not her husband, had engaged room in
his house in March, 1895. They remained
fer five days, when Clark disappeared
Mrs. Clark, he said, soon afterward LETT
Mrs. Susan Mooring corroborated this
testimony.
Mr.. Hummel then announced that his
case was closed
Mrs. Clark, after denying the charges
tried to explain the boarding house cpl
sode She said she had djned at the
Grand Central Hotel and had sat for some
time drinking light wine with "A painter
named jack Walk. He had escorted her
tossthe Mornings house at ten o'clock in
the evening, md said he was Mr.. Clark
He went away that night, but called fire.
quently afterward. She persisted i'm de-
claring her innocence, until Mr.. Hummel
produced her affidavit. She then declared
that Mr.. Parker had been the direct
means OF her marriage TO Mr.. Clark.
Judge Beach signed the decree of di-
vorce in Mr. Clark's favor