The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-21
DEFENCE OF RATCLlFFE.
WITNkssEs sAY THE AoTOR's WIFE's
81 FACE WAS NOT BRUISED.

Peter De Lacy's daughter. told last Thursday
how they had quarrelled over q Sunday dinner.
He returned to the stand yesterday and testified
that after the quarrel he went to Chicago to fill
an engagement. Then he told the story OF his
arrest In Chicago. which was made on q tele-
gram signed by Capt 0'Brien. The telegram
read: Did.
Arrest Il. j. Radcliffe, actor, for felonioua as
sault, kicking his wife. She is dying
"who bailed you out T. asked Mr.. Towns.
Ratcliffe's counsel.
Alderman John J. Powers, President Of the
Council. +" answered the witness. He furnished
the bail bond for SIC.
THE statement, then. that you were bailed
out by q notorious woman 10 untrue" said Mr..
Towns.
ut ID" answered tho witness. 81 was brought
back to this city and remanded to the Tombs,
and on tho following day Mr.. Brent Good bailod
no out here and 1 went away on the road with
Mr.. Coghlan's company"
Assistant District Attorney Lloyd (cross exam
iningt-were you ever naturalized as Q citizen
Of the United Statesi A.-No.
Q-When you were playing In Mary Ander-
sons company In London were you married to
| one OF the members of that company Ruled
out.I
Q.-Have you ever lived With a woman in
Londoni Al have never lived with any
woman excepting my wife.
Q.-why did you go to Hobokcn to get mar
ried : Al remembered that Lillian Russell
had gone there the week before for tho same pur-
pose.
Q.-You were not calculating on the legal
chances Of O subsequent separation when you
went to tho same minister that married Miss
Russellf A.-No, sir.
Q.-was the doctors bill. when your first
child was born. ever paidi Al don't know; I
gave Mrs. Radcliffe the money to pay the bill.
Q.-when your first child died did you pay
the undcrtakeri Ayes.
Ole says that you did not pay him. Now,
is It not o fact that the body OF your first child Is
in o receiving vault, the undertaken refusing to
bury IL because you have not paid his bill2 A.
That's q lie.
Q.-When you were living at Larchmont, do
you remember, after an assault upon your wife.
that when the doctor was called to attend her
you said. ".What do you think Of her royal
h NH b, r falling aG down dow ros STAIR and rI If5Hrdn g, her ,Ss
Q.-You wrote q letter asking your wife to
that you were likely to 60 to prison fol, two
years or more 4 you returned e New York,
S father s" Mas in prison ri enI y Now sn Nj. Rat silf .I Tell
n ~ how PUr VIE 9fS bss sppPFins q %.t tPS %ss the Sn sFsG Arrest Ps.t
on that charge and 1 had counsel.
.32 iies, NV T SsrIIDs to y sSink Ti tDo tR9 ysur w Ssasi
and your not unforgiving nature. Relent and
think; Ha ySp you G4 punished d. me me, enough
meant by allowing mo to be arrested.
Q.-Continuing you say: DO not let the sins
dren." What do you mean by the sins Of the
fatheri A mere quotation, sir. This letter
was but one in a continuity of letters and tele-
els it not an admission of guilt A.-cer-
0:.Do yoH know an actress named Mary
Q.-pid YOU ever own q pistol Ayes. two;
Benjamin J. Farley. assistant janitor of the
Ratcliffes lived in June last, at the time Of the
alleged assault; tsstiaed that he saw Mrs ina Rat,
her face bore no marks or bruises. lie also saw
h fsss two Mas days Sos iSssf,s on i Monday gb June asm aai to Her Her
house while he had a dinner party there. eating
up the dyesliRgs; lamb. and other things of the
'PSS rCss. sasSliIrs dsIbHry y s,nne not try to per.
suade Mrs. Ratelife afterward not to proceed
against her husband Ayes; p,..,,s,
asking me toset his wife to Withdraw the com.
.,Q;-Didn't you tell her that lots Of men beat
nS o.@Did y YOU pii not tel her that it would be a dis.
grace upon her children TO have her husband ar
s sss.sa her A; chiiaee ss1 but sh tSat ss she w would Tx IKE di t.
have her husband somewhere where she could
get him up against the wall with his hands tied
behind his back so that she could soak him.
d~uckllng dinner and saw Mrs. Radcliffe. Mrs
marks mas : sa Sn Mrs nt' kat sfs !af faee. 'oS MP na1 R sfG Re
i%anitors fathsr.in'IawS, telilinF him thar he was
dinner and noticed that Mrs. Radcliffe had nc
Odd you hear the joke she got of on the
old mani A;mYes. She said what " aI ,SI OK
woman was not careful she would run away
William Murhtt. referred to as tho old
man. was the next witness called. Ho said
Mrs. EStclif hs face Tas not t5 bruised T1sSd A-yo.
very 9:I lively s and I faiY o py fan. !n'' h'sn'' A'-fo'
QIWhat did she say 70 you3 A She said
t4 %y ! WIFE Tss S q Ssr So ele eslsial &c Of fM %sn, h sns q The
would run away with me or take me away.
snsrR D wSsS a,t the nurse ,S. employed eh,1 Sy x th,
born was asked il she ever saw Mrs. Ratcliff'
abuse " her fs.n hRMi r b Taur. The asko %Su !, Nor. K WAS sh
was o woman who was easily excited. The wit
o.Hbid You notice that she had a high tenn
perl A.-once in while:
9V WSs, G EeSe Nv when Rs,c ths child dn dn TSiT Tgk va.
child wrong medicine, and she said to me
You - you might have poisoned the chile
"Q.-Wss she in the habit OF using that sam,
!, vile name. in referring 10 her husbands A.
J Now and then shr was.
,Q.-,Have you ever bought any intoxicating
drinks for Mrs. Radcliffe with money that Mr.
HatSliffe bad given for the household expenses
In rebuttal George DAVIS, undertaken. testinet
that Actor Radcliffe still owes him $S7, the bill
for the funeral Of tho child that died In 1895
, and that the body 10 In u receiving vault.
DIR. William H. Nelson OF New Rochelle testi
fed that on Dec. %. 1894, whom tho Radcliffe
were living at LarChmont, he had been callet
: TO- attend Mrs. Rasclire. whom he foun'
: body. Az that time Mrs. Ratclife sal,
. that her husband had struck her, and. that sh'
had got tired telling stories about her injuries
stories TO the etfoct that she had been Injured
I by falling down stairs. These stories she ha.
= told for the purpose OF shielding her husband
. On one occasion DIR. Nelson found Mrs. Raj
|. elite with q confusion oyer one eye and one Q
= = Radcliffe had received these injuries by fallinl
hand. said they were the result of a beatinI
which her husband had given her.
To-day the prosecution will call additiona
Witnesses in %Tebuttal. After court adjourne
yesterday afternoon Lawyer Towns went int
: Il lla inFV rnnm I'm ha We N RnnanlIalinn with N