The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-28
CoURTED HER WITH A WILL
WIDoWER LAWRENCE,s W00ING
DEsORIBED BIZ HIS WIDOW.

AmenG Othar Things sc Rend Her rlis Tesla
nent Vow Dlsputea ny isis Chldrcn. watch
Lert TO Her the Income rrsm Ons-nnnir rlis
Kstate-He went Mad After Marriage.
Louisa Lawrence told further In tho surro-
gato's Court yesterday Of the courtship resulting
in her marriage to Do Witt c. Lawrence, whose
five daughters by his first marriage are con.
testing his viii. Lawrence was a banker and
broker. who left about 'sloo,O 900. half to his
children outright. and the rest rs a trust fund,
the income to 90 to his widow. She married Law
renco at Geneva, Switzerland, July 81, 1ss7,And
he went mad n few days after tho marriage
and was finally taken to the Middletown nsy'
lum, where he died in 1896 ut &c years. She
was q widow and about twonty years his junior
on their marriage. Lawrence's first wife was
a daughter Of Richard NJ. Hoo, and his five
children by her will, under the will Of Mr.. Hoe.
receive large bequests on tho death of the
widow OF Mr.. Hoe, who is now about 80 years
old.
Mr.. Lawrence said that she had known Law
renee about two years before the marriage
through visits he used to make ut the resi-
denco Of her fatherin-law, DIR. Cotton. with
whom she resided. She said that he proposed
marriage some weeks before the marriage, but
she did not at first give him an affirmative an
swer. On May 10. 1887, he shower her the will
bo" thhb boiu thiae 5hp tbihN w IS
dicato to her how he was providing for her.
She did not want to hear the will read. but no
insisted on reading II. He also renewed his
proposal Of marriage. but she told him that sho
was going abroad with DIR. Cotton. and she
would consider the matter with her father-in-
law and would let him know her decision after
consultation with DR.. Cotton on her return.
She told him he must not go abroad, but she
and DIR. Cotton had been but a short time in
Geneva when Lawrence arrived. AS he was
still persistent, she agreed to marry him there,
and they were married before the Mayor of
that city. She produced a menu card of the
the M a riage two days before the event. I'm
mediately after the marriage they went on a
said her i%S aniS was ssfV very fSEe S going, but tom on
the return trip he was depressed and spoke of
having pains in the head. She was asked:
,Q.-Didnt he drink half a quart of brandy
A.--Oh, no.
Odd he ever drink brandyi A.-Oh, yes.
told her before the marriage that his children did
not oppose the union. A week after the mar
rage they, went to Paris, intending to return
renee became so i'll that they had to put him in
a sanitarium in Paris, where he remained six
country. He had to be watched on tho voyage
over; She identified a letter she had written
band, In which she said:
| do not know whether his troubles are real or
imaginary. but l am told by the doctors that they are
imaginary.
In the last days when his mind seems right he
prays God to spare me and him, and looks 80 sadly
and fears he is going 10 be sick. He Is so depressed.
He secs danger and ruin In everything.
She said the Paris physicians stated that her
husband had n mania OF suspicious and pcrse-
c%utions;' with u tendency to suicide; and symp-
possibility of hi recovery.
Several letters we're put in evidence which
Lawrence wrote to his children while abroad
In which he complained OF reduction Of his
income, and advised his children to DO cconomi-
cal. Eight days after his marriage he wrote to
his children that his health WAS very poor.
and that his head panied him constantly. He
said he had a presentinent that he would not
live long. The case went over to Jan. 3.