The Saint Paul globe., 1898-08-13

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NEW YORK, Aug. 12.-The side light
cast upon one phase of social life in
New York upper tendon by Mrs.
Jack" Wilmerding, In her evidence
given before commission. to inquire
into her sanity, at White Plains, is
reigEinG sensation of the metropolis.
Mrs. Wilmerding is a great grand
daughter of old Col. Vanderbilt, and Is
an inmate Of Blooningdale asylum.
Proceedings were brought to secure her
liberty, and it is her story, told to
the commission appointed by the court,
that has shed light upon the misery
and dissipation possible in what is
known as the smart set. The effort
made by Mrs. Wilmerding's attorneys
was to show that her mental weak
ness was the result Of dissipation, and
that 1t was not permanent in charac-
ter. With this end in view the witness
did not spare herself. The story of her
life. as told on the stand, was as fol-
lows:
SAD LIFE STORY.
My name Is Marie Fatma dick Will
merding. I will be twenty-seven this month.
1 was born in Egypt at Rameses, near Alex
andria. My mothers maiden name was
Helen Mount. She died at Tivoli when I
was about five years old: When We re-
| turned to this city we lived at the Bucking-
| ham hotel and after that with my grand
mother. Mrs. Vanderbilt Allen. at No. 672
Fifth avenue; Later we lived in the New
| port flats. From there went to Phila-
delphia. where I went to Miss Wheelers s
school in Walnut street. In Philadelphia my
| father met Miss Edith De Silver. whom he
| married when I was about eight years old.
| Later we went to Newport. About this
time my fathers wife got a divorce from
! him.
| When I was twelve years old I was sent
to Miss Masters school at Dobbs Ferry, and
! remained there until was fifteen. After
| that was sent to school at Brighton. Eng
| land. l was about seventeen then, and after
| year there I was sent to a school in Paris
| for another year.
When I returned home at nineteen I went
town lived at the Hotel Bristol with my
father. My grandmother died about the
time time Of my return NJ from Paris and shortly
killed. From the Bristol we went to Ber-
muda. and on our return lived at the Ger
| lach. Then my father took me to Milford,
Pa, where he met Miss Edith Mott, whom
| he married.
She and my father made me marry Jack
Wlimerding. WI 1t was against the wishes Of
| did not think him fit to marry any one.
After that led a horrible life. I drank
to a horrible extent, and I smoked to a hor-
My husband was a beast, and treated me
horribly. He beat and abused me in many
ways Once l tried to have him arrested
| Staten Island policeman, but the VIII.
merdings big people there. and the po-
| liceman refused to arrest him.
| PARIS TO BLooMINGDALE.
After our separation my husband gave me
$50 month. and my father allowed me s401
| a year. making s., ,0G0 in all. Then I decided
| to go abroad and Join my father. He was
| dying at the time in house at Capri.
| My father and his wife didn't want me to
stop at the house with them. said
| couldn't afford to go to hotel. He said
| the woman who kept the house was not very
| respectable. said that considering my past
| it didn't make much difference if She wasn't
| very respectable.
On my return Mr.. Gleason took me to
Bloomingdale asylum. | went there Of my
being taken to some Kelley cure place.
was put in with lot of very sick patients
had only shirt waist and one wrapper
When I left. Paris I owed large hotel
BIZ and left all my clothes and trunks there
1 gave the doctor my watch to get money
one dress.
In Bloomingdale suffered fearfully. had
been in the habit Of drinking quart ol
ty cigarettes: 1 had to drink something. 81 Sc
| drank gallons of hot water The doctor
told me if didn't stop drinking the stuff he
| WOulu S6uQ lie QOWQ stairs,
He sent me down there and 1t was thf
nithlest and most horrible place I ever saw
| Inc sickest patients were there l tore m,
clothes and screamed and made a terrible
| russ. 1t was just a piece of acting. I wanted
| to get out of there.
I have written the most absurd things r.
n1 t6s 1 world; I wrote them at Capri and in
out of my prayer book and wrote on them
| all sorts of epdstles to DR.. Lyon
Mrs. Wilmerding, asked to describe
the transfer of her property before
She went to Europe, said:
| several men whom 1 knew, some of them
very rich. and asked them to lend me money
put they refused, giving different reasons
| est IN trust funds left my father by nv
grandmother. 10y
There was one fund Of $40, GOO in the Farm.
1s ers ooo Loan an ana Trust company and another Of
i went to Forgotston, the loan agent and
| finally secured $500 in cash and some hond
which were worthless for a half interest in
| the trust funds. -
GUARDIANS OPPOSE.
Mrs. Wilmerding came to the co,r+
house at White Plains, ACCOMPANIED bv
two women attendants from the
B)oomingdale asylum. The hearing
was the result Of the efforts Of Mrs.
| Jack" Bloodgood, through LAWYER
Louis p. Levy, to secure the release of
Mrs. Wilmerding from BIoomingdaJe
BY means Of habeas corpus Mr.. Lew
had Mrs. Wilmerding brought before
Supreme Court Judge Martin J. Keogh
some days ago. Judge Keogh decided
to appoint special commission to pass
| upon Mrs. Wilmerding's mental condi-
| ton. 1t was before this commission
that the former society belle appeared
| yesterday.
The commission is composed of DR.
| Carlos F.. Mcdonald. the insanity ex-
pert: Eugene B. Travis, a lawyer. re-
| siding at Peekskill, and Dr. Ernest II.
| Schmid, of White Plains, a physician
OF repute in mental disorders.
The two guardians appointed by the
| court to manage her monetary affairs
oppose her release on the ground that
she is mentally unable to care for her
affairs, and by dissipation would fir.
ther injure her health. Her guardians
are her two understandable Alien
brother Of her father. the late Col
Vanderbilt Allen, and John WaIlaca
| husband Of her aunt, now decea sod
| That closed the hearing. The com
| mission will make it's report next Tues.
| day after a visit to Mrs. Wilmerdino o
| at Bloomingdale