The times., 1899-03-08
THE TRIAL OF MRS. CODY
GROWS INTERESTING
The Accused Put Through a
Severe Examination.
Damaging Letters of the Defendant
introduced in Court.
She SInuds thc Ordeal with Wonder
full Fortitude-Nrs. AnEciI
to Tcsif..

Albany. March Mrs Margaret Cody
occupied the stand during the entire ses-
sion of the court today and testified in her
defence against the charge of hackmail
preferred by the Gould heirs. Mrs. Cody
was unusually self-possessed and gave her
testimony without faltering. Mrs. Codys
testimony was finished and court adjourned
late this afternoon. The only witness OF
Importance who may be called is Mrs. An
gell, the woman whom it is alleged Jay
Could married in 1858. She not only says
she never knew Jay Gould, but that she was
inyeigied into the scheme to pass her
self off as having been married to Jay
Gould during his youth. Counsel on both
sides expect that the case will go TO the
jury tomorrow afternoon.
Mrs. Cody, in resuming her testimony of
yesterday. was questioned by her attorney.
y. c. Dugan, regarding certain letters
which she wrote in 1894. and others which
she received from the pretended daughter
of Jay Gould. Mrs J. F. Pierce. on Novem-
ber is and December >. 1898. These were
marked for Identification, but were not read
to the jury.
After short conference with his asso-
ciate counsel, Newton b. Nandersee. MIR.
Dugan introduced letters dated Rock
Springs Wyo., December %, 1894; January
u. 26; February 1G, p, and March ,, and
Is, 1926. and signed Mrs. }. i. Pierce
Mrs Cody appeared unConcernsd, giving
an affirmative answer to ali O. Mr. Dugans
questions as to whether she had received
the letters Miss Could sat between De
Lancey Nicoll and Mrs. Mum, tanning hcr-
self
After the letters had been marked for
identification by the court stsnographer,
Mr. Dugan read them to the jury from the
printed copy of the proceedings ot the first
trial. The letters relate to Mrs. Cody's
preliminary arrangements to come East TO
prosecute Mrs. Pierce's claim.
Mrs. Pierce said in one of the letters
that her mother (Mrs. Angeill and Jay
Gould were married on May &C. 1852 md
that her mother was at Rock Springs.
Wyo.. on March ?. 1898, al which time she
said to Mrs. Pierce that she did not know
whether a record of the marriage WAS n
existence.
In the letter Of February s. 1895, Mrs.
Pierce wrote to Mrs. C0uy that she would
send to her the date and the name OF the
minister that appeared on the certificate
II tho alleged marriage u Jay Gould and
Mrs Angel. Subsequently Mrs. Pierce
wrote that she would like TO have an inter
view with Mrs. Cody. Mrs. Pierce found
IL difficult to arrange the desired interview,
a
ny-Iate" ticket for anyone outside Of the
family.
The Marion Letters.
Questioned by Mr.. Dugan. Mrs. Cody said
that she came East on April %. 1895. Be
fore coming she received two letters from
a James Morton, dated March and u.
1885 These letters were offered in eyi-
dence- District Attorney Dyer objected to
their introduction. but the objection was
oyerruled.
5io. on is the man who adopted Mrs
Pierce in the early fifties. He said in the
lelteT of March that ne never had heard
that Jay Gould was said 10 have been the
father Of Mrs. Pierce. He received the
child from Sarah Brown. He did not know
where Sarah Brown was at the time he
wrote the letters.
Mrs. Cody then continued to tell the
story OF her trip to Rouse's Point She
said:
Il arrived there on April 90, and the next
day went to the Massachusetts House I
asked for Father Charnaneau Immediately
upon my arrival ! told him that | was
looking for the record of the baptism of
child OF Jay Gould. We hired a rig and
went TO the church. We found that the
church was not built in the year in which
the child was baptized but the priest
thought we might find the record at Coop
eryille. We drove 10 Cooperyille. but
didn't get out of the carriage. We came
back 10 Rouse's Point, and l asked a man
where / could find Mary Young He said
be could take me to a house where she was
cleaning"
Mrs Cody then told the story of her first
tar al Mrs. Angelrs house
! asked Mrs Angel If she had married
Jsyson Gould. and she said Yes that the
Rev. Mr. Leighton married them. l told
her that / had received letter from her
daughter telling me about it. / asked her
u she knew if Jayson Gould was alive but
she didn't. She said that Gould had de-
serted her, but that she never got a divorce
rom him. Before he left her, she said, he
.sed 10 beat her, and. after she had re-
.irei. take pillows away from her"
While Mrs. Cody was on the witness
stand Mrs. Angel turned 10 Dr. Mum.
who sat beside her in the court room. and
said with emphasis: why. she's crazy"
The remark was made loudly enough 10 be
heard throughout the court roaM.
The Mrs. angeli Power of Attorney.
Mr. Dugan then questioned the witness
regarding the signatures to the power of
attorney given her by Mrs. Angel.
Why. / told her that it looked funny"
said the witness, Il pointed out to her that
her name was Sarah in the adoption papers
and that she had signed Mary to the power
Of attorney. She said that she liked Mary
the best. She said that sometimes she
was Mary. at others Sarah and AT other
times Melissa"
On the first trial Mrs. Cody made TO
reference at all 10 the name Melissa.
SIR. Dugan read 10 the jury the deposit
ton OF Mary Ann Shields. in which she
says that on April 16 1853, she was en-.
ployed by the Rev. Mr. Leighton at Cham
plain and witnessed the marriage OF Jay
Gould 10 Sarah Brown. Mary Shealds says
that she signed the marriage certificate
rs a witness.
lrs. Cody then related the conversation
she lad at Rouse's Point with Judge
Brown, Of Wyoming. on July =, 1895.
He told me-" said the witness. that he
had had a talk with Mrs. Angel and that
she han told him that she never had mar
Tied Jay Gould. Why, how can that be-
said J. I have her aGldayits that she Was
married 20 Jayson Could "
The witness then related the converse
tion that she had with Mrs. HOyle, whose
testimony yesterday was so damaging Tor
the defence. Mrs. Cody's account agreed
in the main with Mrs Eoyle's. She said
that William Eoyle. The son. was sitting
at machine making dolls clothes when
the conversation took place This remark
produced litter in the court.
At the afternoon session of the court
District Attorney Dyer continued his cross
examination of Mrs. Cody bringing out, as
upon the first tTial. that t1e alleged record
showing that a child Of Mrs. Angel and
Jay Gould had been baptized at the Church
OF Cooperyille. Clinton county. had not
been found until several weeks after Mrs.
Cody had made an inspection OF the church
records. IL having been shogn that the
records had been forged in that respect
He also brought out the fact that Mrs