The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1899-03-07
Startling Evidence in Cody
Blackmail Trial.
SARAH ANN ANGELL, HER NIECE
Mrs. Hoyle Tssiifies that Mrs Angel,
Now Figuring in This Case. and Alleged
to he Woman Who Was Mother Of Jay
GouId's Child, Was Servant in Hoyie
Family at Time Of Alleged Marriage
Writing of Church Record Tested.

Albany. y. Y. March s.-Mrs. Sarah
Angel and John Angel. the missing wit
nesses in the Cody case, were on hand at
the opening of court in the Cody trial to-
day. Mrs. Angel is the woman who, il
was contended. had been married to jay
Gould and who was the mother of the
child, the alleged birth record of which in
the books OF the Cooperville Church. is
the basis of the case of the prosecution,
inasmuch as experts claim TO have dis
covered erasures and changes in il.
The first witness to-day was Mrs. Sc
gum, of R0use's Point. who testified TO
having written a letter to Mrs. Beebe, at
the dictation of Mrs. Cody, in which she
indirectly asked for funds with which 10
prosecute her investigation as to the mar
riage of Jay Gould and Mary Brown. She
said in the letter that while it would be
very difficult to procure a marriage rec
ord, the other Cbirth record was now all
right"
\ second letter identified by Mrs. Sc
guin as from Mrs. Cody 10 Mrs. Beebe
asked for 800. and told that Mrs Pierce 5
lawyer had arrived in Albany with a de-
position from Mrs. Angel to the effect
that she was never married to Jay Gould.
The marriage the deposition set forth,
was 10 a Frenchman named Vidas, who
starved her. Mrs. COdy's letter con-
tinues: Il think the woman Is crazy. |
am going to try and get an affidavit from
her to the effect that she had a child by
Jay Gould Isn't it shame that the
villain at this late day should fail us?'
Anxious t. Meet George Gould.
4 third letter to Mrs. Beebe tells of
Mrs. COdy's anxiety to meet George
Gould personally. because. as she says.
she has the key of the whole situation"
in her hands IF the case goes to trial, y
she proceeds. you and / will be dead and
buried. for that old fool is constantly
changing her mind and every now and
then contends that she was never mar
ried to Could
Nicholas j. Dack had written some let
ters for Mrs. Cody in 1895, who had asked
him if he could write in more than one
kind of handwriting. One of the letters
which he had written and which was dat
ed Oswego, n. Y, and signed H. Moore,
Was to Miss Helen Gould and suggested
TO her the advisa ability of personally see
ing Mrs. Cody, who had control of the
entire case" and was in a position 10
put an end to the entire scandal" Still
another letter to George Gould told of the
case against the Goulds having been
placed in Mrs Codys hands by Mrs
Pierce, the alleged daughter of Jay
Gould. 1t suggested a personal meeting
with MIR. Gould with view to putting a
stop to the proceedings which threatened.
kAnnia Lewis. of Rouse's Point, testified
that Mrs Cody boarded with he- for five
weeks in 1885. she Lad written letters for
Mrs. Cody IN connection with the Gould
case. Mrs. Cody had told her that she did
not believe Mrs. Angel was ever married
10 jay Gould, and that she felt sure that
jay Gould was not the father of Mrs.
Pierce.
Original Sarah Aur Gould Deaf.
Mrs. Millie C. Hoyle. also of Rouse's
Point, had talked with Mrs Cody curing
the fall of tS95. Witness had told Mrs.
Cody that Gould could not have married
Sarah Ann Brown because that person
had been at the time of the alleged mar
riage a servant in her Mrs Hoyle's) fam
lily. She had also told Mrs Cody that the
Sarah Brown referred 10 was not the
Mrs. Angel who has figured in the pres
ent case, but that Mrs Angel was in
reality the niece of the woman VINO. it
Was said, had been married to jay Gould
The GTiganal Sarah Ann Gould, Mrs.
Hoyle says. is dead.
While this testimony was being taken
Mrs. Angel nodded her head and smiled
approringly
Mrs. Heyle said that the original Sarah
Ann Brown was of dark complex. on.
while the woman who it is contended
now was the Sarah Ann Brown of the
birth record had light hair and Olue eyes.
Mrs. Hoyle said that ''Melissa'' Brown
the one whom she now designates as
Mrs. Angel, left her farm in 1853 when
she was about sixteen years old. taking
with her her child by an Old Frenchman,
named Rousseau. The child was boy
Subsequently witness had heard of The
child's having been bound out"
William 3. HOyle. a son OF the pre-
ceding witness, told OF having heard a
conversation between Mrs Cody and his
mother, in which the former, after tell
ing his mother of the difficulties she had
had in determining the Identity Of Mrs.
Angel and Mrs. Brown said: II have
paid out great deal OF money IN this
case already, and am willing, If | can
get what ! desire ana need from you, 10
place something TO your credit"
Hritia= of Churc., accord Tested.
BY mutual agreement the testimony of
George J. Gould, taken al the first trial.
and which bad regard t. the receipt Of
letters from. Mrs Cody. upon which the
charge Of blackEail is based, was read To
the jury.
David n. Carvalho, a handwriting ex-
pert, made chemical tests in court AZ
the beginning Of the afternoon session.
with d view 10 discovering what names,
If any, had been erased from the records
Of the CUOpeTYille church before the al
legged substitution OF the names OF
Mary Brown Gould and Jay Could Mr.
Csryalho, In his cross-exam!natIon, had
told Mr. Dugan. Of cOunEei Tor the de-
Tense that BY chemical test b. could,
under ordinary conditions. be able 70 de-
termine the words which had been erased
The test occupied about twenty five min
utes.
The expert said he was able to state
that the original entry had preceding the
name "Jay Gould" the initials Il. A.
and following It the small letter x"
There had been also an e-asure OF four
small letters. one Of which was an Il.
In regard 10 the words Mary Brown"
where another erasure and change had
been pre-supDosed, there was 10 indicz-
ton, thTUUg.I the chemical test OF an ai-
tempted alteration
Judge Brown, of Wyoming. vino was
supposed TO have had charge Il 8rs.
Pierce's claim against the Could estate.
and to whom airs. Cody in her letter 20
Mrs. Beebe referred when she spoke Of a.
attorney having q deposition from Mr.
Angel 10 the effect thar she had never
been married 10 jay Gould, told of hay-
ing been al Mrs. Angels house on July
Is. Is5, when Mrs Cody came in
Denied Having Bees GsuIg'. Vile.
The witness said he told Airs. Cody that
Mrs. Angel denied 10 him that she had
ever been TIE wife Of Jay Gould Mrs
Cody then sad 10 &rs. Angel; do you
know that this denial Of yours would
make me subject 10 the charge Of black
mall?" Mrs. Angel made 10 response
tut stuck 10 her statement
IL viii be conteuded b the defense that
Mira. cody's part in the alleged attempt
20 extort money from the GouiGs hai
nothing Of b!acsamailing attaching 70 T.