The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-04-09
Mcclellan Says Wife Was
Author Of Damaging Letters.
ExONsRATES MISS ERWIN.
Says Ha Kusw Nothing Of The Mental Dis.
ease From Which His Wife Was
Suffering.

Norwalk. Conn. April 9.-John w. Nc
Clellan, former principal OF the South
Five River District School. in Rowayton.
who resigned In March because OF the
anonymous-letter scandal. on account OF
which Miss Elizabeth A Erwin. one of its
teachers. is suing him for 5000 damages.
sent letter last evening to George w.
Stevens, school committeeman of the dis
tric' through his attorney, George III.
Vosburgh. which seems to fully clear
Miss Erwin OF any further suspicion and
fix the authorship OF the letters definitely
upon his wife.
The letter. which bears date of last Sat
urday is in part as follows:
Having bene recently apprised of the
real condition of my wife, take this op-
portunity TO inform you and the people
OF Rowayton, where the responsibility, II
any. OF the recent anonymous letter.
writing episode properly belongs, upon
person whom God has made unaccounta-
BILE for her acts and protected with
dreadful immunity.
IL had no inkling of her real condition
ton. / am now informed by eminent au-
thority that her trouble is cognizable only
by the trained specialist. and acting upon
the advice OF three physicians, have
caused her 10 be confined in a retreat In
Hartford.
IT send you this letter at the earnest
solicitation OF Mrs. McClellan's relatives
In judging my conduct and motives be-
speak your kindly consideration for Mrs
Mcclellan, and ask you and the people
TO believe that every act OF mine was con-
ceived and governed by the sincere con-
viction OF the nationality of my wife and
an unshakable faith and confidence In
her.
'"The sequence OF events aroused sus-
picion In the mind OF my attorney that
Mrs. Mcclellan may have written the
letters. an insinuation which believed 10
be unwarranted. L determined TO submit
the anonymous letters, with samples OF
Mrs. McClellan's genuine handwriting, to-
gether with specimens OF the writing OF
Miss Elizabeth A. Erwin. to a handwriting
expert. Mrs. Mcclellan was appraised OF
the extraordinary expense such course
would entail and was importuned both
by Mr.. Vosburgh and Gen. Russell Frost
to- acknowledge her Niilt. IL guilty, and
thereby save tho expense of an experts
opinion.
'She asserted her innocence, and the
genuine and anonymous writings were
taken to New York, where they were ex-
amined by William j. Kinsley. the ex-
pert, who figured at the trial OF Roland B.
Molneux. Mr.. Kinsley gave 1t as his
opinion that Miss Erwin did not write the
anonymous letters, but that Mrs. Me-
Clelan did.
II regretted sincerely and honestly any
unpleasantness or suffering that had been
endured by Miss Erwin, and made known
to her counsel my anxiety to fully exon
crate her from all blame or suspicion,
even 90 the extreme of publishing over
my own signature my belief in and
knowledge OF her innocence. l considered.
perhaps mistakenly, that IL Miss Ervin's
character received full and adequate rep
aration and exoneration. her interest
would not necessitate the discovery OF
the real writer. have no wish to criticise
Miss Ervin's or her counsefs motives
which. I believe were conscientious; yet
their requirement that l should proclaim
my knowledge of the authorship of the
letters was unfortunate In that IL forced
me into a position OF inability TO clear
Miss Erwin unless | subjected my own
wife TO public criticism and rebuke, nay,
odium and disgrace"
Mrs Mcclellan is now undergoing treat
ment at DIR. Stearns retreat for the in
sane. DR.. Stearns said today that her
cerebral disturbance IL delusional and he
thinks she has had delusions for some
time. She spends most OF her time at the
retreat writing anonymous letters, which
she addresses TO woll-known people In
Rowayton and Norwalk All OF them are
taken In charge by the superintendent
and destroyed.
Every effort to induce Mrs. Mcclellan
20 confess has failed.