The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-12-20
MISS BlGGAR'S own STORY.
SAYS MR. BENNETT TORE TP
MARRIAGE CERTIFICtTE.
In FIT Of Anger Because She Wished 10 90
Out for " Ain. and she wrote stanton
several Times for Duplicate Dr. Hen.
drick Huggei and Kissed In the Court.

the actress, told her own story to-day OF her
alleged marriage to the late Henry NJ Ben
nett when she was called a. a witness in
the trial OF herself. DR.. Charles &. Hendricks
and Samuel Stanton, all charged with con-
spiracy to get the entire Bennett estate by
fraudulent claims of a marriage and the
birth of child. Her fourteen-year-o boy.
Willis. a child by her first husband. was
also a witness to-day.
That first hus band, james Wilkes McCon-
nell, who came on from Wisconsin to testify
for his former wife, left town to-day after
giving away the last of his stock of photo
graphs of himself a. Joseph Surface in
The School for Scandal"
Contrary to expectation, Miss Biggar
went through her three hours ordeal on
the witness stand without brea king down.
The only time when she seemed TO falter
and collapse was when she told the court
that she had not yet received cent from
the estate nor got the diamonds which old
man Bennett intended that she should have
But she pulled herself together after that
and went through stiff cross-questioning
relative to all the details of the birth and
death of her alleged child and of her own
physical condition four months prior to
the alleged birth. and Of the death of her
alleged husband without any suggestion
of faintirg
Her friend, Mrs. Hendricks, the wife of
DIR. Hendricks, also bore up wonderfully
well when an interesting note written by
her husband TO Miss Biggar was produced
by the prosecution.
DIR Hendricks was the first wit to-day.
He said that his present abode was in the
Monmouth county Jail and then told how
he begcame a physician and lawyer. and
how Miss Biggar was finally induced to
become a patient The insisted on the word
patient rather than inmate) in his sani-
tarium at Bayonne.
Incidentally, in the opinion of the lawyers
for the prosecution DR., Hendricks under
cross-examinaton unwittingly disclosed
the motivs Of the alleged conspirators
in trying to got the whole estate for Miss
Biggar instead of accepting the 81 per
cent. Of it to which the will entitled her.
The doc or was asked by Edmund Wilson,
who is assist ing County Prosecutor Foster
about a conversation he had had with
persons interested in the estate
AN | said TO them" replied DR. Hem
dricks when the cross-questioning became
very hot, was that under the will she would
have TO wait fourteen years before getting
cent"
That admission explains, say the law
yers for the prosecution. why Miss Biggar
was willing to risk the penalty of her alleged
crime for the sake of deriving some inn
mediate financial benefit from Mr.. Ben
nett's death.
Why" asked Mr.. Wilson, did you
Always refer to her as Miss Biggar if YOU
knew that she was the widow of Henry VI.
Bennett and pregnant with child by him.
Il called her Miss Big gar, replied DR..
Hendricl because she insisted on II
q Did YOU ever refer to her as Mrs Ben
q. Did you tell any Of the relatives about
this pregnancyI 4 No I'm,
to wh he the 'oss VINE the
will by letting them know that there was to
be To mhSher the chd would be
a, DID gov hi out the certificate of the
q, Did You furnish the certificate of its
9, Why didn't you file the birth certificate
A 1t wasn't necessary.
% What treatment did YOU. give Miss
treatment and strychnine.
O. You, knew. didn't you that that was
an abortion? A. | knew that that was one
OF the things that wouldn't
Q When asked what attitude Miss Biggar
was going to take, didn't you saw that ,he
would fare better As common-law wife
than under the VIII No: ! SAID thar
sven a. a common-law VIII" she would rare
setter
Hendricks illustrated what he meant
~ iis reply by putting emphasis on even
q, How did You first meet Miss Bicgar?
And ss aw by the i6 bo h was n
tarium.
q Then YOU vent 70 soc her at Farming
u. And although that was the first time
yo,i had ever seen her you stayed over n ght.
the next ext d ins yesr '1"'''ru" with you
q. You were very friendly? \ our re-
lations were those OF physician and patient.
Mr. Wilson then produced a letter and
envelope written last June at Freehold and
addressed to Miss Laura Biggar az Bay
onns. DR.. Hendricks admitted that he
envelope was addressed by him. but when
he saw the letter inside he said that he
would neither deny nor affirm that it was
his. The letter was passed back for the
defendant lawyer To read and Mrs Hen
bricks wife of the man who had written it
left the side of her husbands friend. Miss
Biggar, TO whom II was sent long enough
10 lean over. the lawyers shoulder and
read it herself She had never seen il
before. but there was no hair pulling nor
scratching to disturb the quiet Of the court.
With wonderful composure Mrs Hendricks
went back to her seat and resumed tanning
Miss Biggar, while Miss Biggar kindly
held the green bottle Of smelling salts To
her friends wife's most rils.
Then the lawyers for the defence OBJ
jected to the reading Of the letter and il
was withdrawn for the time being.
When court reconvened. after The noon
recess Miss Bggar and Mrs. Hendricks
stayed outside and before they came in
Lawyer Noonan withdrew his object ions
to the letter and il was read. This is the
note thatDr Hendricks wrote to Miss Biggar:
well. mamma, how is Kitty? ha, ha
I'm lonely for mamma That's all. Yours,
Charlie
As soon as the note had been read to
the jury Mrs. Hendrick, came into court
and before taking her seat put her arms
around her husbands neck and kissed him
Twas lovely, and everybody who had be-
level that Mrs. Hendricks and the doctor
were estrangad up to the time of the trial
felt -muckied' enough, as they say in Free
hold
Now began Mr.. Wilson. resuming his
cross-examination. You say you called
he woman Miss Biggar because she insist cd
on Il. Who authorized you to call her
mammal l. that consistent with your
relations as physician and PATENT"
YES, sir said DIR. Hendricks. still smiling
at his wife. after that last hug in public.
O. Well, who is Kitty? A. ! don I know.
O. Were there any kittens there; 4. Sew
q. Expecting any more; 4 I don't know