The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-08-23
BEACKMAIL, SEWELL 'SANSXER
LAWYER SAYS WfFE'S COUNSEL
ASKED HALF MILLION
TO Can on Suit In Tennessee 70 Annul
Divorcc Dccree--Adis TNat Demand
was Reduced to $50 no and inst He
MAY Appeai to the district Attorney.

May Appeal to the District Attorney.
The charge was made yesterday on be-
half Of Barton Sewell vice. president OF Tho
American Smelling and Refining Company
and president OF the United Lead Company,
ina, the hill filed In Tennessee demanding
n, annu)nent Of the divorce secured by
Mr Sewell in that State and an action
brought in the Supreme Court In this State
we're s,eps in proceedings TO extort money
from the defendant.
The charge was made by Henry j. No
cormick of Jones 4 Mccormick, ~ Pine
street who is Mr.. Seweil's lawyer. He
absoves the first wife, Julia Thayer Sewell.
Of wrongful intent saying that ehe is easily
led and is being used az tool by lawyers.
"This attempt to annul Mr.. Sewelre
divorce and to declare Illegal his second
marriage" eaid Mr.. Mccormick, "is moth
Ing new More than three months before
the filing of the hill In chancery IN Ten
ressee an action was begun in the Supreme
Court in Suffolk county this State, to secure
a divorce for Julia Thayer Sewell. II was
alleged in the complaint among other
things that no proceeding for divorce had
been brought against the former Mrs.
sewell. Issue was joined on this allega-
, ton and referred to Attorney Arlington
Carman Of PatchoGue.
Both before and since the commence
ment of this action repeated attempts have
been made to blackmail my client At first
certain lawyers approached me % his
representative and demanded $500, 900 as
the price Of peace.
There are such serious defects in the
divorce proceedings conducted by Mr..
sewell in Tennessee they said, that the
divorce can easily be set aside. Once
that is done Mr.. Sewell will be indicted
and prosecuted for bigamy end also for
subornaton Of perjury, and these things
will be done unlesA the money is forth
coming
Later other lawyers came to me, rep
resented themselves as attorneys for Mrs.
Sewell and agreed to settle the matter
for 100000. At still later time an offer
was made to stop all proceedings for
$4,000.
.Mr. sewell, Of course. absolutely re-
fused to be blaclxmailed. II he thought
that his former wife vas in want undoubt-
eddy he would assist her. but he knows that
to be impossible, for he he's settled upon
her property giving an annual income Of
$4,000. He Is confident, too, that the vari-
Gus demands for money are not animated
by his wife, but spring entirely from the
cupidty of certain lawyers.
.Mr Sewell. from the time Of the first
attempt at blaCknail, has been anxious
that turn over the whole matter to the
District Attorney. Acting under his orders,
Ihave prepared case which may give to
the authorities any day.
Just who the lawyers are would be a
matter Of great public interest, but shall
not disclose their names until criminal
proceedings are brought. Ono Of them is
Z member Of very we'll known Wall Street
firm. Some of the others arc comparatively
unknown and some have names which
every ono would recognize. OF course, l
want 1t understood that by no means
charge improper praotises against all the
attorneys who have acted for Mrs. Sewell
She has had q great many lawyers, and
even now there IL q controversy among
three firms as to which has been retained
by her.
The last assertion was corroborated
by court proceedings in this city and Brook
lyn yesterday. In this city . hearing was
held in the Offices OF Cornelius J. Early,
27 Broadway, before Referee Carman.
The object Of the hearing was to take testi-
mony in the divorce action brought by
Julia Thayer Sewell. Two Arms OF at
torueys. each purporting to appear for
Mrs. scwell. were represented and an ad-
journment was taken pending decision OF
a motion made by one OF them to Dust the
other from the case. Mr.. Mccormick
objected to the adjournment
Il served notice at a prior bearing two
weeks ago." he said, when attorneys for
the plaintiff were mpreparod to 20 ahead.
that would not consent to another ad-
tournment There Ii no merit to this case
and it ought to be dismissed
Charles c. Lockwood OF Gilbert d Lock-
wood, $40 Broadway, which Arm ID the st-
torney OF record in the divorce proceed
ings brought by Mrs. Julia Thayer 6swell
in this State. denied emphatioally last night
that there was the slightest attempt to
extort money a. far "a he and his associates
were concerned. He explained the Wi-
CATION as follows:
Early in March; while Ars. Sswell was
In Rome. friend wrote to her that her
husband was securing . divorce. She
cabled her mother and learned that she
had been divorced and that her hus-
band had taken a now wife. She came
home at once, arriving in New York the
latter part OF March.
'ln few days she came to my Office
and asked me to look up her marital status.
formed the opinion that she had not been
legally divorced, but was not willing to
trust to my opinion alone In such an i'm
portant matter. I accordingly engaged as
counsel Former Assistant District Attorney
Wellman Of Wellman, 0ooch 4 Smythe on
New York law; Col. William A. Henderson
ofTennessee, general counsel for the South
en Railroad, on the law OF that State. and
Attorney General McCarter Of New Jersey
on the question Of tho validity Of Mr..
sewell's second marriage. All these gentle
men agreed with me, and accordingly
brought an action for divorce.
Soon after the suit was begun Mr. Sewell
made us a proposition in writing to in
crease our clients ainony from tl0,sOO a
year to $4,000 The proposition had no
reference to disoontinuanoe OF the divorce
action. MIR. Wellman searched the records
diligently. but could find no instance in
which men Of even greater wealth than Mr..
sewel had been forced by court order to
ray as m,lCh We A0oortlinRy adviaed