The San Francisco call., 1906-06-20
Miss Mae Wood Says She
Was Married to the
Senator.
Will Now Bring Suit For
Absolute Divorce
From Him.
Declares That New York
Boss Has Become a
Bigamist.
SPECIAL DISPATCH TO THE CALL.

SPECIAL DISPATCH TO THE CALL.
COLON. Mich, June 1s.-Miss Cath
erine Wood. who since the marriage of
Tinted states Senator Thomas c. Platt
to Mrs Lillian T. Janeway announced
that she would publish a work called
Love Letters of a Boss" has turned
over to her attorneys. O'Flaherty d
Fulton of Richmond, va. what she in
sists is a marriage certificate. II this
claim proves to be true il viii make
Platt a bigamist. BY this she will seek
to establish her marriage to Senator
Piatt Letters requesting her presence
at the Fifth Avenue Hotel, New York
City, on November 8, 1901, the time OF
the alleged marriage, will be shown as
additional evidence Miss Wood claims
that she is the second wife of Platt and
was never divorced from him. She
contends his marriage TO Mrs. Janeway
is unlawful.
Miss Wood has been living in Colon
for several months. Arrangements have
been made with two Chicago attorneys
to bring suit for absolute divorce
on behalf of Miss Wood in Colon.
The action. IL was planned. would be
started simultaneously with an action
in New York State. the action of which
is TO be determined by O'Fiaherty &
Fulton.
According to the statement of Miss
Wood, Senator Platt and she were
married by Edward W. Rice. an or
dained Episcopal clergyman, and the
witness to the ceremony was J. v.
Jones, d retainer or employe of Senator
Platt Miss Wood asserts that the
marriage was entered into on Novem
Der 9, 1901, a dark, gloomy, Saturday
afternoon, in suite 15s, Fifth Avenue
I Aa+
Platt had extracted a promise from her
at the time to keep the marriage a
secret until he should wish to announce
il.
Subsequently, Miss Wood declares,
she became involved in several quar-
rels with Senator Piatt because of his
attentions to Mrs. Janeway. In April.
1903, there came parting of the ways.
although she declares Senator Platt
still kept surveillance over her through
of1icials of the Postofice Department
at Washington. where she was en-
ployed. It was by this agency that she
was sent on her trip to Europe, she
declares. In a detailed announcement
of her plans Miss Wood said:
Il have remained quiet about as long
as 1 propose to. 1 have been i'll for
nearly two years. I was prosecuted.
/ was put through the third degree by
Abe Hummel and ]. Frank Miller, an
emissary of the President and Platt, in
October, 1903. at the Victory Hotel and
Abe Hummers Office with the object of
making me give up this same maria ge
certificate and letters which Indicate
what happened at the Fifth Avenue
Hotel that afternoon of November in
1901"
CHICAGO, June 1s.-Miss Mae Cath
/ erin Wood of Colon, Mich. who once
sued United States Senator Thomas c.
Platt for breach of promise, is said
+ TO be preparing to bring suit for di-
Vorce against Senator Platt claiming
that she was married to him in 1901
/ and that the marriage has not been
annulled. The story was published in
/ an afternoon paper today, but con-
i irmation of it could not be obtained
According to James Donovan, an at
] torney in this city, who several years
ago caused considerable excitement I'm
/ Washington by charging Senator Platt
with land and timber frauds amount
/ ing to s3.o00.00o. Miss Wood was mar
ried to the Senator at the Fifth Ave-
nue. Hotel in New York on November
9, 1901. After a silence of several
years. according to Donovan, Miss
Wood has consented to make public
| her relations with the New York Sem
ator. Donovan states that his client
/ has been prosecuted, drugged, sent to
! Europe and bounded by detectives to
prevent her marriage to Senator Platt
/ becoming known In a conversation
over the long distance telephone to-
night Miss Wood said:
Il have not and will not discuss the
matter with any representative of the
press. Any matters relating to my af-
fairs are in the hands of my attor-
neys."
do you claim to be the wife of SEN
lator Platt?" she was asked
Well, may be l am, and may be 1
am not" she replied, laughing.
Attorney Donovan presented a photo
| graph Of an alleged marriage certifi-
cate. which he claims was received by
Miss Wood when she married Senator
Platt.
Mrs. Janeway, the present wife of
| Senator Platt. is bitterly denounced by
Attorney Donovan, who says that he
has evidence that she is not and never
was the wife of the Senator.
Miss Wood was Senator Piatt's
stenographer at Washington. She
never had any idea of his Intentions
| toward her, according to Donovan un-
1 til she received message one day for
her to come TO New York. As she was
| friendly to him she went. When she
arrived at the hotel she was notified
that the Senator was going to marry
her. Before she could hesitate, said
Donovan, the minister was brought
| in. the ceremony performed and all