The Washington herald., 1908-07-22

New York, July John a. Van Rens-
selaer. who was arrested for sending a
threatening letter 10 his mother. Mrs
John King Van Rensselaer,. al Newport.
was arraigned before Magistrate Corri-
gan in the TOmbs Court to-day and com
Hitted 90 Bellevue Hospital forsfve days
observation as 70 his sanity. No one;
appeared IN court 70 make g formal!
charge against him
Detective Wilbur. who brought the pris-t
ouer down from headquarters. had a teIe-s
gram from Chief Crowley, OF Newport
saying that no one there desired TO prose-
cute the case Crowley said he had heard
nothing more from Mrs Van Rensselaer,,
The defendants mother. and suggested
that il the authorities here wished 20 hold
him for sending threatening letters
through the mails Il might be done.
A Russell Peabody, who was OF counsel
for Harry X Thaw. appeared in comtfas
counsel for Van Rensselaer,
Van Rensselaer, himself was very will
Ing 10 accede 20 anything his friends
might suggest and appeared 20 tabe the
whole proceedings in a humorous Y sln-
he was dressed IN a neat blues suit
soft straw hat, and black bow tie HIS
dark Ta1dyke beard contrasted strongly
with pale couutenance- His EYES look
ed a little bloodshot and heavy. - If he
had missed some sleep at heat5.u quarters
last night
Thought It Good Joke.
he declined 10 say much about ais case.
merely remarking that he thought the
whole thilg q good joke He said. how
q
his mother as a real threat. as tr3e money
$500 which he asked for really be-
I1ngeJ 90 him from his fathers. estate.
The defendants wife was nos in court
She did not call at headquarters to-day
10 see her husband before he WIS taken
10 court She had a long talk with him
at headqIs1rte-s last night.
Van Rensselaer, said to-day that the re
ports thai his wife vas an actress were
untrue
Some Of Van FaensseIaer's friends said
that he would cozae into a large fortune
II case Of his. mos hers death
Young Van Rensselaer, admitted 20 the
detectives that he wrote the threatening
letter. end told 1hem that his mother
ought 20 be killed anyway"
When Mrs. Van Rensselaer, turned the
threatening letter over 10 IhP police OF
Newport, she said her son bad spent a
legacy OF S511l1. and that she refused ab-
sOIuJeIy 10 give h tls any more money. She
said also that hisi wife had been an &c
t-ess and that she did not approve OF her.
Some Pa miIy History.
The present 0Ir.t John A Van Rens-
seIear is the seco I'd wife Of the young
man who Threatened his mother His
first wife was Helen Frances Eder
C-alind0. whom van. Rensselaer, married
after he had known her only a few hours
Subsequently Van .2s1sse5aer sued for
and obtained a decree, -of4absoIute divorce
from her in this city
Van Rensselaer, married. his second vile
on June Is 1896 She denied she had been
En actress, and Il was pEslin she felt bit
terly toward her moth sr-ln-law.
Ny husband and his mother have been
az odds for many years. she said. Their
enUity arose from a -aIliIy quarrel, IN
which I had no part I do not wish 70
critclsa my mother-in-la1E. but when all
the facts are known a different light viii
be shed on my husbands arrest Ny faith
er-in-law IS an invalid, and up % two
months ago ne lived X TN Us HIS wife
did nothing for him
Why my mother-in-lryv should have
caused her sons arrest al, this time Is be
-oud my undersrauding- she has received
many letters from her sJU and from her
husband that were much worse than the
present one Why she o-sght 10 be used
% EettirE letters from them 7 saw my
husband write the letter which the police
gave out I regarded il Us a Joke. and
know DE wrote Il more IN a spirit Of fun
than with any view Of Obtaining money
from his mother by means Of threats.
After my husband had signed the Iet-
Ter he added a postscript saving he did so
20 make il stronger. Nothing VIII come
OF this case. for 7 am certain that Mrs
Van Rensselaer, viii not prosecute her
son 7 am sg-ry. however. that he has 20
remain is q cell over night
Mrs Van Rensselaer, went 20 police
headquarters and asked 10 be permitted
20 see her husband She was told that
only his counsel was Permitted 20 see
him but that she could send a mes
sage 70 him. She nd so, and received
a reply asking her 10 send a box Of to-
hacco 10 the prisoner. The wife bought
the tobacco and sent II. 10 him