Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1908-05-27
Mae WOOD Loses:
Held FOR PERJURY
OENAToR PLAT1 DIVORCE CASE
DISMISSED, WOMAN BEING
ACCUSED.
AGED MANS SON SAYS
EVIDENCE IS UNTRUE
After Offspring OF New York Leoisla.
tor Declares Letters Are Not Those
with His Fathers Signature, Plain.
tiff Is Arrested.

New York, May 22-The case OF
| Mae c. Wood, the Omaha woman who
sued United States Senator Thomas c.
Plat for divorce, came to a sudden
and sensational end late Monday after
noon when Justice O'Gorman of the
supreme court dismissed the com
plant and directed that the complain
ant be committed to the city prison
under $4,000 bail on charge of per.
jury. Miss Wood was taken to the
Tombs. The climax came after the
Introduction In evidence of the deposit
ton OF a man who manufactured the
blanks upon one of which the alleged
Wood.Platt marriage certificate had
been prepared. in which he declared
that the blank form in question was
not autographed until three months
after the marriage of Miss Wood to
Plat is alleged to have occurred.
Senator's Son Testifies.
The senator's son, Frank H. Plat,
also had testified that in his belief no
such letters ever had been written to
Miss Wood by his father as were rep
resented in alleged copies offered in
court by the complainant. The case
has attracted exceptionally wide at
tention on account of the prominence
of the aged senator and the names of
other widely known persons whom
Miss Wood involved in her sensation
al charge in support of her complaint
Miss Wood was at once taken to the
Tombs prison. On the way she chat
ted laughingly with the officers.
Court Expresses Opinion.
The commitment on the perjury
charge was made by Justice O'Gorman
on his own initiative. He had person
ally questioned the complainant, who
had been recalled to the stand, and
when she reiterated her former testi-
naOny regarding the marriage the JUS
tice said: 1.-The court cannot believe
there was marriage. Being con-
vinced of the plaintiffs guilt in com.
hitting perjury in the case, I COM
NIT her to prison unless she furnish
$4,000 BAIL"
Son Testifes for Father.
Frank H. Plat, son of United
States Senator Thomas C. Platt, testi.
flying declared that he believed none
OF the letters introduced by Miss
Wood as evidence in her suit were
true copies of those written by his ia.
Their. He had examined carefully the
original copies of letters written by
the senator to Miss Wood, which were
turned over to him by Abraham Hum.
mel upon payment of $4,000, he said,
and there were no such communica.
tons among them as the alleged
copies produced in court Mr.. Plat
also testified that none of the letters
received from Hummel contained any
reference to marriage between Sena.
tor Plat and Miss Wood. He said
that after reading the letters he per.
sonally destroyed them by burning
them in crate in his Office.
Hitch in Certificate Story.
Frederick E. Hafeley, president OF
the stationery firm which sold the
blank form upon which the alleged Ger.
tificate of marriage was prepared, in
a deposition read in court Thursday
declared that that particular blank
form was not placed on sale until
February, 1902, three months after the
marriage of Miss Wood to Senator
Plat is alleged to have occurred.
On cross-examination Mr. Plat said
many of the letters from his father to
Miss Wood were brief notes of invi-
tation. He was willing to pay $4,000
for their return, he said, because his
father was about to be married to
Mrs. Janeway and he and his father
thought it would be best to get rid of
Miss Wood. What was your object
in destroying some of these letters?"
he was asked. well, the plaintiff was
writing for the letters and going to
the newspapers and l did not think
that she had stayed bought, and de-
stroyed all but few of the letters.
There was no suggestion of marriage
or divorce or disgrace in any of the