Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-05-20
Venerable Senator Goes on
Stand to Make Defense to
Mae Woods Suit
LIkED HER, suT DID,Nr MARRY
PIatt Admits Addressing Her as catsy
and Other Endearins Names-Em.
phaticaIIy Denies Authorship Of Love
EpistIes Introduced in Evidence -.
Senator Quite Feeble.

| New York, May Ex-senator ThoMe
as C. Platt, who is being sued for di-
vorce by Mae c. Wood, today entere6
| thei court room where the suit Is be-
| ing heard. He was accompanied by
two attendants, and seemed to walk
with considerable difficulty.
He seemed very feeble. The senator
was accompanied by his son, Frank H
Platt, and stylishly attired woman.
The prospect that the senator would
be in court today drew large crowds
to the county building.
Opening his testimony, Plat said he
was nearly Is years old. He first met
Miss Woods in 1901. He denied that
he ever saw her at the Oriental hotel
OF ever asked her to become his WIFE.
He cAIfed Her catty.
The senator denied emphatically he,
had given Miss Wood photograph
Of himself on which he had written
ITO Ny Dear Wife," Miss Wood tes-
| titled that she was sitting on PLATES
knee while he wrote these words.
Mr.. LIE Barber, Miss, Woods coun-
sell, asked Platt If he ever addressed
Miss Wood in endearing terms. Platt
said: Il may have, foolishly done -
sometimes"
| Platt said he saw Miss Wood some
| times at his business office at -
Broadway; that Miss Wood called with
Mrs Canfield, who was candidate for
appointment in the Philippines.
< How many times did you see her
at the Fifth Avenue hotel? :" asked Le4
Barber.
Il could not say. saw her there
a good many times"
Did you call her Katy?"
/ 81 called her Catty in my letters. u
4 was very much pleased with her and
liked her very much
did she call you by any pet narne7 &
Never in my life"
| "Why did you like her.?
Because she was an agreeable:
woman"
| Never Promised Marriage.
Platt denied that he had ever mar
ried the plaintiff, promised to marry
her, given to or had inscribed we'd
ding ring for her, or had maintained
improper relations with her -
Stanchfield, counsel for Plat, .han3-
ed the senator the alleged marriage
certificate, and the senator said that
! he never saw the paper before in his
| life, altho he had seen photograph
of It, A number of letters alleged to
have been written by the senator to
Miss Wood. were read, and he denied
that he had written any of them. The
/ letter reading, "Your letter is so bright
1 1t almost reconciles me to Odell's
election" was dated 1901, and Stanch-
field asked:
"odell was elected way back in 1900.
was he not?"
"He was"
The senator declared positively that
he had never maintained improper re-
iations with the plaintiff. LeBarbier
read the letter alleged to have been,
written by Platt to Mae Wood in 1902,
calling her Dearest Mae" and saying
| that she must not expect much from
him, as his time was occupied and
slife is hardly worth living. After
the convention he hoped to meet her.
It ended peace and plenty be with:
| YOU" Platt said:
IT don't think it's a genuine letter.
/ 1 would not write letter in such =
tone to her now or at any time"
| Platt was shown the letter, and h0
/ said that it was in his handwriting.
Platt testified that he paid SO 600 10
! his son, Frank, to bring about a set
! tlement of the suit brought against
him by Miss Wood, thru the law hrmj
| of Howe & Hummel.