The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1908-05-20
SENATOR PLATT'S
LOVE LETTERS TO
MAE WOOD
Alleged Conspiracy Of Govern.
ment Officials
TO Be GIVEN. TO SEC. LOEB
Young Woman, Who Is Suing Aged
Senator for Divorce, Admits Re.
eeivins $500 for Release.

New York, May 20.-High govern.
ment officials at Washington are al
legged to have conspired to obtain
possession of love letters said to have
been written by United States Sena-
tor Thomas G. Plat to Miss Mae C.
Wood, in a signed statement introduc.
ed as evidence during yesterdays
session In Miss Woods suit for div.
orce against the senator.
The statement. which was introduc-
ed after the court had denied mot
ion by counsel for Senator Plat to
dismiss the complaint, bears what
purports to be the signature of j.
Martin Miller. and Miss Wood said
that while she did not see the sigma
ture affixed she was assured by Mr..
Miller that 1t was genuine. The state
ment was prepared by Miller at her
request. she testified. II declared
that Miller was asked by high gov
ernment officials in Washington and
New York to get possession OF Sena-
tor Platts love letters" that the pa
pers when obtained were not to be
given TO Plat but were 10 be turned
over to mr.. Loeb In Washington:
and that when the plan to get possess
ion OF the original papers failed a
scandal was begun In the newspapers
TO force Miss Wood to come to New
York. The statement concludes: IL
was gotten into the conspiracy by
powerful officials whom | dare not
displease from newspaper or polit
ical standpoint. consulted Mr..
Howe, Senator Platts secretary, fire.
quently and acted at all times under
the direction OF Loeb and Platt."
Former Assistant Postmaster Gen.
eral Robert Winnie is the present
Amrican consul general to London.
J. Martin Miller, a former newspaper
man, recently was american consul
at Rheima, France.
did Miller ever say anything to
you about the letters?" asked the ex-
aiming attorney of Miss Wood.
Yes she replied. "he said that IL
he got the letters the Platts would
never get them"
What was he going to do with
them?'
Hold them over Platt's head, I be-
lieve," she assumed
In her testimony given earlier in
the day Miss Wood. then under cross
examination, was led to tell of the
circumstances under which she sign
ed, in 1908. in this city. release of
Senator Plat from any claims she
may have had against him. She ties.
tilted that she received from A. H.
Hummel the sum Of $500 upon sign
ing the statement. but denied that
she was aware of all its contents.
The suit for absolute divorce. is be-
ing tried before Justice O'Gorman in
the supreme court
Miss Wood in her complaint de-
clares that she was married to Sen
ator Plat in this city November 8,
1901.
She named as correspondent in her
suit Mrs. Lillian Janaway who was
married to the senator in 1903.
In his answer to the complaint the
senator declares that Miss Woods al.
legations that he married her about
November 8, 1901, in New York are
absolutely false.
He says she never made any claim
to him of marriage until December
1906, and that since that time Miss
Wood has tried to get money from
him by threats that she would sue
| him for breach of promise of mar
riage.
Miss Woods counsel introduced in
evidence marriage certificate which
she said had been handed her by the
minister who performed the cere-
anA nnninC IF N ,,,n,hnr IF lot
tiers. alleged to have been. written to
her by the senator, addressed in
terms OF endearment.