The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-05-22
Justice O'Gorman Dismisses
Suit and Charges Mae
Wood With Perjury.
BELIEVES HER GUILTY
OF WICKED DESIGN
Testimony OF Experts Entirely
Discredits Both Alleged Mar
riage Certificate and Letters.
Plaintiff Soon Receivers
From Shock and Re-
iterates Claims.
; Ew YORK, May 21.-Mae G.
Wood. whose suit for an abso-

= Ew YORK, May 21.--Mae G.
N Wood. whose suit for an abso.
N lutte divorce from United State.
Senator Thomas C. Platt o!
New York, has been on tria
in the Supreme Court here for seVera
days, was committed to the Tombs
Prison late to-day after Justice O'Gor.
man had dismissed the complaint ir
her action, and ordered her held Ii,
$4,000 ball on charge of perjury.
The decision in Senator Platt's IA
vor and the sudden and sensational
end of the suit came after day whicn
the defense occupied largely with the
timony attacking the authenticity oil
was seeking to establish her alleged
marriage to Senator Platt.
A handwriting expert testified that
in his opinion the body OF the letter
in which Senator Plat was alleged to
have admitted his relation as husband
to the plaintiff was added after the
Senator's signature had been affixed
More telling still for the defense wa.
the dispositions by engravers and sta
TONERS called by counsel for Senator
Platt that the blank form upon which
the alleged Platt- Wood marriage cer-
tificate was prepared. was not litho.
graphed until three months after the
date upon which the marriage of Miss
Wood to Senator Plat was alleged to
have taken place.
Sticks to Her Story.
Miss Wood was recalled to the stand
in rebuttal. She was asked If. after
hearing the testimony about the mar.
riage certificate, she still reiterated
that the defendant gave her the certi-
ficate a. she previously testified.
II still reiterate It,, she replied.
Justice O'Gorman turned to Miss
Wood and polntedly questioned her
She repeated her assertion that the
marriage occurred as she had stated
She admitted that Senator Platt neve,
supported her and when asked by the
court If she did not consider 1t the
duty of a husband to support his wife
she replied:
II do: but as long as he was not
gentleman enough to do so I never
asked him to-
Orders Her to Tombs.
Senator Platt's counsel then moved
again for dismissal OF the complaint
1t was forthwith granted by Justice
|O'Gorman, who, in rendering his deci-
sion, said:
Il cannot credit the PLAINTIFFS evil
dence as to the alleged marriage, and
the testimony. as 1t impresses the
court. is that this Is a most wicked
design to support false and fictitious
claim by forgery and perjury"
Forthwith Justice O'Gorman ordered
Miss Wood committed o4the Tombs
on the charge of perjury, fixing bail in
her case at $4,000 She was obviously
staggered by the sudden turn Of af-
fairs and the shock caused blythe order
of arrest which the court made. She
quickly regained her composure. how
ever. and by the time she reached the
city prison had resumed the air of
confidence which she held practically
throughout the trial.
At the district attorneys Office to-
might it was said that Miss Woods
case would speedily be presented to
the grand jury and pressed for trial
II an indictment was found.
At a late hour Miss Wood had not
been able to furnish the bail demanded
In her case, and was still locked up in
the Tombs.