The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1908-05-21

Court.
New York May 19.-Mae c. Wood.
the Omaha girl, who is suing United
btufes Senator Thomas G. Piatt for di-
sOrce. alleging that the senator for
mally entered into a marriage contract
with her on Nov. 9. 1901, gave tcsti-
mony in the suit The young woman
was smartly attired and self-posscss-
I'd. She identified copies OF several
letters which she said were received
by her from Plat. They were mainly
of an sfectiOnate nature. but in sew
eral there We're interesting sentences
ON other affairs. IN one commuBica-
ton was the phrase:
Your letter has cheered me up 50
that l am almost reconciled 10 Odelrs
election" A picture of the senator
was shown. upon the back OF which
was written to my little wife" Tell
ing how this was written. Miss Wood
said:
We'll. ! was sitting on his lap
Part OF the time he held my hand anC
part Of the time held his hand. Wo
wrote IL together. The words littl7
wife were written by him. ] think"
Miss Wood said that the senator
came TO her room In her hotel with
two men. and that ne formally ac-
knowlcdgcd her as his wife b.f,Ne
these two men.
Senator Plat was not I'm court.
On cross examination. Miss Wood
said she is forty-two years old. was
born ia Michigan. has been married
and divorced. and has ueon news.
paper reporter. a school teacher ana "a
lawyer. She last saw the nator a
speak to him ON Aug. is. 1893.
Counsel for Senator platt produced
letters alleged To have been written
to Miss Wood 10y the senator. In ono
of these letters the senator asked Miss
Wood why she does not marry Mr.
Middleton" and says he would like o.
sec hes married before he "cashcs in
In another letter the seaafor took Miss
Wood 10 task for writing about "old
Janeway" lie told her that he knew
all about Mrs. Janeway; that Miss
Wood was entirely wrong AMI con.
rludcd: IL have no intention Of mar
rying Mrs. Janeway or any other
woman"
Miss Wood denied that she ever re
tanned OFlaherty 4 Fulton. OF Rich.
Mond. Va. To prepare case against
senator Platt. but said she had met
shem and talked about the case.
ThoTeupon Senator Platt's counsel
read a letter from the lawyers TO the
senator. in which they declared that
they had been employed by Miss
Wood relative 10 a claim against the
senator. The matter grows out of a
promise of marriage made by you to
her and broken. as shown by your
subsequent marriage TO another per-
son." says the letter
The defense also submitted a copy
Of the legal petition in the district
court OF Douglass county. Nebraska,
entitled. Mae c. Wood VS. Robert J.
Wynne. William Loeb and J. Martin
Miller. defendants"
On that occasion Miss Wood sought
to recover $35. 600 from the defendants
on the ground that through a conspir-
acy they obtained from her a large
number OF letters which she had re-
reived from Senator Platt. and which
she proposed to incOrpate in a book
which she had planned to issue under
the title. The Love Letters OF a Boss"
Miss Wood was led to tell of her
visit here on Oct. ~. 1908, just before
Senator Platt married Mrs. Janeway.
She brought the senator's letters with
her She was met al the hotel. she
said. by J. Martin Miller. a secret
service man. who. she said. practically
put her under arrest.
Miller, she said. took her down to
the office of a. II. Hummel, the attor-
ney. the following day. AS a result
of visits to Hummels office. she said,
she was compelled to give up the let
ters and papers relating to Senator
Piatt, and was also forced to sign a
receipt for $4,000 in settlement of all
claims against him. She said that she
did not get $4,000. but did get por-
ton of It. just how much she did not