The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1908-05-22
FROM THE LOVE
LEI1ERS OF A BOSS.
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New York, May II. Extracts from
letters written by Thomas c. Platt to
Mae C.. Wood, the Omaha woman who
ID suing the United States senator for
divorce. alleging that the senator for
;mally entered into a marriage contract
with her on November 8, 1901, were
heard in court.
A picture of the senator was shown
upon the back Of which was written,
ito my little WIFE," Telling how this
was written, Miss Wood said: We'll,
i was sitting on his lap. Part of the
time I held his hand. We wrote 1t to-
gether. The words. little Wife were
written by him, 1 think"
Miss Wood said that the senator
came to her room in her hotel with two
men. and that he formally acknowl-
edged her as his wife before these men.
Senator Plat has always denied these
letters as forgeries.
Mae Takes Stand.
Miss Wood was the first witness.
She was stylishly attired and self pos
sessed. She testified that Mr.. Platt
hrst promised to marry her at Man
haitian beach. H said the marriage
mus be secret, az he was an old man.
and added: II demurred and told him
Ass ~ AAS OtAAlil dOOuk llAS .OAk IC
said he knew all my past life"
On cross examination Miss Wood
,said h was AZ years old, was born in
Michigan, had been married and di-
vOrced, and a been a newspaper re-
porter. q school teacher and a lawyer.
also was admitted to the bar in Ne
braska. She last saw the senator to
speak to him on August Is. 1908.
Miss Wood denied she ever retained
O'Flaherty Z Fulton. OF Richmond, Va,
to prepare q case against Senator Plat,
but aid h had met them and talked
about the case. Thereupon 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 to a claim
against the senator.
The defense also submitted a copy
OF the legal petition in the district court
OF Douglas county, Nebraska. entitled,
Mae c. Wood versus Robert J. wynne,
William Loeb and j. Martin Miller, de-
PENDANTS"
On that occasion Miss Wood sought
to recover 3S5. 900 from the defendants
on the ground that through q con-
spiracy they obtained from her a large
number OF letters, which she had re-
ceived from Senator Plat. and which
h proposed to incorporate in a book
which she had planned to issue under
lne Title, The Love Letters OF q BOSs.''
Paid In Part.
Miss Wood vas led to tell OF her visit
here on October -. 1903. Just before
Senator Plat married Mrs. Janeway.
She brought h senator's letters with
her. She was met at the hotel, she
said. by J.. Martin Miller, q secret SER
vice man. who. she said. practically put
her under arrest. Miller, she said. took
her down to the Office OF A. H. Hum
mel, an attorney. h following day. AS
q result OF visits to Hummel's office,
she said. she was compelled to give up
b letters and papers relating to SEN
ator Plat. n also forced 10 sign a
receipt for 10000 in settlement OF all
claims against him. She said that she
did not get $4,000. but did get a por-
ton OF 1t; just how much she did not
state.
MI. stanchfeld offered the release
signed by Miss Wood to Senator Plat
IN evidence. Counsel for Miss Wood
objected. but h release was admitted.
Tolls Of Wedding.
Miss Wood describes her ALLEGED we'd
ding with Senator Plat:
Il took his hand" said Miss Wood.
and one Of the men began the civil
ceremony by saying. You take this
woman to be your lawful, welded wife.
and you take this man to be your law
ful. welded husband?'"
Mics Wood said that Plat rave her
z wedding ring. and she displayed the
xing IN court. It bore no Inscription.
She declared that h thought the man
who performed the ceremony was a
minister and that he gave her a mar
fiage certificate. This alleged certia-
cate was offered in evidence.
Following the ceremony, the witness
said. she remained at the hotel for
three days and then returned to her
duties. The marriage, she said, was not
made public because Mr.. Platt wanted
1t to be kept secret He would not let
me have a lady friend, even.' said Miss
Wood. for. he said. what two women
know IL no longer a secret He wanted
me to live in h next room to him and
ray that I was his secretary. but I re-
fused"
NAME cLERcYMEN TO PRAY
At CHICAGO CONVENTION
Chicago, May 21.-The subcommittea o.