Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-05-21
POLITICIANS ARE
ACCUSED BY WOMAN
STATEMENT MADE BY MAN HIRED
TO SECURE PLATT's LETTERS
FROM HER HINTS AT PRESSURE
FROM HIGH PLACES. ),

Thomas O. Platt, who 1s being sued
for divorce by Mae G. Wood. today en-
tered the court room where the suit
Is being heard. He was accompanied
by two attendants and seemed to
walk with considerable difficulty.
Opening his testimony Platt said
he is nearly Is years old. He first met
Miss Wood in 1901. He denied he ever
saw her at the Oriental hotel or ever
asked her to become his wife.
Platt said he might at times have
foolishly addressed Miss Wood in en-
dearing terms. He denied she had
ever called him any pet names. He
liked her very much, he said, because
she was an agreeable woman" He
said he had never given her photo
graph of himself on which he had
written to my dear wife," and he de-
MED emphatically he ever married the
plaintiff or ever promised to marry
her. In fact, the senator denied all
statements and charges made against
him by Miss Wood
Plat testified that he paid $4,000
to his son Frank to bring about a set.
tlement of a suit brought against him
by Miss Wood, through the law firm
Of Howe & Hummel.
Sensation Of Yesterday.
The sensation of yesterday after
Moons session of court was the intro
duction of signed statement which
alleged that high government officials
at Washington conspired to obtain
possession of love letters written by
Mae Wood to the senator.
1t is a supposed, or alleged, confes-
sion by j. Martin Miller, formerly a
reporter, and since having served as
United States consul at Rheims,
France, Of how he came to be mixed
up in the Platt-Wood scandal. Miller
is the man, who, according to Nine
Wood, flashed secret service agents
badge on her in October, 1908, and got
her to deliver up all the letters and
papers she had on which she relied
for establishing the fact of her init
macy with the aged senator.
Mae Wood said today that after
she had given Miller 100 at his re
quest she learned from him that had
she acceded to his first request that
she give up the papers they would
never have fallen into the possession
of Mr.. Platt or OF Abe Hummel, who
she contends, was acting as agent OF
the senator, though pretending after.
ward to have been her attorney.
Some months later, in February
1904. Miller approached her again
and. as she testified yesterday, he
handed her tpyewritten statement
at first UNSIGNED, but which he sign.
ed at her request. This statement JUS.
tice O'Gorman declined to receive in
evidence when it was first offered by
Mae Woods counsel, but after her
counsel had brought out the facts
leading UP to the writing and signing
of the statement, he admitted it.
The statement reads:
was asked by high government Of
ficiais at Washington and New York
to get possession Of Senator Piatt's
love letters to Mae c. Wood. In order
to do this ! had to pretend would eet
out book for which she gave me the
manuscript on Oct. 8, 1908. 1t was
agreed by all parties Interested that
was to get her to New York and qet
all the papers out of her room.
Loeb Tells PIatt of Suit.
Mr.. Loeb called up Mr.. Plat in New
York and told him Miss Wood was
going to sue him for breach of prom
ise. Then Platt said he would be a
party to the scheme. | failed to oe,
possession of any original letters OF
documents. We then began the scan
dai in the newspapers to force her tc
come to terms. Wynne, first assistan,
postmaster general, started the bal
rolling by getting New York paper
to print the article as it first appear
ed. established my headquarters In
the Tribune building and disseminat
ed such information as | could qe,
from the office: of the first assistan
postmaster General. Senator T. c.
Plat was fully Informed of all matters
by me as was instructed to cooper
ate with him, but the orioinal papers
were not to be given to PIatt, but to
Mr.. Loeb In Washington.
IL was got into the conspiracy by
powerful officers, whom | would not
dare to dispIease from newspaper or
POLITICAL standpoint. consulted Mr.
Howe, PIatt's secretary, frequently
and acted at all times under the direc
|. tion of Loeb and PIatt.
]. MARTIN MILLER.