Daily Kennebec journal., 1908-05-25
Will Be Laid Before Be-
fore Grand Jury This Week.
Il She Is Indicted Plat May
Testify Against Her.
Friends Of the Woman Offer Ball
Through Surety Company.

| New York, May 24-Another chap
| ter in one of the most remarkable le-
| gal actions that has been heard in the
New York courts in a long time will
probably BEGIN this week when the
charges of perjury against .Iae G.
wood, the former newspaper woman
ana lawyer of Omaha, who sued Unit
ed States Senator Thomas G. Platt for
divorce, will be laid before Il grond
jury Unusual public interest has CEN
tered in the Wood-Platt case chiefly
on account of the prominence of the
aged senator whom Miss Mood made
the defendant in her suit for divorce.
With the intirmities of age heavy
upon him, the senator was obliged to
go upon the witness stand and to un-
dergo crcss-eXamination by opposing
counsel.
Miss Woods suit involved many SEN
sational charges and it was fortified
by documentary evidence until Justice
O'Gorman declared there was evidence
OF forgery and that he believed Miss
Wood had committed perjury to sus-
tain her charges Her case rested
mainly upon certificate which she
aVerred was given her on the night of
her alleged marriage to the senator in
November 1901, and upon copy of a
letter which she insisted she received
from Senator Platt in which he ap-
peared to acknowledge her as his legal
wife. Serator Platt's denial of the
alleged marriage was supported by the
affidavit of a woman who explained
the letter of Acknowledgement Dy say
ing that she obtained the senator's au-
tograph on blank sheet of paper and
gave it TO Miss Wood: but it was not
until the printer of the blank form of
the marriage certificate testified that
the form was not printed until three
months after the alleged marriage that
Miss Woods case collapsed and the
justice dismissed the suit and ordered
the plaintiff committed on charges of
forgery and perjury.
Miss Wood was taken to the Tombs
PRISON on Thursday. During her stay
there she has manifested cheerfulness
unusual in person committed under
so serious charges and has endeavored
to comfort herself by her conclusion,
which she expressed at the time OF
her arrest, that the burden Of proof
now rests upon those who are prose-
cutting her and that it will be more
difficult to convict her than to over
throw her action for divorce.
For several days it appeared that
the woman was without friends but
this was disproVen on Saturday, when
bail to the extent of $4,000 was offered
by surety company. This offer could
not be accepted owing to the lateneSS
of the hour when the tender was made,
but it probably will be repeated to-
morrow. Rumors that Miss Wood is
supported by friends woh are pos
sessed of strong resources were re-
vived by the offer of bail but her coun-
sci declined to disclose their identity,
and Miss Wood has made no public
mention of such friends if she has
them. Although Senator Platt testi-
fled that it cost him $4,000 to get pos
session of the letter he wrote to Miss
Wood he has since been quoted as
saying: Il am sorry for the woman,
but she undoubtedly deserves punish
ment."
Both he and Miss Wood are quoted
as denying a rufsor that the senator's
agents had something to do with the
offer of bail for her. But Miss Wood
asserts that since her commitment
she has been asked whether she would
plead guilty to the perjury charge if
she were paid for doing so and that
she informed her questioner that she
would die in Jail first.
Should an Indictment be returned
against Miss Wood it is not improb-
able that Senator Platt will be a wit
ness.