The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1908-05-20
MAE C., WOODS SUIT.
Asserts She Was Secretly Mar
ried TO Senator Platt In 1901.

n
Which She Said Had Been Handed
Her by the Minister Who Performed
the ceremony-Says Papers Were
Taken From Her Under Duress.
New York, May 19.-Mae Catharine
Wood was on the witness stand all day
testiiying in her suit for absolute di.
vorce from United States Senator
Thomas C. Plat before Justice
O'Gorman in the supreme court.
In support of her assertion that she
had been secretly married to Senator
Plat at the Fifth Avenue hotel on
Nov. 8, 1901, her counsel introduced in
svidence a marriage certificate, which
she said had been handed her by the
minister who performed the ceremony,
and copies Of number Of letters, al
legged to have been written to her by
the senator, addressed in terms of en-.
dearment.
Left Papers In HummeI's Office.
On cross-examination Miss Wood
told how she came to give up the pa
pers and letters she possessed relat-
ing to Senator Platt, alleging that she
did SO under duress and was COM
PEELED to sign a receipt for $4,000 In
settlement of all her claims against
the senator This, she said, was the
result of representations made to her
city, in the fall of 1903.
Miss Wood in her suit named as CO.
respondent Lillian Janeway, whom Sen
ator Platt married in 1903. Senator
Platt was not in court. Miss Wood
was under cross-examination when
court adjourned for the day.
On cross-evamination Miss Wood
said she is AZ years old, was born in
Michigan, has been married and di-
vorced, and has been a newspaper re-
porter a school teacher and a lawyer.
She did newspaper work in Omaha
and also was admitted to the bar in
Nebraska, she said. Going over her
relations with Senator Plat, she said
that she and the senator had trouble
at one time, but that it was patched
up" in April, 1908, and she wrote to
him. She last saw the senator to
speak to him on Aug. 1S, 1908.
Senator's Alleged Letters.
In the course of the cross-examina-
tion counsel for Senator Platt pro.
duced a number of letters alleged to
have been written to Miss Wood by
the senator. In one Of these letters
the senator asked Miss Wood why
she does not marry "Mr. Middleton,
and says he would like to see her mar.
ried before he "cashes in." In another
letter the senator took Miss Wood to
task for writing about "old Janeway,'
told her that he knew all about Mrs
Janeway that Miss Wood was en-
tirely wrong and concluded 81 have nc
intention of marrying Mrs. Janeway OIL
any other woman"
Miss Wood denied that she ever re-
tained O'Flaherty & Fulton of Rich
mond, Va, to prepare a case against
Senator Platt, but said she had met
them in this city and talked about the
case. Thereupon Senator Platt's
| counsel read 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 matter grows out of a
promise of marriage made by you to
her and broken, as shown by your sub,
| sequent marriage to another person,
says the letter.
The defense also submitted a copy
of the legal petition in the district
court of Douglas county, Nebraska
entitled "NIae c., Wood VS.. Robert j
Wynne, William Loeb, Jr., and ]. Mar,
tin Miller, defendants" On that oc
casion Miss Wood in her cause of ac,
tion alleged that between Jan. 1 and
| Oct ~, 1908, defendants conspired
among themselves and with Other
persons unknown to this plaintiff tC
do all the things alleged to have been
done by any one of the defendants"
Miss Wood sought to recover $35, ,0OC
from the defendants on the ground
that through conspiracy they OBJ
tained from her large number Of let
ters which she had received from Sen
ator Platt and which she proposed t.
incorporate in book which she hat
planned to issue under the title "Tht
Love Letters of Boss"
Three Bullets Taken From Girls Arm