The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1915-09-10
ESTELLE GAY
Tells STORY
Says She Is Mother of John
c. c. Mayo'S Son.
Tells of Big Fee Paid To Attend
ing Physician to Quiet
Gossip.

CINCINNATI, sept. TN the court
room of Presiding Judge Frederick
l.. Hoffman, of the Hamilton County
Common Pleas Court, which was
crowded to suffocation, Mrs. Estelle
Cooper Gay, New York widow and
daughter of Judge Cooper, of Mt.
Sterling. KY, for four hours to-day
told under oath a story that in re-
markable elements involved possibly,
has few counterparts in legal proce-
dure.,
In telling her story, Mrs. Gay main
tanned that she is the mother of boy
now years old, the son of the late
John c. C. Mayo, Kentucky capitalist
aud politician. She testified that DR..
D. Meade. prolcinert PHI stefan,
ho is inade defendant with his moth
tr-in-'aw. Mrs. L,nra Mullins, in
habeas corpus writ, attended her at
the birth of the child and was paid
fee of $4,000 by Mayo. 1t was ar
ranged BY the capitalist, she said, to
have the child removed Immediately
after it's birth and cared for by wo-
man unknown to Mrs. Gay.
Boy Was Secreted.
Into her recital, which reached its
climax when she charged that DR..
Meade has secreted her 2-year old
boy, the son of the late multi-mil-
lionaire. John c. c. Mayo, of Paints
vile, KY, she brought the names of
many prominent men, including
United States Senator Clarence w.
Watson, of West Virginia, and skirt
ed revelation of the names of others,
but was checked by her counsel, and
she was prepared it seemed, to re-
move the lid from a secret chapter of
Kentucky politics and of the Balti-
more convention that nominated
Woodrow Wilson because of her
knowledge of Mayo's plans to be
elected Senator from Kentucky.
Mrs. Gay testified that agents Of
the Mayo estate. whom she mention
ed by name, had deceived her into
losing the disinterested friendship
and assistance of United States Sen
ator Watson, of West Virginia, pres
ident of the Consolidation Coal Com
pany, in which Mr.. Mayo had been
interested.
There was a surfeit of sensation,
but the principal ones were:
Mrs. Gays declaration that DR..
Meade so feared a dictagraph that he
wrote questions to her on pieces of
paper and then destroyed them; that
her trunk was seized by DR.. Meade at
a local hotel and letters vital to her
case were stolen; that Attorney Ste
wart, of Ashland. KY, representing
Mrs. Mayo, told her he had paid DR..
Meade to secret the baby and that he
clouded her case and induced her to
write discriminating letters and docu-
ments.
''Life Threatened"
Minor thrills were allegations that
DIR. Meade had threatened her life
and to place her in an asylum; that
upon promises to restore her baby to
her he induced her to write letters
declaring the child had died; had in
duced her to tell several persons
there never had been child; had
forced her to sign a document pledg-
ing him that the per cent of any
sum she might recover from the Mayo
estate and forced her to write long
document exposing everything she
knew of men of national prominence
who were Mayo's friends
Under crossexamination by Attor-
ney Willard Tyree, for Dr. Meade,
Mrs. Gay repeated her story, even
elaborated on it. Judge Hoffman
continued the case for two weeks to