Year: 1869

S5O.OOO BaiI for Criminal Assault on n Lady.


The N. Y. Herald this morning publishes the
following:-


Yesterday afternoon, at the Tombs Police
Court before Judge Dowling, Mr.. John w.
Gould, residing at No 40 East Twenty-sixth
street. New York, and who had been appre-
hended at midday at his office, No. So Wall
street, by Officer James Gillian, was charged
with abduction of and criminal assault on Mrs.
Anna Mead, of No 73 President street, Brooklyn.


The circumstances were very remarkable, rs
will be seen from the following summary of
Mrs. Meads affidavit, sworn to before Judge
Bowling yesterday afternoon. Mrs. Mead is a
lady of considerable personal attractions of
lady-like manners, and evidently accustomed to
the manners of good society:-She said that on
the 14th of September she received four letters
signed with the initials s. w. G.. requesting her
to meet the writer at the Hamilton ferry house,
at the foot of Whitehall street. on some business
connected with her husband. She went there
and met gentleman whom she partly recog-
niZed as having seen before. He APP
preached her and asked her if
She would like to find out about her
husband. She replied that she would very much,
and he informed her that her husband was stop
ping on Staten Island, at the hotel ut Wander
bilt's landing. He then requested her to go with
him there and inquire about her husband. She
accompanied him there, and the prisoner told
her that the hotel was kept by Mr.. Newport.
When she arrived at the hotel the prisoner in
formed her that her husband was out riding with
a lady and was expected back shortly. He re-
quested her TO remain at the MOTEL until her huS-
band returned. After waiting some time the
prisoner told her it was likely that her husband
would be in ut supper, and he requested her to
accompany him to see If she could find him at
the supper table. She went, but found her hus-
band was not there. He then requested her to
have some supper. She did so, but they sat at
some distance from the regular supper table,
and there they partook of some refresh
ment. The prisoner and herself returned
to the parlor, and there they continued to re-
main waiting for her husband to return. The
prisoner then went out of the parlor and went
down stairs, but shortly afterwards returned
with some soda water, which she drank. Then,
as it was getting late and her husband did not
return, she told the prisoner it would be better
for her to go home. He then asked her to re-
main for the 8 o'clock boat, but she replied that
she did not like to wait so long, as she should
like to be home by 9 o'clock If possible She
had some conversation with the prisoner, in the
course of which he informed her that his name
was John w. Could and that he resided at No.
40 East Twenty-sixth street. Shortly after
wards she found herself in stupor, and she
had faint recollection that she was in bed
room with Gould, and that he was taking off
some of her clothing, and that he was endeavor-
ing to place her on the bed. He was undressed:
She has no recollection of anything else until
the morning, when she found herself in Il room
in the second landing of the hotel. She has
since been informed by Mr.. Newport that his
attention was called to the rooms on the night
of the 14th of September by some of the board
ers of the house, who said that there was great
noise in kthe room, and that something wrong
was going on there. Mr.. Newport sent his clerk
up to the room to inform Gould that Mi. New
port desired to see him. Gould went down
stairs, and Newport informed him that he could
not stay at the hotel, but that the lady could re-
main Gould said that the lady was sick and did
not desire to remain. Gould went down stairs
and took Mrs. Mead with him, and asked Mr..
Newport to send fora carriage, which he refused
to do, and then Gould left the hotel. Mrs. Mead
said that she had every reason to believe that
Gould had committed criminal assault upon
her, that she had been informed that Gould on
the following morning had said that he was very
sorry for what had taken place on the previous
night, and that he had been offered $5000i by
Mrs. Mead, the mother-in-law of deponent, to
act in the manner he had, for the purpose of
procuring evidence against Mrs. Mead, Jr., so as
to enable her husband to obtain q divorce


The application for the warrant to arrest
Gould was made by Mr.. Howe, who is counsel
for the prosecution. In default of $50, 900 bail,
Judge Bowling committed Gould to answer the
above charge.