Sunbury American

A Life of Romance.

CLOSE OF THE WOODMAN CASE

IN NEW YORK.

A TALE OF ROMANCE.

The case of Mrs. Carrie Woodman, who was attempting to regain her liberty from a private lunatic asylum by the aid of a writ of habeas corpus, procured by Gardner Furniss, was again before the Supreme Court of New York on Thursday. Mrs. W. was placed in the institution by her husband, who lives in New Orleans, because of her being under the influence of Furniss to an extraordinary degree; and the affidavit of Mrs. W. confirms this fact, by the development of perhaps the most singular state of affairs ever made public in a court of law.

The following are some extracts from the affidavit:

"I was married to Oliver O. Woodman about ten years since. In July, 1854, my husband took me to Europe on account of my health. I had been suffering a long time from a disease of the nervous system. On the 2d of November he left me in Paris under charge of a family of a mutual friend, that I might have the benefit of the most skilful medical advisers. For the first two months I was well enough to go out. During this time I formed an acquaintance of Mr. Gardner Furniss, whose mother and elder brother I had known in America. From early in January to July, when my husband returned to Paris, I was confined to my room a large part of the time by severe illness. My attending physicians were Dr. L'Eau, Sir J. Oliver, Dr. Dubois and others. During April and May my life was despaired of and my friend so wrote to Mr. Woodman. I have often since wished I could have died at that time.

During my illness Mr. Furniss was extremely kind and attentive to me, and gained my perfect confidence. His influence over me was like a strange infatuation. I loaned him money freely when I had it, some of which he paid back. I have no knowledge of the amount. But about the time I returned to America, he informed me that he owed me about sixteen hundred dollars, and told me to say nothing about it: that he expected to be rich, and would pay me back double the amount. At that time I thought nothing of it, and did not care what he had had.

About November, 1855, I left New York for the South, and went for a time to the house of my father in Mississippi. While there I corresponded with said Gardner Furniss at his urgent request. By means of my letters and others, he had it then in his power to ruin my reputation, and, as he supposed, cause me to be discarded by my husband. In January, 1856, after I returned to New Orleans. The next day after his arrival he asked me for some money. I had then only $58 which I gave him. He was not satisfied with that. The next day I obtained and gave him $150 more. He urged me to get a divorce from my husband and then marry him. Stated that he had had a lawyer to examine the laws of Louisiana, and that if I could obtain a divorce I would be entitled to one half of my husband's estate in Louisiana and thus I could obtain by that means from fifty to seventy-five thousand dollars that if I did not create some difficulty and obtain a divorce, he would expose my letters to my husband, and that there were expressions in them that would induce my husband to apply for a divorce which would disgrace me. He afterwards called on me repeatedly for more money, and upon my refusing to give it to him he threatened to show Mr. Woodman the letters which I had written to him, and also a portrait of me which he had. He told me the letters which I had written to him would cause Mr. Woodman to discard me and that he Mr. Furniss, would disgrace and ruin me, unless I let him have all the money I could get. I had during that period an allowance from my husband of $100 per month, all of which I gave Mr. Furniss: with that he got along until the latter part of April About the 25th of April he called on me for money to pay his board bill, which he said, was about $200. I had no money, and told him so; upon which he not only threatened me, but actually beat me with violence—broke open my wardrobe, and took away my jewelry and some valuable laces, some of which he dropped in the entry as he was carrying them away, and again threatened to disgrace me and to send my letters to Mr. Woodman.

At one time, while in New York, he took from me a valuable diamond cross, worth about $500 or $600, and told me he had lost it. He put an advertisement in the Herald for it: this he afterwards returned

During the same autumn: 1856, at the New York Hotel, I had $80, which I had laid apart to pay a bill of Mrs. Dieden, dress maker, for $82. This money was in a trunk which was standing open. No one was in the room but Mr. Furniss and myself. When my girl Jane came in directly, I told her to take the money and go back and pay Mrs. Dieden's bill. She looked for the money, but it was gone, and could not be found.— Furniss afterwards acknowledged to me that he had taken $5 of it, and laughed

About the same time Mr. Woodman gave me the money to pay for some small articles of furniture which I had ordered. Furniss took away most of this money—all but $2 -and I was obliged to make some excuse for not taking the articles to the people from whom I had bought them.

Last winter said Furniss went to New Orleans again. A few days after his arrival he came to me and asked me to give him $100 which I did, and afterwards gave him all my allowance, say $100 a month. During that winter he persecuted me constantly with threats and exactions. When I was going to a ball in the evening he would come into the room and take my jewelry and put it into his pocket, and refused to let me have it to wear unless I gave him money, telling me if I went without it Mr. Woodman would insist upon knowing where it was gone—so I would raise every effort to raise money for him— and sell everything in my power—my dresses -rich embroideries—one piece of embroidery which I sold to Miss cost over two hundred dollars: most of the articles I sold to ladies of my acquaintance; made excuses about my health—about going back to Paris, &c. I sold most of my very handsome handkerchiefs : some of them costing $25 or $30 apiece—my velvet mantilla—my lace flounces—a great deal of my expensive lace, some two yards wide, some three yards—two very pretty lace bonnets which I brought from Paris. In short, I could not keep jewelry or anything valuable in my room. I gave my jewelry box to Mr. Woodman, and requested him to place the same in the bank, pretending to him that I was afraid it might be stolen, but in fact to keep it from Mr. Furniss to whom I told that Mr. Woodman had taken my jewelry from me. All the most valuable jewelry that I have left, still remains in the bank at New Orleans.

On Saturday, 15th of August, I arrived in New York from Boston, by a Fall River boat, with my nephew, a son of Mrs. Hazard's the boat having ran into a propeller, we arrived very late. I was greatly fatigued, nervous and excited. Mr. Pike gave me a room. Olly and I took breakfast in the room : Mr. Furniss called, but soon left. I sent my nephew down to Mr. Merrick to enquire if he had any news of Mr. Woodman, as I had not heard from him for some time, and I did not know he had arrived in New York. I had been expecting him to come North for several weeks, and was very desirous to know where he was. It afterwards appeared that Mr. Woodman had arrived at New York on Thursday evening previous, and sent my brother to Boston for me, but he missed me Mr. Woodman having discovered just before leaving New Orleans, something of my affair with Mr. Furniss, had refrained from writing to me.

After Olly had gone some one knocked at the door, I had partly undressed—thought it was Olly come back; found it was Mr Furniss : he pushed in; said he wanted to have an understanding with me; said that I must give him $1,500 ; that if I would do so and contradict whatever Mr. Hazard might say, &c., he would leave me alone and never trouble me any more. I told him that I could not; that I had no means of getting it. Then he began to abuse me, knocked me across the room; said he would kill me; choked me so hard as to make me black in the face; threw me on the bed and up against the wall so violently as almost to make me senseless, and so that he himself was alarmed, and threw a pitcher of water on me to bring me to.

Then he pulled off his clothes, and I screamed, and just then some one knocked at the door. I went to the door and found that it was Mr. Woodman, who had come up.

During the above interview Furniss urged me to get the money by making out false bills and getting the money from Mr. Woodman or by taking jewelry. Also he insisted that he knew my father had given me $1,500 to buy diamonds or silver, and he was determined to have it. When he found he could not get the money he used violence as I have stated. He said, "Your husband and your brother are coming here: there will be a fuss and I mean to ruin you first, and put you in the gutter, where I shall be. I hate you and I hate all your family, because you won't behave to me as you should."

Mrs. W., in her statement, relates many other similar scenes between Furniss and herself, and says he attempted to make her forge her husband's name to drafts. A number of notes which passed between the parties are published, and among them this one from Furniss to Mrs. W.

"Madam :-Mr. G. has not only sent a bill but a request to be paid, otherwise I should not have disturbed your ladyship's slumbers.

"I now renounce all acquaintance with you and insist upon a return of everything. I knew all along that your selfishness and fondness for dress more than counterbalanced any feelings for me, but I did not know that any one could, professing to even like another, act as you have.

Damn you—curse you—may you never be but unhappy. Send me my things everything or I will come and make you open your bed room door. I have depended upon you for what you have promised, and unless you send it to me, or allow me to obtain it immediately, now that I must have it, and have no time to go and borrow it, look out! If you are too ill to do what I ask, I will assist you If well enough to be up to insult me, you are well enough to walk a step or two to keep a promise. Look out, for I hate you, and am foaming with rage. Send your answer immediately, or I will kick your bed-room door down if you do not meet me alone. G. F."

The following is her reply to the above:

"May God forgive you. I cannot. My heart is broken. Whatever may have been my faults, I have loved you most devotedly; it is impossible for me to please you. I have made every effort, submitted to the most shameful abuse merely to be with you; for I well knew that I could not live without the hope of being with you. But never until last night could I think it possible for you to attempt to disgrace a weak woman? Oh! I do not regret to die. You can have the pleasure of feeling that I have suffered as much as you could wish. The small portrait you have destroyed—the other you shall never see. My papa will not take care of me.

"I cannot see you; I hope you are content. ed; you have succeeded in making me very sick. Do as you think best, but you must believe in your heart that I have always loved you. If I could sit up I would drive to see you. Grant me one favor—keep so trim I have given you. I am very miserable write one kind word, it is not much."

This is the answer sent by Furniss, to that note:

"Send my portrait—you may then go to the devil. I detest a liar, and you are the greatest one I ever knew. It is unnecessary for you to tell me again that you cannot forgive me. I do not intend you shall see me again, or care whether you forgive me or not. I wish nothing that will remind me of one so false. The recollection of your deceit will be quite sufficient Do not bother me any more; send my portrait, or I will write to Mr. W. for it. I do not care for it, but hate one that is so deceitful, untruthful, to h jo possession of it. Thank you or nothing."

The case was settled in court by a compromise, in which it was agreed that Mrs. Woodman shall be released from the Asylum, and return with her brother to her parents in Mississippi. The Tribune says:

His sister was overjoyed to meet him, and growing out of the nervous excitement incident to the re-union, she was quite unwell, but was enabled to come to the city during the afternoon of Wednesday. She is a lady quite petite in form, with a dark brilliant eye, and dark brown hair, and has a face of ordinary intelligence. She has evidently been a woman of great beauty, but owing to continued sickness, she has lost much of her attractiveness. She has always exhibited great taste in dress, and at the watering places of Saratoga and Newport, has been noted for the number and richness of her costumes At Saratoga when last there, she was known as the lady with seventy five dresses Her age is about twenty-eight: she has been married nearly ten years.

After the close of the proceedings yesterday afternoon, Mr. Thomas went to a hotel in Jersey City, where Mrs. Woodman had been conveyed, and at 2 o'clock they took the train for Philadelphia.

Mr. Furniss, it is said, left the city early yesterday morning, having learned of the arrival of Mr. Thomas.

The case is one occurring in what is called "high life," Mr. Woodman being a merchant of high standing in New Orleans, and Furniss the son of an honorable merchant of New York. What a 'high life' that must be, from which but a flimsy veil is torn, several scenes at which the humblest cottager might shudder.