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By Root 1719 0

principal New York City theaters and retail department stores. At the time it was also serving as national campaign headquarters of the Democratic Party. The food was impeccable—as good as Delmonico’s—and the wine cellar was reputed to be the finest in Manhattan. The Hoffman House had a café for the gentlemen, a separate dining room for the ladies, and a seventy-foot-long carved bar paneled in mahogany that spread out a “swell” free buffet seven days a week. It was said to be the bar where the Manhattan cocktail had been concocted, though several other swanky saloons asserted the same claim.

Grover Cleveland had recently appointed Hudson to the New York State Railroad Commission, so the former political reporter for the Brooklyn Eagle finally had a real function in state government. But his true value was taking on these sensitive and sometimes dirty political missions. Hudson was waiting for Frederick in Room 210. Young Halpin disdained Hudson on sight; after all, he was there as the representative of the man who had violated Frederick’s mother and had her committed to an insane asylum. It was a thorny conversation to say the least, and Hudson, having found it impossible to get past Frederick’s personal antagonism, got down to business.

Hudson said it was in Maria Halpin’s best interests to issue a public denial of the allegations concerning her relationship with Grover Cleveland. He took a sheet of paper and wrote out a statement that he said he would like Maria to sign. If she did, according to Frederick’s recollection of the meeting, he would be offered a job working for the commissioner of the New York State Board of Public Works, and his mother would receive the extraordinary sum of ten thousand dollars. Hudson handed the statement he’d drafted to Frederick:

I have read the statement published in the Buffalo Telegram [sic] of the date of _____, concerning myself and Mr. Cleveland, a statement which is largely false and malicious. Shortly after the death of my husband, some twelve years ago, I removed to Buffalo with my children. Some time after that I met Mr. Cleveland and made his acquaintance, which acquaintance extended over a period of some months. During that time I received from Mr. Cleveland uniform kindness and courtesy. I have now and have always had a high esteem for Mr. Cleveland. I have not seen him in seven or eight years.

Frederick read the statement, not surprised to find it a fraught with lies and falsehoods, but he knew it was his duty to bring it to his mother’s attention. An enormous sum of money was at stake, and she would have to decide what to do. Frederick returned to New Rochelle with the statement in hand.

William Hudson wasn’t far behind young Halpin. Now that the Cleveland camp had established a direct line of communication with Maria, nothing could keep him away from New Rochelle. On August 7, when Hudson got off the train at the New Rochelle junction, former State Assemblyman Catlin was waiting for him. They had lunch at the country club. For security purposes, Catlin introduced Hudson as his friend “Louis Delafield.” (Hudson’s identity only later came to be exposed because he made the blunder of traveling with a free train pass, issued in his real name by the office of the New York State Railroad Commission.)

After lunch, Hudson and Catlin climbed aboard a one-horse carriage and drove into New Rochelle where they were dropped off at Charles Roosevelt’s law offices. There they waited for darkness to settle on the village. Then the three of them—Hudson, Catlin, and Roosevelt—went to the home of James Seacord.

Roosevelt knocked on the door. Having developed a trusting relationship with Maria, she let him into the house. Hudson and Catlin remained outside under a street lamp, checking a railroad timetable for the next available train out of New Rochelle. A few minutes later, Maria Halpin emerged from the house in a fetching outfit, wearing a heavy veil and carrying a satchel. She got into the carriage and was driven to the New Rochelle station where she caught the 8:07 p.m. to Manhattan.