The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-05-07
BRUTAL CONDUCT OF PAT,K MELIN.
Warden of the WOrk.HOuse.
His Statement.

At 8 o'clock We dnesday night difficult,
occurred at the corner of Locust ani
Perilliat streets, in which Jane Kavanaugl
was assaulted and most brutally beaten by on,
Patrick Melin, Warden Of the City Work
House. The poor creature was sent to tn.
Charity Hospital, where her injuries were
examined and it was discovered that her LEFT
arm and three ribs on the left side were bro
ken. Besides these injuries her body wal
bruised in the most frightful manner. From
reports of outside parties it appears that the
difficulty originated from the woman going te
the Work-House for food, when the brute,
Patrick Melin, assaulted, beat and drove hel
away.
The fellow. Melin succeeded in making his
escape, and has not as yet been arrested.
A reporter of the BULLETIN visited Mrs.
Kavanaugh at the Charity Hospital, where he
found her suffering very much from the inju-
ries inflicted by the man Melin. The follow
ing statement was elected from the suffering
woman:
I live opposite the Work House. The
warden has been in the habit of allowing the
prisoners to come outside of the gate and jeer
at and insult the neighbors. Wednesday night
. woman came outside of the Work House and
insulted me grossly. being alone with my
children, Immediately went to the warden
and complained to him of the nuisance.
He not only used language of the most
abusive nature, but told me that the people in
the workhouse were as free as myself then
said that was not aware that prisoners had
the privilege of coming out in the streets and
insulting the neighbors whereupon he caught
me by my hair and threw me with violence
against the fence.
Seeing that he was about to strike me with
q large stick in his hand, I recovered myself
and caught him in the shirt bosom, trying to
ward the blow with my other hand, when he
again caught me in the hair, and throwing me
down, beat me numerically with the stick.
think it was loaded cane.
Mr.. Melin called at the BULLETIN Office last
evening and made the following statement !:
The woman in question, Jane Kavanaugh.
came to the work-house gate, and complained
to me that some one of the prisoners had in
suited her. He inquired of several persons
around if that were so; they all stated that it
was not He further states that she was in
and that he ordered her away from
the place, when she cursed him. He walked
away and went to his own house near the
prison; she followed him up and continued
her abuse Of him, and also applied her epithets
to his wife.
Becoming incensed, he took her by the arm
and pushed her away. She again returned,
and when he attempted to push her away
again she caught him in the vest, and in his
efforts to release himself he struck her with o
small switch cane. He finally succeeded in
releasing himself and then pushed her into
The street, where she fell and had a drunken
it. He further AYERS that he did not evade
lrrest, and that the woman's injuries were
1ot as serious as stated in the police report,
Is he had q certificate Of her discharge from
he Charity Hospital, which he exhibited to
he reporter of the BULLETIN.