The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-08-26
rs IT TRUTH, OR 4 LIE?
Mr., E,y's Remarkable story and the Res-
son. why the Police Doubt IL.

Mrs Mary Ainsworth Ely, rs a complain
ant and Thomas W. McMnnus as n prisoner
were taken into tho Harlem Police Court. yes
terd0y. by officers of tho Morrisanla police
Near the close of the session thoy were called to
the bar. The woman said Tint she was n
widow. living in Jamaica. Long Island. and
that she came to New York on Saturday to
visit her children in an orphan asylum In
FOrdham Lato in the evening she got OF a car
to visit friend living in 13lth street. Thrco
men followed her into tho street. attacked
her. knocked her down. tied her hands
and feet put gag into her mouth.
and robbed her. Aftcrward. she said. they
assaulted her and threw her over fence
into lumber yard. She lay there. bound and
gagged. and unable to rise from about If p. VI.
until A. NJ. Then she managed to remove the
gag and she screamed for help. Officer Schoski.
hearing her. went there and found her standing
up. but she said that one OF her legs was diso-
Gated. and that she could not walk. The officer
got horse and wagon and took her to the
police station. She described her assailants.
and the officer started to find them. He re-
turned soon aftcrward with McManus "a n
prisoner. having found him hiding In the lum-
Der yard. Mrs. Ely thought that McManus was
one OF her assailants. but she was not posi-
tive in her identification. After hearing the
womans story tho Justice rcmanded Nc
llanus and ordered the police 10 investigate
tn" case thoroughly.
Although the woman said that she maintained
herself 10y sowing for families in Jamaica and
that she visited her children once q week the
Justice was inclined To- doubt the truth Of her
story. II was said that she had been seen en-
t"rng n barroom in Third avenue with "A man.
ana that she had drank heavily. aud that her
supposed assnilants were really her compnn-
ions. As the gag was not In her mouth and
her hands and feet were not bound when the
officer found her. there Ii no direct evidence
that she was gagged and assaulted. Although
she had complained that she was lame, she
tice, for some reason. ordered the offlccr who
found her to make n charge Of intONirntiOn
against her. She WAS therefore not locked UP
a. witness. but rs n prisoner.
Inc acting Captain IN the MOrrisania police
station refused last evening e. permit any ono
t. see her on the ground that she was such an
invcternte fnl-iiler that shc would probably give
a frightful story. Two Of the Sergeants and the
doorman, who had talked with her. declared
that her stories have been very contradictory
They said that she had not mt first complained
~ being gagged; that she mnde no reference
10 orphan children that shc gave two different
names :. two different ages. and three different
llacrs OF RESIDENCE. and that she had given no
salts factory account Of her object in being in
Morrlsana at that time Of night There is NJ
orphan a-ylym In Fordham they sail
Tho officer who found Der Said that tho prO.
lriotor Qi u bargQpm NEAR the Harlem bridge J.,
prepared to testify that the woman entered his
place late saturday evening. and that she drank
with a man, not the prisoner NJ Manus who
the police say, IL respectable hard-workiIl.
man.
On tho whole. tho police SOON 70 have de-
cdt"d their Efforts 10 cross iuas,i6nng the
woman. and finding tho bnrruom keeper. In
order 10 clear the accused man.