Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-05-02
A FALSE REPORT.

Affair en- Plg'S Eye bOtCOm-A drunken
Old Man and Wife Brutally Beater and
MANNED by Young Half-Breed.
About o'clock yesterday watchful at
ache of the Pioneer Press observed car
riage going down Third street which con-
tanned Sheriff King, Police Captain Clarke,
(armed with double-barreled shot gun,)
Coroner Davenport and, of course, repre-
sentative of the GLOBE. That was enough
to warrant immediate action. Another car
riage was soon on the road, pursuing the
first towards the old Pigs Eye mill. The
occasion of the journey was a report
from Pigs Eye bottom to the effect that
Mr.. and Mrs. Davis, old and well known
residents, had been brutally assaulted and
probably killed by ferocious, desperate
half-breed. The first disappointment of the
officials Saying nothing of the feelings of
the reporters) occurred when Mr.. Davis him
self, the first resident of the vicinity en-
countered, advanced to shake hands with the
sheriff. The further disappointment of the
reporters was too sad to be dwelt upon.
Suffice it to say they found that no one had
been killed. But there had been
A DEADLY ASSAULT,
in which George Fletcher and his wife were
brutally pounded and kicked and quite dan
gerously hurt. Excepting the Fletchers,
those who knew most about the affair had
least to say and there seemed to be dispo-
sition, arising from fear or favor, to shield
the assaiIant of the Fletchers as much as
possible. The affair occurred Thurs.
day evening, when the Fletchers
and some of their neighbors, all
suffering from subsistence of the alcoholic
hilarity they had swallowed while in st. Paul,
were just arriving home. The Fletchers, it
appears, encountered young half-breed
named John Jeranny. Probably they had
quarreled before, but, according to the story
of the Fletchers, Jeramy attacked them
without provocation-frst knocking the old
man down and kicking and clubbing him
until the old woman came down from her
wagon and was served as her husband Lad
been. Fletcher's head was yesterday badly
bruised and bloody mass. His left eye was
dangerously hurt and may be permanently
blinded. Mrs. Fletcher's eyes were black
and blue, her face was cut, and one of her
ribs was broken.
THE NEIaHBoRs
At first told the truth as to Jeramy's
whereabouts, saying he had gone about his
work, of pitching up logs fer Hastings mills,
Friday and yesterday as usual, and was at
the time out on Pigs Eye lake. But finally
the veritable reliable contraband appeared
on the scene and from that wartime source
of information it was ascertained that
Jeramy had probably padded down to
Hastings. Nevertheless, the officers con-
cluded to wait his coming to supper and
when he did come in they arrested him.
After he was lodged in jail at st. Paul a
GLOBE reported called on Jeramy and en-
deavored to learn what he knew about the
affair. He had told some of the neighbors
that old Fletcher call him vulgar name and
and that he didn't know what followed; but
he told the reporter that the Fletchers first
assaulted him, the old woman being armed
with 2x4 stick and that he knocked them
down. That was all.
THE RELIABLE CoNTRABAND
explained to the officers that Jeramy couldn't
have hurt the Fletchers by kicking them, be-
cause his boots were soft, wet and heelless,
but the injuries of the Fletchers are more
than any one could have inflicted with fists.
He probably used both club and boots.
Whatever the provocation, the assault was
murderous in its character and it is probable
the Flstchers tell no more than the truth in
saying they would have been beaten to death
by the half breed had not Mr.. Davis inter
fered and saved them. The Fletchers are
said to be in bad repute in the
neighborhood, on account of quarreling and
drunkenness, and they were undoubtedly
very drunk when the assault occurred, and
may easily have provoked it. The half breed
has lived in the neighborhood for about q
dozen years, his father died there about
three years ago], and is said to be indus
trious and ordinarily peaceful. DIR. Dayen-
port dressed the wounds of the Fletchers,
and prescribed for them, and they will
doubtless be able to give evidence against
Jeramy before the grand jury next week.