Omaha daily bee., 1885-10-31
A SAD PARENT INTERVIEWED
Ohicago's --latest Sensation Linked With
q Resident of Lincoln.
a TALK WITH AN AGED DENTIST.
Some Strong Objections TO the Treat
mcnt Of Quinn Bchannan-A
Suit Against Jim Laird
Othcr Capital News.
trnou rue urr's LINCOLN nuntAU.l

who sat IN n dcntlSt s char. The old
man was a dentist. and his work was the
usual routine duties which dcvolvo upon
one of his profession. Presently he tin.
ished. aud looking up to the BE reporter,
who had entered the room, asked him
3is crrand.
The Geographic columns OF this paper
on Thursday morning announced the u t
tempted murder of Mrs. Ray Good and
Miss Lillian Walter in Chicago Wodnes-
day evening by a young man named A.
j. Burrus. The murder was committed
In front of r. g. Dunn d Cos mcrcan-
tile agency, at Nos. 140 and 144 Monroe
street, and the assaulted ladies were en-.
ployes, and Burrus IL discharged en-
ploye. The affair seems to have been
~Gnprovokcd and lone in cold blood.
The dentist in Lincoln approached by
the BEE reporter was A T.. Burrus, the
father of the assailant. Approaching
The old gentleman the reporter handed
him n Thursdays issue OF the Chicago
News, which contained n cut Of his son.
The old gentleman seemed greatly af-
tccted, and when the reporter asked him
1T he was Burns father he answered by
asking the question: Who told you that
was his fathcrF'' and his eyes
searched the reporters face as if to gam
an answer. For some time he was 10th
e. speak and it was with considerable
difficulty that he could he persuaded to
say anything at all. He feared the pub
licity. II am iust starting in business
here and it Will injury me greatly he
said, ito be known in the matter. l
know that il will have to come out, but |
would like to have it kept quiet for a few
days until l recover from the great shock
which this terrible affair has caused me.
Yes" he continued, '1he boy is my
eon, and ! cannot account tor the crime.
never knew that his mind was pecu-
1iarly affected. In his early life he was
always Il bright, Cheerful! boy, in good
health and spirits. He was born at Fort
Atkinson. Wisconsin, twenty-oight years
ago. He lott home at the age Of II and
went to Fort Wayne, Ind, where |
believe he worked in n drug store for
some time. He has not been in the
habit of visiting us except occasionally
since he went away to Fort Wayne. He
was connected with the Dun agency at
St. Paul and Minneapolis for quite a
while before he moved to Chicago. In
April, 1884, he married IL Miss Sadie
Cooper, of St. Paul, and it was only a
short time after that we received a letter
from him requesting his mother to come
from Beaver Dam, Wis. where we were
WIZ vi b' isttfa y" A'fS ~ NAM
She Afterwards did 20. i have been in
Lincoln aboal- o months and am just
getting into a practice"
No" said Mr.. Burrus, in answer to
The reporters question, Your present
visit is not the first news ! have received
of the sad affair. Yesterday morning as
j was CHANGING over the paper nearly the
first item which caught my eye was that.
Soon afterwards ! received a telegram
from my wife. | thought for several
days that something was wrong or about
t. happen, for | had not heard from them
for nearly three weeks. We nave been
in the habit of corresponding con
stantly." .
In answer to a question Mr.. Burrus
said: s far as mere statements OF fact
are concerned, l think the Chicago Tn
bune had them properly stated, but there
years AGO Asba's brother was killed in a
railroad accident ut flilton junction
on the Chicago, Milwaukee II St. Paul
railroad, near Jancsyi'.e &c, Wis. The boys
had dearly loved each other, and the sud
den death of Charles seemed 10 bCardeep-
" on A,bars mind. From a lively and
cheerful lad he becnIne pcegish and
mOroSe, and whenever his mother and |
saw him he said that he did not care to
five any longer, His mind WAS clearly
affected and no word OF ouis could cheer
him up, From that time on j Am sorry
" 5iJ b'Sbr nv 't1tNh i'phfE 'AN't'' w
keep his nerves quiet, and at the present
time | believe him to be Il confirmed
opium smoker. He ran down and got
very poor, and was in miserable health,
I have IN idea that his discharge from
the Dun agency reAderGd him crazy, and
possibly nc attributed his discharge to
his two unfortunate Victims"
DIR. Burrus will 20 10 Chicago as soon
as the shock to his nerves has left him.
IN appearance the fnth'r OF the assailant
seems like IL scholarly oId gentleman and
one who has passed his life in close APP
b years old, and five fett eight inches
tail, weighing 1863 pounds. His hmir is
gray and his c|ountenaucc frank and hon.
est looking. He is an eathuslastic stu
aeIt OF dentistry, and has written sew
trtl pamphlets. on the subject, He feels
very q eatly paincd Mt his soH's act, and
offers o excuse for his conduct. His
circums aacesure poor and he cannot
offer any and To his son. The doctor APP
pears to be Il gentleman, and no blame
can possibly attach TO him; on the con
arary he is deserving of the hGarticSt
sympathy of his community.
TIE BoHAKAN CASE.
1t has been considered n great outrage
on human dccency that the convicted
murderer Bohannn slrotkt DE confined
for over a year in IA little iron cage, 6N1
fori, with Il ceiling about 7 feet high,
ana never pufInlttuIi 10 naNG any exercise
RbaiovUr. Judge Mason, OF this city,
s1ys that humanity ought mt least to die
tate decent treatment oGYen II convicted
murderer. b %llanan, once IA week, is nj.
lowed to step inst outside of the cage
where he is shaved. aud then immediate
~ returned in again, The reason Sheriff
Canada gives for keeping him so closely
confined is that ii lac wore W permit him
10 exercise in any of tho cells it would
necessitato employing an extra guard,
aud that he dorS not wish TO incur extra
, expense. Th is said to lie a very triling
excuse for treating the murderer SO
cruelty,
o. Judge Mason is very indignant. He
s,id Yesterday. when spoken To IN the
subject: II have said nothing concerning
the terrible treatment which Bohanan
has received since his incarceration
hte the Otoc county jail, but /
Thought / would wait and see
Ii int indionnIinn wound rot be nrOnSnl