The Portland daily press., 1885-10-28
THE BALTIMORE CONSPIRACY.
More About the Affair which is Ex-
citing Boston People.
The Wife of a Boston Policeman Ar
raigned on a Serious Charge.

BOSTON, Oct. 27.-The woman under ar
rest at headquarters since Saturday night
in connection with the Baltimore conspiracy
is Mrs. Emma Coolidge, wife of Officer
James =. Coolidge, of the Boston police,
Her identity was concealed so carefully that
even her husband was not aware of her ar
rest until this morning. This afternoon
Mrs. Coolidge was arraigned in the municl-
pal court, Hon; Joseph Bennett appearing
as her .:II counsel. The charge against ner 7,
She pleaded not guilty and was held IN
5000 Tor her appearance for examination on
December 11th. The case was disposed OF
very quietly and but few of the spectators in
Coolidge looked very detected and her eyes
were red with weeping. She is a large won,
an and fair looking. It appears she visited
Bose Cobb'S place on Norman ST., where the
plot was arranged three times. Her husband
had short interview with her today, but
she had little to say. She claimed she did
not attempt to allow the murder to be COM
mitted, but wanted to get hold of the money,
$1,000 and keep it: She did not make a con-
fidant of her husband in the matter, which
her claim. Shealso claims she was
dragged into it, but does not say
how. The husband knew nothing OF
the elder Mellen and says he has no idea how
induced to enter the plot. He feels deeply
grieved over the affair. He has been married
to her about seven years, little girl being,
the fruit of their union. His home is now
broken up and he intends to put his child
away. 1t is possible he may enter suit for
damages against the police for the manner in
which they treated their prisoner. The law
says that prisoner cannot be held more
than twenty -four hours, except on holidays
or Sunday without arraignment, but Mrs.
Coolidge was detained three days and was
not allowed communication with her husband
or friends, although she desired to it is said
Much sympathy is felt for her husband who
has the reputation of being a conscientious
and faithful police officer.
A despatch from Baltimore this afternoon
states that assistant district attorney Dacey,
Inspector Garraughty and John Donohue,
alias "John BulP' of Boston, are in that city.
Donohue is the man who was approached, it
is alleged, with the proposition to commit
the murder, The man to whom the despatch
was directed, on account of which Mrs. Cool
idge was arrested Saturday night is A. L.
Mellen, Proprietor of the st. James Hotel,
in Baltimore, and the Boston officers are I'M
able to find him. His son who has been liv-
ing in lodgings with his wife refuses to be-
lieve the story.
BALTIMORE, Oct 27.-District attorney
Dacey and Detective Garraughty of Boston,
are in this city in connection with the case
of the arrest of a woman in that city alleged
to have conspired for the murder of Mrs.
Chas S. Mellen of Baltimore. The Mellen
family are at the st. James Hotel, but the
detectives are so far reticent, though the
father of young Mellen is under surveillance
The case has excited but little interest here,
but Developments are awaited
The developments in the story started by
the arrest in Boston of Mrs. Coolidge fail to
show the motive for the desire to put out of
the way the young wife of Edward L. Mel
len of this city. 1t seems that about three
years ago bright English girl Mary A. Som
erset, secured employment at the St. James
Hotel, of which A. l.. Mellen, the father of
Edward L. is proprietor. The young man
formed an attachment for her which resulted
in the birth of an illegtimate child, and the
young people secretly lived together as man
an wife for some time. Last spring they
quarrelled and were not reconciled till April
14th 1885, when Miss Somerset called at the
st. James and told her story to the mother of
her Seducer, who Immediately sent for
priest and insisted on the two being married
at once, which was consummated. Shortly
after the st. James was closed for the sum-
mer and Mellen senior took charge of the
Stockton at Cape May, where the whole fam
lily remained till the end of August, when
they returned to St. James. About fifteen
days ago Mr.. and Mrs. A. L. Mellen went to
Cambridge, Mass, and have not yet return
ed. They were last heard of at the st.
George hotel in Philadelphia The Boston
detectives are understood to be here for the
purpose of arresting Mr.. Mellen, but they
refuse to be interviewed. One of them said
tonight that he knew the story sounded inn
probable, but that the real motive of the de-
sire for the murder was known only to him
self, and it would not be divulged till the
chain of evidence was completed. Young
Mellen admits the truth of the story as given
above but ridicules the idea that there was
any conspiracy on his fathers part and does
not believe there was any scheme on foot to
murder his wife.