Omaha daily bee., 1889-04-26
CHARGED WITH SHOPLIFTINC
Arrest of the Wife of Prominent
Chicago Divine.
A SISTER OF GENERAL DRAKE.
Both the Lady aud Her Husband Are
Quite Wealthy-Des Moincs
Friends Refuse to
Believe 1t.
She Asserts Her Innocence.


CHICAGO, April 25.-tSpecial Telegram 10
| THE BEE. Mrs. Jennie Kirkham, wife Of
the Rev. r. M. Kirkham, who, IL was an
nounced this morning, was arrested Wednes-
| day afternoon in the Boston store on the
charge Of shoplifting was arraigned in the
| Armory police court to-day. She appcard
| accompanied by her attorney, her husband
and several friends, fellow.members of the
Christian church, at Thirty-seventh street
| and Indiana avenue, OF which the Rev. Kirk.
| ham is the pastor. George G. Christian, Mrs.
kirkham's attorney, repeated TO the court
his clients story about meeting girl named
Mary Fulton on street car and employing
her as domestic. She went with her TO the
Boston store, and the girl handed her vari-
GUS articles to hold. When she was arrested
the Fulton girl disappeared.
Mrs. Krkham is lady OF irreproachable
character" said Mr.. Christian. "She is the
sister of General Drake, the founder OF
Drake university at Des Moines Ia, and the
wife OF Rev f.. NJ Kirkham, publisher of
the Christian Oracle and pastor of the church
of which / am member and the clerk. We
want continuance until Saturday, in order
to find the Fulton girln
Edward Hillman, the manager of the Bos-
ton store, objected to the continuance, but
tho OouIt w lay over lne case untll
Saturday, and placed Mrs. Kirkham under
$500 bonds, which she promptly furnished
1--WE had only three witnesses, and If they
had been heard, the case could have at once
been disposed of, said Mr.. Hillman. 'I and
lady who is in our employ saw Mrs. Kirk.
ham take the articles herself. There was no
one with her. Furthermore she has admit
ted 1t to five different people since her arrest
and when we searched her and found nearly
500 worth of our goods concealed In the lining
of her drnSS / nslkpl her NvhV eba tnnlr
She said she thought there was something
the matter with her head. She offered TO
pay S25 for them and said she would not
have her husband know it for the world.
When | called in Officers Palmer and Hoff-
man she admitted it to them"
Mrs Kirkham adYittea the crime to me
IN her cell yesterday, " said Matron Heland.
cell last night
"Mrs Kirkham admitted the crime TO my
self and Oficer Palmer" said Oficer Hotf.
man who made the arrest. "She came down
town at 10 o'clock in the morning and spent
the whole day around the State street
stores"
A condu ctor on the Rock Island railroad
called at the armory to-day and said that he
brought Mrs. Klrkham into town nearly
every day from Auburn park on his train
and wondered at her peculiar actions. He
made an inquiry of her and she answered
she was the wife of u doctor living at Au-
burn park
Nellie Murphy, a domestic who was fined
SO by Justice Lyon for larceny, from her
employer, Ora +. Havill, was Mrs. kirk
hams cell-mate last night.
She tried to induce me to say that | was
with her in the Boston store and stole the
things,n said Nellie Murphy to the matron,
Mrs. Hieland, and she afterwards repeated
the story to the police officers. "Sho said If
l pleaded guilty and took the blame, she
would pay my fine and see that | didn't get
into any trouble. | wasn't in the Boston
fN.p fll.Nt hnfa,
sides there is plenty of witnesses to prove
where was all day yesterday. refused to
do it," ..-.. ...ut r..
After the case had been disposed of by
Justice White, Attorney Christian the Rev.
Mr. Kirkham and two other gentlemen OBJ
tanned permission from Justice Lyon, after
being refused by the other authorities In tho
station, to see Miss Nellie Murphy. They
had just begun a conversation with her at
her cell door when Officer Hoffman camo up
and stationed himself within hearing dis
tance The gentlemen Immediately desisted,
assembled the stairs and left the station.
Nellie Murphy says that they were trying to
make her say she was in the Boston store
with Mrs. Kirkham. Nellie Murphy's fine
was suspended at the request of the matron.
Des Moines Friends Can't Believe 1t.
Dies MorNEs Ia, April 25.-lSpecial Telc-
egram to TIE BEE The Associated press
dispatch referring to the arrest at Chicago
stealing, was received with Mingled aston
ishment and incredulity here. The Mrs.
Kirkhaln who was arrested is said to be the
wife of prominent Christian or Campbell
ite preacher, who formerly lived here. and is
brothcr-ln-law of General Drake, of Cen
tervile who founded Drake university IN
this city. Inquiry among friends of Mrs.
kirkham here tonight, showed that they
believe there is some mistake about tho
item. They say that Mrs. Kirkham is worth
$50, 900 in her own name, while her husband
is independently wealthy, 80 that she could
have no possible inducement for stealing.
Sho left Des Moines only about two months
ago, and was formerly the state secretary
for Iowa of the Christian Missionary society,
and has always been a woman of the highest
character and good judgment Her friends
say that il it is a case Of kleptomania il has
developed very recently. bnt they believe
that some one has imposed upon the police
by giving an assumed name.
Ncbra slSa and Iowa Pensions.
WAsnINGToN, April 25--fSpecial Tele.
gram to THE BEE. The following pensioni
were granted to Ncbraskans to-day: Origi.
nal invalid-Wiliam Cramer. Mexican sur.
vivors-James +. Knight. Increase Thoma,
Dulin, Edward T.. Mulick, Davis M. White
Francis M. Brown, Philip g. Richardson.
Iowans; Original inyaldIAsbnry 1u,sy
Patrick Welby, George w. Mills. In
creascd--Aiex S. Perry Henry Gerds,
Patrick Sullivan, Hezekiah Lippett, Abra
ham Edwards, Henry ID. Kahler, Robert
Greer, james W. Mills. William II. Will
iaps, Robert C. Niclsle. Claridon p. Camp
bell, Jonathan H. Porter, Aaron l.. Ratcliff,
Nelson Brown. Ressue-Sduire A. t'uqual
Original widows, etc.--Abigail, mother OF
Albert l.. Heaton. Mexican widows-Mary
A., widow Of John ii. Young
-
The Illinois Canal Commission.
SPIISoFIELD, April 25--The governor to
day sent in the names OF Louis HUT, OF
Chicago; CaptainJ. a. Ames, of Strcator
ane Clarence f.. Snivoly, OF Canton, as canal
commissioners. For the latter place there
has been very bitter contest tho candidat'
opposed to Snively being Clark, of Peoria
The latter city has had lobby here gooc
part of the time since the inauguration, and
interviews by the dozen were held with this
governor. Sniyely was backed however. by
the senator and representatives OF his dis
trict, as well as all the leading republicans 10
Knox, Fulton and Stark counties.
, ~