St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-01-23
MRS. RAwsoN MUST BE MAD.
She III as Read in Open Court Tes-
timony Damaging to Her Char

kJlO AZ 1sCeAd OpOh SOahG L. SS-
timony Damaging to Her Char
acter.
CHICAGO, Jan. 22.-AnOther sensa-
ton developed in the sensatiOnally
fruitful experience of Mrs. Meckle
Rawson to-day. Mrs. Rawson was the
wife of Banker Stephen G. Rawson,
who began an action for divorce from
her. During its tendency, Mrs. Raw
sons son by former husband, Ralph
Lee. shot and dangerously wounded the
banker while sitting in his pew in
church, and Mrs. Rawson shot and
wounded Lawyer Whitney, attorney
for Mr.. Rawson, in open court, from the
effects of which experience Mr.. Whit
ney is now in an insane asylum, and
for which act Mrs. Rawson is
now on trial in the criminal
court. To-day's sensation was pro-
duced by the reading of the
evidence before the grand jury on the
strength of which Mrs. Rawson was in
dicted, and, Singularly enough, this
damaging testimony was presented by
the defense. The testimony read was
from the stenographic report of the pro-
ceedings before the grand jury. and in
cludes the-evidence given by l.. q. Bis
bee. prominent lawyer, at one time
attorney for Mr.. Rawson. Mr.. Bisbee
told the grand jury that he had been
doing business for man named Bush
from New Orleans. Bush told him he
knew man who could tell him all
about Mrs RaWSon and her affairs, and
introduced him to Matt Hogan, de-
tective, and now saloonkeeper on
State street. Hogan" said Bisbee in
his testimony, told me he had been in
Mrs. Raws0n'S employ for several
months. He said she wanted him to put
Rawson out of the way in some manner.
She tried to hire him to put
POISON IN HIS GIN BOTTLE
which he kept in his bedroom, and from
which he occasionally drank during the
night. There was some poison In the
house, which had been there ever since
the first Mrs. Rawson died in 1881, and
little of it mixed with the gin, she
Mr.. Bisbee said Bush told him that Mrs.
Rawson's record was bad from way
back, that she was terribly profane, and
used to drink great deal. He then
told of negotiations which he (BiSbee)
had with Nj. A. Driscoll, a friend of
Mrs. Rawson, who was manager of
Lehman's hotel, at Lake Villa. ''Dris-
coll approached me-" said Mr.. Bisbee,
on the subject of a settlement. He first
said he wanted 100000, for that was
what Mrs. Rawson valued her dover in
her husbands estate at. I went
to Lake Villa to see DriscOll on a
Friday. and offered him $4,000.
He wanted $4,000, but we
finally agreed upon $4,000. Driscoll
said he had come from Mrs. Rawson and
represented her. He was sorry, he said,
that the the settlement could not be
consummated before Monday, because
there would likely be bloodshed in the
| meantime. | became alarmed at this,
and sent word at once TO Mr.. RawSon to
be careful. Driscoll said Rawson was
guarded daily at the bank and at home,
was at church. The next Sunday
HE WAS SHOT ATCHURcH.
lice, Mrs. RaWson'S former husband.
was deserter from the regular army
and gambler. Hogan told me he was
in Washington territory, but that Mrs.
Rawson had sent for him to kill Raw
son after he (Hogan) had refused to take
the job. He found out thatLee got as
far as Milwaukee on his way to Chicago,
and that there he received a postoffice
money order from Chicago for $40 and
got it cashed." The stenographer next
read the testimony of Mrs. Hattie
Hamilton, woman who said she lived
with Mrs. Rawson before she married
the banker. Mrs. Hamilton said the
defendant was prOfane and violent, and
swore terribly because Rawson did not
pay her son Ralph, who was employed
in his bank, larger salary. "She
said." the Hamilton woman testified,
"that she would get even with the old
Spoopendyke. She would marry him,
make his money fly. and then get rid of
him." Hogan's testimony was read,
and it gave in more detail Mrs. Raw
sons alleged attempt to get him to MUIR
der the banker. Hogan told the story
of the gin bottle and the poison. The
proposition to commit murder. he said,
| was made to him by her at the Leland
hotel while he was acting as detective
| for her. He left her at once and went
over to Mr.. Bisbee's employ. Hogan
| said Mrs. Rawson told bin that if he
| would not kill Rawson she would seud
| for Lee and he would do il.