St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-10-27
TOLD Her TO Be GOOD.
Ida Shenk & Co., Defendants,
Pose as Moralists in the
Ellis Abduction.
Nothing Approaching Evil
Dreamt Of by the Woman
and Two Men.
Grace Ellis Was Told to Be
Good and Always Rennem-
Der Her Mother.
Sergeant Kirkham'S Explana-.
Sergeant Kirkham's Explana-
ton of His Peculiar Smell
ing Propensities.

! Ida Shenk, G. p. Watson and William
DemarS, testified in their own behalf.
| They denied in toto the serious charges
made against them. as well as many of
the lesser connecting circum stances,
and severally insisted that they neither
intended nor did any fragrant wrong to
the little girl.
AT the opening Of court yesterday
morning the case rested. Attorney
| McGhee made motion to dismiss the
case and argued it at some length. This
| motion was promptly denied by Judge
Otis. Attorney McGhee then outlined
the defense to the jury in protracted
speech, into which he injected his usual
| eloquence Of delivery. He asserted the
innocence of his clients on the charges
of abduction and attempt to take Grim
inal liberties with the child
The testimony for the defense was be-
| gun and continued on the theory of con-
tradicting the essential points of the
story told by Grace May Ellis and the
| supplements thereto by her mother and
stepfather, the Sheehans.
| Police Sergeant Samuel j. Kirkham.
of Minneapolis, was the first witness
| lOi TIC QtltUSc. t1t Ildu hUOMH tlIO
| child and her mother since 1889. The
attempt to prove by him that Mrs. Shee-
han had been arrested was repulsed by
the court upon objection being made.
| but a copy of the record of her arrest
| and conviction was admitted. Tie
| offer to show by this witness
that Grace attended balls lacking
in responsibility was also rejected
| by the court. On the subject of propo-
| sitlons TO effect compromise or stop
| the prosecution after the preliminary
| investigation in the municipal court.
| Sergeant Kirkham testified to the effect
| that he went to see Mrs. Sheehan after
| receiving letter from her. She told
| him that she had understood he intend
| ed 10 go to ST. Paul to. testify as TO her
| past history. He denied having advised
! her to settle the matter or having offered
| to give her $50 with that end in view.
| Mrs. Sheehan had told him that she was
offered $1,000 to drop the prosecution.
He declared his disbelief in the state
ment, and she then asked him to bring
the men to see her i'll case he
ran across them. He asserted that the
defendants had made no proposition to
him to try and effect q settlement. He
characterized the prosecution as black
mailing scheme, but admitted on cross
examination that he had looked up the
Minneapolis end of the matter for the
defendants. He had not, however, re-
ceived compensation therefor. He made
the acquaintance of Watson after the
arrest. He some times did work in the
way of looking up the facts for the de-
Tense Of persons outside of the state.
and even in the state. After some hes
itation he admitted that he might have
said to Mrs. Sheehan, in the presence
OF Officer Rutledge, that she ought to
Accept the Money
offered her, but denied Offering to leave
$50 for her at drug store in case she
would stop the prosecution, or to take
the child to his aunt'S in the country.
He had looked up evidence for the de-
Tense at the request of Detective Laugh
rem, of Minneapolis.
Mary Hogan was put i'll the witness
box and stated that Mrs. Sheehan asked
her to testify that she had gone home
with Grace the night of the escapade in
st. Paul, and. upon her refusal to do
SO, had threatened to have her put in
jail until the time of the trial. She de-
MED having been offered money to tes-
tify for the defendants.
Ida 3. Shenk was called to the stand
after the noon recess, and denied any
intention on her part to do wrong. Her
SlotN WAS al Hit Oh Tile cyl
dence-by the child and her mother. Her
testimony in chief made connected
story, but upon croSs-eXamination as to
her acquaintance with her co-defend-
ants, and upon animportant points, was
Il little conflicting. On the eyentfui day
she lived with her sister at 494 Broad
way. She started to go to Minneapolis
Sunday evening, Aug. 2, to tell Grace
that she saw an advertisement
for girl wanted to stand in candy
store Oh Wabasha street. SHE met De
mars and Watson at the corner of Ro3-
ert and Seventh street, and spoke to
| them. They said they were going to
| Minneapolis and so they went over to-
| gether, starting about p. M On reach
ing Minneapolis she told them she
| wanted to call to see a friend. They had
all agreed to go TO Lake Harriet, and
| they walked out Nicollet to Seventh
| street. The men waited there for her.
| She went to Mrs Sheehan's, and short
| time after joined the men and they
went to the lake. After staying
there while they returned and got off
| near the place they started from. She
again went 10 Mrs. Sheehan's, and the
| men walked on, but she made no ar
engagements to join them, as size was not
decided as to going to st. Paul again
| that night. She went to Mrs. Shee-
| hans and told Ida of the chance for a
position. and, declining to stay over
| night, they started 10 go to st. Paul.
| When they got to Washington ave-
nue. they found Demars and Wat
son. 1t was then a few min
utes after midnight. They bought
| some fruit at store Oh Washington
| avenue and then boarded an electric
| car for st. Paul. Grace sat in the seat
with Watson and she with Demars.
| After reaching st. Paul they took lunch
at the Market restaurant. The fruit
| and the lunch were procured at the
Request of Grace.
When they lett the restaurant it was
| few minutes after 2 a. IN. They
| started down Seventh street. she in
tending to go to her sisters. but realiz-
| ing it was late said she did not like
| to go home at that hour. Grace said
| it would not do to go to her aunt's at
| that hour. The men then proposed to
| pay for the lodging of herself and
! Grace and they would go home. Grace
| spoke up and said that would do. They
| were then near the Carlysle and went
! up to the office. The men engaged
| Room 10 and they went there. A bottle
1 of blackberry brandy was bought for
| Grace, who had a severe cold and could
l hot speak iOuG. OTdce ndQ asked
for hot whisky, but said the
| night clerk said the whisky
could not be procured. They all went
to the room, and Grace and she drank
| some of the brandy. The men went
out and got cigars and returned to the
| room. While they were out she took off
| her outside skirt and waist. Grace re-
| moved heroyerdreSS and the lace bodice
! she had on, but neither of them I'M
| dressed. The room was very warm,
| and this was done to cool off. Watson
was sitting down and Grace went and
| sat on his lap. They wrote poetry and
| she pet her address in his memoran-
dun. After sitting there awhile
and talking pleasantly to him she said
| she was tired and sleepy and went
+! to the lounge to lay down.. and was
| given bedspread and pillow. The
1 writ fnd I,of 10 ,af